HSC Cell PDF

GSM Hierarchical Cell
Structures
Engineering Guideline
EG: GSMHCH
401-380-364
Issue 1.0
May 1999
Lucent Technologies -- Proprietary
This document contains proprietary information of
Lucent and is not to be disclosed or used except in
accordance with applicable agreements.
GSM Hierarchical Cell Structures Engineering Guideline
Copyright 1999 Lucent Technologies

Unpublished and Not for Publication
All Rights Reserved
This material is protected by the copyright and trade secret laws of the United States
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For permission to reproduce or distribute, please contact:

The Manager, RF Systems & Capacity Engineering Group
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Lucent Technologies - PROPRIETARY

Use pursuant to Company instructions
Issue 1.0 May 1999
Contents
1. ABOUT THIS GUIDE
1.1.
Purpose and contents
1.2.
Intended audience
1.3.
Source material
1.4.
Further reference
2. INTRODUCTION TO HCS
2.1.
Prerequisites
2.2.
Feature overview
2.3. Benefits
Increased capacity
Other benefits
7
7
8
2.4.
Limitations
2.5. Application methods

Hot spot coverage
Contiguous coverage
Cold spot coverage
10
10
10
10
2.6.
11
LM5 enhancements
3. HCS DESIGN
3.1.
13
Cell categories
13
3.2. Cell layer categories

Lower layer
Middle layer
Upper layer
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3.3.
17
Cell definition
3.4. Idle Mode operation

Cell selection (C1) and reselection (C2) criteria
Other selection triggers
Mobility management using C2 criterion
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iii
Contents
3.5. Dedicated Mode operation
Power Control enhancements for HCS
Basic Handover algorithm enhancements
Duration-of-stay counters
Handover Threshold Comparison algorithms for different cell layers
Handover Target Cell Identification process
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30
31
35
39
3.6. Cell layer ranking in Target Layer Identification process

Lower layer cells (for mobiles served by Lower Layer cells)
Middle layer cells (for mobiles served by Middle Layer cells)
Upper layer cells
Handover state diagram
Mobility management using duration-of-stay counters
Mobile behaviour at hierarchical non-hierarchical borders
HCS 2-layer implementation
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51
3.7. Associated features

Frequency hopping (FH)
Directed retry
Dual band operation
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4. HCS PARAMETERS
53
5. HCS IMPLEMENTATION
69
5.1.
Introduction
69
5.2.
Non-HCS to HCS migration
70
5.3.
Activating 3-layer HCS
72
5.4.
Network planning guidelines
73
5.5. Lower layer microcell planning

Antenna heights
Site location
In-building lower layer cell locations
In-building coverage from outdoor lower layer cells
BTS power classes
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5.6.
Antennas
81
5.7.
External combining equipment
84
5.8. Frequency planning for HCS

Introduction
Planning methods
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Contents
5.9.
Neighbour cell planning
5.10.
Design tools
WiSE
GRAND
STEAM
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6. HCS IMPLEMENTATION IN MULTI-VENDOR NETWORKS

7. DESIGN EXAMPLES
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101
7.1.
Example 1 Microcellular coverage (Taipei)
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7.2.
Example 2 Microcellular coverage (Riyadh)
105
8. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
111
9. LIST OF ACRONYMS
113
APPENDIX A. FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS
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COMMENTS FORM
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About this Guide
1
1. About this Guide
1.1.
Purpose and contents
This document provides engineering guidelines for the design and implementation of the 3Layer Hierarchical Cell Structures (HCS) feature offered by Lucent Technologies. It includes
the following information:
An overview of HCS including its benefits and limitations
Detailed descriptions of the underlying Radio Link Control (RLC) algorithms
An overview of the design and implementation of HCS networks
The guide is arranged in the following chapters:
Chapter 2 Introduction to HCS

Provides an overview of the main HCS concepts and techniques, its key advantages and
potential limitations.
Chapter 3 HCS Design

Describes the requirements and recommended design approach when planning a
network with HCS, including the use of Lucents RLC algorithms designed to optimise
HCS performance.
Chapter 4 HCS Parameters

Describes the principal O&M parameter settings required to configure an HCS network.

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The AUI and GUI parameter names used within the OMC-2000 (Lucent Technologies
Operations and Maintenance Center 2000) are also provided.
Note: The O&M parameters referred to in this document relate to the BSS (Base Station
System) O&M parameters.
Chapter 5 HCS Implementation

Describes how to implement and optimise an HCS network.
Chapter 6 HCS Implementation in Multi-vendor Networks

Describes some of the key issues when implementing HCS into a multi-vendor network.
Chapter 7 Design Examples

Provides examples of specific HCS design scenarios taken from Lucents ongoing project
research and trials.
Chapter 8 Performance Management

Describes how to monitor and analyse the impact of HCS on network performance using
the Lucent OMC-PMS system.
Appendix A Future Enhancements

Discusses future hierarchical cell structure features planned by Lucent.
1.2.
Intended audience
This guide is intended for use by the following groups:
Local radio frequency design and implementation engineers
Regional Technical Centres
Business marketing
Technical sales personnel
1.3.
Source material
This guide is based on information gathered from the following sources:
Internal technical discussions
Ongoing field trials and projects
Simulation studies
Revisions of this document will be published as further research results become available.

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1.4.
Further reference
The following material is recommended for additional reference information:
GSM Frequency Hopping and Variable Interference Planning Engineering Guideline
Traffic Hot Spot Location Procedures Technical Memorandum
GSM In-building Coverage Systems Engineering Guideline
GSM Dual Band Engineering Guideline
These documents are available on the RF Systems and Capacity Group Intranet site at:
http://en0033svr06.uk.lucent.com/rfsystems
Further information about current developments and trials being carried out by the RF
Systems and Capacity Group can be found at:
http://uk0006svr25.uk.lucent.com/RFSystems/
Other relevant documents include:
Lucent GSM Parameter Catalogue (PARCAT) for Network Release 8.0
Mobility Related Algorithms (MRA) for GSM (GSM R8.0)

(This document is strictly for internal Lucent use only)

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Introduction to HCS
2
2. Introduction to HCS
This chapter addresses the following topics:
Prerequisites
Feature overview
Benefits
Limitations
Application methods
LM5 enhancements

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2.1.
Prerequisites
The 3-layer HCS feature requires GSM Release 8.0 with the following network element
releases:
BSS Release LM5
OMC-2000 Release 4.5
MSC Release 10.1
2.2.
Feature overview
The Hierarchical Cell Structures (HCS) feature is part of Lucents Spectrum Quality
EnhancEment ZonE (SQUEEZE) initiative, which encompasses various methods of
enhancing capacity and coverage within GSM networks. HCS introduces a multi-layer cell
architecture that combines the benefits of traditional large macrocells with the latest
microcellular technology, to provide increased network capacity and coverage.
In HCS, cells are organised into distinct layers according to cell size. Up to three cell layers
are supported:
Upper layer (macrocells or umbrella cells)
Middle layer (macrocells)
Lower layer (microcells or picocells)
Mobiles are distributed between the layers, based on their speed, to ensure that:
The upper layer serves fast moving outdoor mobiles
The middle layer serves medium speed outdoor mobiles
The lower layer serves slow moving or stationary indoor or outdoor mobiles
A mobiles speed is estimated by using the Radio Link Control (RLC) algorithms to estimate
the time the mobile spends in the serving or neighbouring cells. This indicates the mobiles
speed in relation to the coverage area of the cell. The mobile is then classified as fast,
medium, or slow moving so that it can be directed to the most appropriate cell layer.
Each cell layer has a pre-defined speed threshold assigned to it. This enables operators to
fine-tune the entry speed for each cell layer and hence the distribution of mobiles in the
network.
Fast moving mobiles can be kept within the larger, upper layer cells, avoiding unnecessary
handovers. The majority of slow or stationary mobiles can be served by the smaller, lower
layer cells. Distributing mobiles between the layers based on their speed minimises the
number of unnecessary handovers.

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As well as using estimates of the mobiles speed to distribute traffic between the layers, the
RLC algorithms also use receive level measurements from neighbouring cells to control a
mobiles entry into a lower or middle layer cell. This should be used to ensure that slow
moving mobiles are only handed down to those lower layer cells that exhibit a satisfactory
receive level.
2.3.
Benefits
Increased capacity
By encouraging slower moving mobiles onto the smaller, lower layer cells, HCS can offer
significant capacity gains. Maximising use of the smaller, lower layer cells in a network
exploits their superior capacity potential to the full.
Example: A BTS-2000/2C (CUBE) micro base station with two transceivers offers 9.01
Erlangs/cell. Assuming a microcell site separation of 200 metres, a contiguous microcell layer
2
can offer up to 290 Erlangs/Km .
Figure 1 illustrates the potential capacity gains achievable from HCS when compared to nonHCS systems for different macrocell site separations. Note that for a spectrum allocation of
7.5 MHz and a macrocell site separation of 750 m, HCS, through the introduction of Lower
Layer microcells, can provide a capacity increase of more than 300%. Even greater gains can
be achieved by employing picocells. The smaller cell size coupled with lower transmit powers
enable much tighter frequency reuse patterns to be employed, resulting in significant capacity
gains.
The illustrations in Figure 1 are based on the following assumptions:
2% blocking probability based on the Erlang B formula
Average lower layer microcell site separation of 250 m
That for each 2.5 Mhz of spectrum, one frequency will be available per microcell site (that
is, for 10 MHz a microcell with 4 transceivers is used). Note that this assumes the use of
Lucents new mTRX feature for the BTS-2000/2C, which allows multiple BTS-2000/2C
units to be combined within a single cell employing a single BCCH. The first release of
the mTRX feature, available with GSM Network Release 8.5, enables 2 BTS-2000/2C
units (that is, 4 transceivers) to be combined.
Microcell area is calculated using an omni pattern
Upper layer macrocell capacity is based on a 4/12 reuse pattern
Macrocell area is calculated using a clover leaf pattern

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Figure 1 HCS and non-HCS capacity comparison for various macrocell site separations
HCS provides the greatest capacity gains in urban or dense urban environments, where the
majority of subscribers are slow moving or stationary and can be accommodated by the lower
layer cells.
Other benefits
Increased capacity is not the only benefit of HCS. Other advantages include:
Improved in-building penetration on lower floors due to reduced antenna heights in the
lower layer cells
Flexible growth planning enabling additional lower layer cells to be added when required
Longer mobile battery life due to the reduced mobile transmit powers that can be
employed in lower layer cells
Easier site acquisition with less obtrusive equipment that blends into its surroundings
more readily than traditional macro base stations
Reduced real-estate and construction costs per site
Potential for dedicated standalone in-building coverage by implementing lower layer cells
in buildings (picocells)

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HCS can be used with other capacity enhancement techniques (such as dual band
operation and Lucents Variable Interference Planning (VIP) techniques) to provide even
greater gains
The capacity gains from HCS facilitate the introduction of advanced wireless services
including data, multi-media, and wireless PBXs
HCS implementation requires no modifications to existing mobiles, so feature benefits are

available to all mobiles
Improved network quality (fewer dropped calls, lower blocking, and so on)
2.4.
Limitations
While HCS has many benefits, it does introduce some design issues:
More lower layer cells are required to serve a given coverage area than in nonhierarchical (single layer, macrocell-based) networks, introducing obvious cost
implications
Call handovers will increase, which in turn will increase the signalling load of the network.
Note that this is particularly significant when integrating a Lucent microcell layer with an
upper cell layer from another vendor. In these cases, an inter-BSC handover (that is, an
MSC-controlled handover) requires approximately seven times the signalling load of a
BSC-controlled handover
It requires additional infrastructure (such as transmission and power facilities).

Note: Transmission needs should be considered from the outset
Care needs to be taken with site positioning of lower layer cells
New radio frequency (RF) planning tools are required for lower layer planning, given the
different propagation environment for these cells
Increased effort required for network optimisation

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2.5.
Application methods
HCS supports three principal application methods:
Hot spot coverage

Initially this will be the most common application. This method deploys a small number of
microcells to provide either or both of the following:
Additional capacity to relieve localised areas of congestion (hot spots)
Enhanced in-building penetration
Typical locations include airports, business centres, and shopping complexes.

Introducing HCS enables the Lower Layer microcells to absorb traffic from congested areas,
and provide improved in-building penetration for lower floors due to the reduced antenna
heights for these cells.
When employing lower layer microcells for hotspot coverage it is important to ensure that the
microcells are located in the correct position. Methods for identifying potential hot spots
include visual inspection combined with performance data analysis, or the use of test
transmitters. Refer to the Traffic Hot Spot Location Test Procedure technical memorandum
for more information about the hot spot identification process.
Contiguous coverage
As the number of mobiles increases, progressive numbers of hot spots will be introduced.
Over time, the separation between hot spots will diminish and the lower layer will evolve into
a contiguous layer of microcells. This will, however, be a gradual process and will be
dependent on the evolution of the network.
Contiguous coverage in the lower layer is most likely to be used for additional capacity in
relatively wide traffic areas, such as city centres.
Cold spot coverage

This method deploys one or more microcells to provide coverage to localised areas where the
existing macrocell coverage is inadequate (cold spots).
Strictly speaking, this is not a hierarchical cell structure application as the microcells are used
simply to fill-in coverage gaps in an existing standard (non-HCS) layer. It is included here for
completeness, but is not discussed further in this guide.

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2.6.
LM5 enhancements
The HCS feature offered in Lucents GSM Release 8 (incorporating BSS release LM5)
provides the following enhancements to the previous BSS LM4 release:
3-layer support that introduces a new middle cell layer
Modifications to the Power Control (PC) process to incorporate:
An Emergency PC designed to improve the responsiveness of the PC process in

situations such as round-the-corner where the receive level can drop suddenly
The disabling of the maximum RF power rule for fast moving mobiles in lower layer
cells to minimise the risk of dropped calls
Power budget (PBGT) handover capability between neighbouring lower level cells
Changes to the following parameters to simplify the implementation of the HCS feature:
Replacement of the EN_MICRO_HO and EN_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO parameters

with a single CELL_TYPE parameter that defines the Handover Comparison
algorithm for a cell
Removal of MICRO_HO_PC_HYST and the associated TH1-TH4 conditions to

simplify the algorithm. (These parameters were part of a process to identify whether a
PC step could be used within lower layer cells instead of an intercell handover. Due
to improvements made to the power control algorithm in LM5 this process is no
longer required and has therefore been removed)
Additional performance measurement counters to identify the number of inter-layer

handovers in the system

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HCS Design
3
3. HCS Design
This chapter describes the key concepts involved in designing an HCS 3-layer network.
3.1.
Cell categories
The following categories are used to define the different cell types used in hierarchical cell
structures:
Microcells are cells that are specifically designed to provide coverage to small, localised
areas. They are typically characterised by antenna heights that are lower than the
surrounding buildings. Microcell antennas are typically located between 4-10 metres above
ground level depending on local factors such as adjacent buildings and site acquisition
terms. Reduced antenna height means that a microcells coverage area is determined by
the layout of the surrounding buildings. Accordingly, it is more logical to think of microcells
in terms of site separation, rather than traditional circular or hexagonal coverage patterns
Picocells are predominantly used for in-building applications where the majority of mobiles
are stationary. These cells have radii of < 50 metres
Macrocells are typically characterised by antennas that are above the height of the
surrounding buildings. In urban or dense urban environments macrocells can have cell radii
ranging from 250 metres to 1000 metres
Umbrella cells are defined as large macrocells with radii of >2 km in urban or dense urban
environments

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3.2.
Cell layer categories
The following cell layers are supported by the HCS feature:
Lower layer (typically micro or picocell)
Middle layer (typically macro or microcell)
Upper layer (typically umbrella or macrocell)
The following diagram illustrates a typical HCS architecture:

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Figure 2 Typical HCS architecture

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15
Lower layer
The lower layer usually comprises microcells and is used to:
Support slow moving or stationary mobiles
Increase network capacity: either in localised hot spots or on a contiguous coverage basis
in urban or dense urban environments
Improve in-building coverage to lower level buildings (such as restaurants or car parks)
Provide fill-in coverage for cold spot applications
Middle layer
The middle layer usually comprises either microcells or macrocells and is used to:
Support medium speed mobiles
Upper layer
The upper layer usually comprises either macrocells or larger umbrella cells and is used to
Support fast moving mobiles
Provide wide area coverage, covering any coverage holes in the microcell layer
Provide an escape route for lower layer mobiles that encounter transmission problems (for
example, if the lower layer coverage is insufficient, or the subscriber turns a street corner)
Act as an overflow layer for congested lower layers
Provide coverage to areas of low or medium traffic density

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3.3.
Cell definition
The Radio Link Control process is used to distinguish between cells of different layers. Each
cell must be defined as one of the following types:
Lower layer
Middle layer
Upper layer
Each layer must only contain cells of one type. A cell is defined as a particular type using the
following O&M parameters:
The CELL_TYPE parameter of the BTS object that relates to the cell
The CELL_TYPE_NCELL(i) parameter of the ADJCELL (Adjacent Cell List) object that
relates to each neighbouring cell
The CELL_TYPE parameter is used to define the type of Handover Comparison Algorithm to be
employed in a particular cell. The CELL_TYPE_NCELL(i) information is used during the
Handover Target Cell Identification process to select an appropriate cell layer
Allowable values for CELL_TYPE and CELL_TYPE_NCELL(i) are in the range 0 through 15 as
shown in the following table:
CELL_TYPE /
CELL_TYPE_NCELL(i)
Cell Type
(OMC GUI Text)
Standard
Lower layer
Middle layer
Upper layer
not used
15
not used
Table 1 CELL_TYPE/CELL_TYPE_NCELL(i) values
The default is 0 (standard cell).

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The CELL_TYPE parameter replaces parameters EN_MICRO_HO and

EN_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO in LM4 releases.
The only allowable value in a non-hierarchical cell structure is 0 (standard).
The Lucent OMC-2000 GUI (Release 4.5) identifies cell types as upper cell, middle cell,
standard cell, and lower cell. They are not classified by number.
In most cases, the CELL_TYPE value of a specific cell (j) will match the CELL_TYPE_NCELL(i)
value in corresponding neighbour cells (i). Scenarios where these values may differ relate to
mobile behaviour at HCS non-HCS borders.
In LM4, cell types were identified as either microcell, macrocell, or umbrella cell. In LM5, these
classifications have been modified (see Table 1 above) to represent the cell layer rather than
the specific cell type.

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3.4.
Idle Mode operation
A mobile is considered to be in Idle Mode when it is switched on but not involved in a call.
Cell selection (C1) and reselection (C2) criteria

In Idle Mode the cell selection and reselection process is used by mobiles to camp on the
most appropriate cell in the PLMN. That is, the one likely to offer the best communication
quality at call initiation. (See ETSI specifications GSM 03.22 and 05.08.)
By camping on a suitable cell, the mobile can:
Receive system information from the PLMN
Initiate a call by accessing the network on the CCCH of the cell it is camped on
Provide LA (Location Area) information to the system for paging purposes
Phase 1 mobiles
Cell selection and reselection processes for Phase 1 mobiles are based on the path loss
criterion (C1 criterion). This is calculated as follows:
C1 = (Average Rxlev - RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN) - MAX(MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH - P,0)
where:
P = MS power class
RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN = minimum receive level required to access the cell
MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH = maximum MS Tx power on CCH channels in the serving
cell
Important: Remember to take into account the function MAX(MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH P,0)
in this expression, particularly when the MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH is lower than P.
This expression defines the maximum RF power level a mobile can use in a cell during call set
up (C1 is calculated using BCCH receive levels for which power control is not permitted). If the
Power Class (P) of a mobile is not known at the BSC the following default values are used:
GSM900 = 2 (39 dBm) and GSM1800 = 1 (30 dBm).
The C1 value is calculated for each cell in the Neighbour Cell List and then ordered by
magnitude. The mobile attempts to camp on the cell with the highest C1 value. If no cell exhibits
a positive C1 value, no cell is selected and cell selection is repeated once the next
measurements are available.
Note: The C1 criterion enables a mobile to determine whether communication with the network
is theoretically possible, but does not take potential interference into account. This is done by
the Downlink Signalling Failure process in the mobile. This process monitors the mobiles ability
to decode paging sub-channel signalling blocks. If the success rate drops too low, the mobile
attempts cell re-selection.
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As Phase 1 mobiles do not support the C2 criterion they should not use call set-up prioritisation.
Instead, Phase 1 mobiles should be assigned to layers using the Dedicated Mode handover
process.
Phase 2 mobiles
For Phase 2 mobiles a new C2 criterion has been introduced to prioritise cell layers during
reselection. The C2 criterion is defined using the following O&M parameters in the BTS object
that relates to each cell:
CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET
Specifies a positive static offset value in the range 0 through 63 incremented in 2 dB steps
(that is, 0-126 dB). This offset can be used to prioritise cells of different layers, but is also
used in dual band networks to prioritise between cells of different bands.
TEMPORARY_OFFSET
Specifies a dynamic offset applied when a cell is placed on the strongest carrier list.
Allowable values are in the range 0 through 7 incremented in 10 dB steps (0-60 dB). Value
7 represents infinity. The value should be set according to the cell size and cell layer
The TEMPORARY_OFFSET is not applied to the serving cell - when the previous serving
cell is placed on the strongest carrier list at reselection, T is set to the value of
PENALTY_TIME (see below)
PENALTY_TIME
Specifies the duration for which TEMPORARY_OFFSET is applied. Allowable values are in
the range 0 through 30 incremented in 20 second steps and defined as:
(PENALTY_TIME + 1) * 20 seconds
Value 31 is a special case which specifies that no TEMPORARY_OFFSET is applied and
the sign of CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET is inverted (its value is subtracted from C1). On
the OMC-2000 GUI this value is defined as reserved
These parameters can be set on a per cell basis and are broadcast on the BCCH of each cell.
To activate them, the CELL_RESELECT_PARAM_IND parameter of the associated BTS object
must be set to 1. If this parameter is not set, or is not received, mobiles assume value 0 for the
reselection parameters (that is, C1 = C2).

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The C2 value is calculated as follows:

1. If PENALTY_TIME < 31 and T PENALTY_TIME:
C2 = C1 + CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET - TEMPORARY_OFFSET
2. If PENALTY_TIME < 31 and T > PENALTY_TIME:
C2 = C1 + CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET
3. If PENALTY_TIME = 31:
C2 = C1 - CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET
Where T is the penalty timer.
On cell reselection a Phase 2 mobile will calculate the C2 value for those cells in its strongest
carrier list (top 6 neighbour cells) for which C1>0. If C1<0 then C2 is not calculated for that cell.
A mobile calculates C1 and C2 (Phase 2) for serving and non-serving cells at least every 5
seconds. It selects a new serving cell if any of the following conditions apply:
C1 of another cell in the same location area is better than C1 of the serving cell (Phase 1
mobiles)
C2 of another cell is better than C1 of the serving cell (Phase 2 mobiles)
C1 or C2 of another cell in a different location area is better than C1 or C2 of the serving

cell for at least 5 seconds, and by a margin defined by the
CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESIS parameter
CELL_RESELECT_HYSTERESIS introduces a hysteresis margin to minimise ping-pong in

cell selection or reselection when a mobile is near the cell boundary between different location
areas. Allowable values are in the range 0 through 7 incremented in 2 dB steps (0-14 dB).
If no neighbour cells satisfy these conditions (C1>0 or C2>0) no serving cell is selected.
After reselection the counters are reset.

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Other selection triggers

In addition to the C1 and C2 criteria, a new serving cell is also selected if:
The cell that the mobile is camped on (the current serving cell) has become barred
Note: Cell barring does not prevent incoming handovers into the cell. It only prevents
reselection of the cell.
A random access attempt is unsuccessful after the predefined maximum number of

retransmissions
A downlink signalling failure occurs
Mobility management using C2 criterion

Since Phase 1 mobiles do not recognise the C2 criterion, prioritisation of the different cell layers
during cell reselection is not possible. Distribution of Phase 1 mobiles between the different cell
layers must therefore be performed in Dedicated Mode using the Handover Process.
The C2 reselection criterion is used with Phase 2 mobiles to encourage slow or static mobiles to
reselect a lower layer cell, and fast moving mobiles to reselect a middle or upper layer cell.
Disabling the C2 criterion would result in Phase 2 mobiles using the C1 path loss criterion for
cell reselection, which would typically result in the lower layer microcells being reselected.
Using TEMPORARY_OFFSET values
By setting a high TEMPORARY_OFFSET value for lower layer cells, mobiles are initially
encouraged to reselect an upper layer cell while they are considered fast moving. Lower layer
cells in the strongest server list are placed at a disadvantage by the high
TEMPORARY_OFFSET value until the mobile can be classified as slow moving. Once this
occurs (when PENALTY_TIME has expired) the TEMPORARY_OFFSET can be removed. As
a result, C2 values in the lower layer cells become more attractive, encouraging mobiles onto
the lower layer.
TEMPORARY_OFFSET values should generally not be applied to upper layer cells.
In some cases the signal level of a neighbouring upper or middle layer cell may be higher than a
lower layer cell, even though the lower layer cell is actually closer and the mobile is within its
nominal coverage area. This may occur due to the higher transmit powers of the upper layer
cell, particularly if the mobile has LOS (Line-of-Sight) to this cell. A slow moving mobile would
reselect the upper layer cell even after the TEMPORARY_OFFSET has been removed. In
these situations it may be necessary to use the CELL_RES_OFFSET parameter to make the
lower layer cell more favourable after the PENALTY_TIME has expired.

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Using CELL_RES_OFFSET values

Without applying a CELL_RES_OFFSET, the access area of the lower layer cell would be
limited to the immediate vicinity of the microcell base station.
In cases where the probability of fast moving mobiles is extremely low or does not exist (such
as in-building applications), it may not be necessary to employ a TEMPORARY_OFFSET for
the lower layer cells. In these scenarios it is often better to negate this offset and allow mobiles
to reselect the lower layer cells immediately.
The CELL_RES_OFFSET can also be used to place higher layer cells at a disadvantage by
using a PENALTY_TIME value of 31 (for the higher layer cells) and a suitable value of
CELL_RES_OFFSET.
In this case the C2 value for these cells becomes: C2 = C1 - CELL_RES_OFFSET.

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Examples
The following examples illustrate the use of the C2 criterion in distributing mobiles between cell
layers.
Example 1: Cell reselection for fast moving mobiles
This example illustrates how C2 is used to prevent fast moving mobiles from reselecting lower
layer cells.
Scenario: A mobile is travelling at 36 km/h through a 2-layer hierarchical cell structure
comprising a single Upper Layer cell (U1) and 3 Lower Layer cells (L1, L2, L3) as illustrated
below:
Figure 3 Cell reselection (fast moving mobile)
Ideally, the mobile should remain camped on (continually reselect) the Upper Layer cell U1 as it
passes through the neighbouring microcells. This ensures that the mobile initiates calls on the
larger, Upper Layer cell, avoiding the additional handovers that would occur on the Lower Layer
cell L3. This is achieved by tuning the PENALTY_TIME and TEMPORARY_OFFSET values for
Lower Layer cells L2 and L3.
The optimum value of PENALTY_TIME depends on the cell area, access areas of the cells, and
the mobiles speed. In this example, the mobile speed is 36 km/h (=10 m/s). It will take the
mobile 50 seconds to travel across Lower Layer cell L3. Accordingly, the PENALTY_TIME for
L2 and L3 should be set to a minimum of 60 seconds.
The TEMPORARY_OFFSET values for L2 and L3 can be set to 20 dB or 30 dB. This will
discourage the mobile from reselecting them.
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Issue 1.0 May 1999
Given these parameter values, the mobile will behave as follows:

1. At point A the mobile will camp-on to the Upper Layer cell (this has the highest C1 value).
2. At point B the mobile will also receive Lower Layer cell L3. However, the
TEMPORARY_OFFSET applied to this cell means its C2 value is lower than that of U1, so
it is not reselected.
3. Since it takes the mobile 50 seconds to traverse L3, and the PENALTY_TIME is set to 60
seconds, the TEMPORARY_OFFSET for L3 effectively remains in place permanently as
the mobile moves through L3. So the mobile will remain camped on U1.
4. At point C the mobile now receives L2, but due to the TEMPORARY_OFFSET applied to
this cell the mobile remains on the U1 cell.
5. At point D the mobile leaves the coverage area of the Lower Layer cells while still campedon the Upper Layer cell U1.

Issue 1.0 May 1999
25
Example 2: Cell reselection for slow moving mobiles

This example illustrates how to use C2 to optimise performance for slow moving mobiles.
Scenario: A mobile is travelling slowly at 3.6km/h (=1m/s) through the same hierarchical cell
structure as in the previous example. This time it takes 500 seconds to travel through Lower
Layer cell L3, as illustrated below:
Figure 4 Cell reselection (slow moving mobile)

The same PENALTY_TIME and TEMPORARY_OFFSET parameter values as in example 1
generate the following mobile behaviour:
1. At point A the mobile is camped on the Upper Layer cell U1.
2. At point B the mobile receives L3 (which is now placed on the strongest server list and timer
T is started). Due to the TEMPORARY_OFFSET applied this cell has a lower C2 value so
is not re-selected. The mobile remains on cell U1.
3. When timer T reaches 60 seconds the TEMPORARY_OFFSET for Lower Layer cell L3 is
removed. The C2 value for Lower Layer cell L3 now exceeds that of U1, so L3 is reselected
in favour of U1. The slow moving mobile is now camped on the lower layer.
4. At point C, Lower Layer cell L2 is placed on the strongest server list. But due to the
TEMPORARY_OFFSET for this cell, the mobile cannot reselect it until 60 seconds have
elapsed.

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
5. After 60 seconds, Lower Layer cell L2 is reselected in favour of L3 and U1.

6. At point D the mobile leaves the coverage area of the Lower Layer cells and reselects U1
immediately (no TEMPORARY_OFFSET is applied to this cell).
Summary
In Idle Mode operation with Phase 2 mobiles, the C2 parameters can be used to control
distribution of mobiles between cell layers. A high PENALTY_TIME value encourages mobiles
to camp on upper layer cells (ensuring that most call set-ups occur on the upper layer).
Conversely, a low PENALTY_TIME encourages more call set-ups on the lower layer. During
parameter optimisation, if the number of call set-ups on a lower layer needs to be reduced, the
timer (PENALTY_TIME threshold) for that layer should be increased and vice versa.
It is important to remember that C2 parameters are set on a per cell basis and will be
dependent on the environment around each cell and the application it is being used for. For
example: for in-building scenarios where the only coverage is from a lower layer microcell, it is
better not to prevent mobiles reselecting this cell for a duration set by PENALTY_TIME. The
minimum duration of PENALTY_TIME is 20 seconds. For applications that require a lower
value, the CELL_RESELECT_PARAM_IND value can be disabled, thus forcing cell reselection
for that cell onto the C1 criterion. Alternatively, TEMPORARY_OFFSET can be set to zero.
The C2 criterion has a direct impact on the capacity requirements for each cell layer. Therefore,
if the majority of call set-ups are to be made on the lower cell layer, the capacity for this layer
must be sufficient for the demand.
Using the C2 criterion in HCS is recommended but not essential. It is possible instead to disable
the C2 criterion, allowing mobiles to select or reselect cells using C1, and then assign them to
the correct layer using the Handover Process in Dedicated Mode. However, this has the
disadvantage of an increased number of handovers.

Issue 1.0 May 1999
27
3.5.
Dedicated Mode operation
A mobile is considered to be in Dedicated Mode when it is actively engaged in a call. In

Dedicated Mode, the GSM Radio Link Control process is designed to ensure optimum quality
throughout call duration. It comprises the following processes:
Measurement Averaging
Power Control (PC)
Handover (HO)
Channel Allocation Regarding Interference Levels
Radio Link Failure Detection
The following enhancements have been made to the RLC algorithms to support HCS:
Enhancements to the Power Control process for mobiles in lower layer cells
Modifications to the Basic Handover Comparison algorithm to incorporate CELL_TYPE

information
Introduction of Handover Comparison algorithms specifically designed for lower, middle,

and upper layer cells. These incorporate:
Duration-of-stay counters to estimate a mobiles speed
A layer-down handover in upper and middle layer cells
Introduction of a cell layer ranking criteria into the Handover Target Cell Identification
process. This is used to identify the most appropriate cell layer for handover, based on
duration-of-stay counter information
These enhancements are discussed below:

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
Power Control enhancements for HCS

Because RF propagation in microcellular environments is strongly influenced by surrounding
buildings, sudden drops in receive levels can occur. For example, when a mobile turns a corner
and moves out of LOS of a lower layer microcell. In a microcellular environment where the cells
are much smaller and there is less time to react to sudden drops in receive level, this type of
behaviour can lead to a degradation in network performance. This problem can be minimised by
careful site location for lower layer cells (see Chapter 5), in association with faster algorithms.
To cater for microcellular environments, the PC algorithm for GSM Network Release 8 has
been improved to include a dynamic power control step size for power increase. This is in
addition to the fixed step size defined by the O&M parameter PWR_INCR_STEP_SIZE. This
new PC step immediately boosts the output power of the BTS or MS to an appropriate value,
enabling a faster response.
Note: The emergency power control step evaluation process is based on a single
measurement, not on averaged measurements as in the standard PC process.
1
The maximum RF power rule is not applied for fast moving mobiles within lower layer cells.
This enables faster handovers for transferring fast moving mobiles from lower to higher layer
cells.
The maximum power rule states that a handover due to poor receive quality (RXQUAL) or
level (RXLEV) is only executed when the PC process cannot improve the situation
(when the mobile is at maximum power).
Issue 1.0 May 1999
29
Basic Handover algorithm enhancements

For the 3-layer HCS feature the CELL_TYPE parameter is used to define the type of Handover
Comparison algorithm used for a particular cell (see Figure 5 below). In addition, the new layerdown handover has been introduced with the following priority:
DISTANCE
RXQUAL
RXLEV
Layer-down
PBGT (Power Budget)
Intracell
A layer-down handover is triggered when the network identifies a slow moving mobile currently
being served by a higher layer cell, which could be served by a neighbouring lower layer cell.
This could occur when a previously fast moving mobile decelerates or when a Phase 1 slow
moving mobile sets-up on a higher layer cell.
Figure 5 CELL_TYPE parameter in basic handover algorithm

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
Duration-of-stay counters
One of the principle requirements for HCS is for the network to be able to distinguish between
fast, medium, and slow/stationary mobiles. Only after a mobiles speed has been estimated can
the HO process identify the appropriate cell layer for each mobile and so minimise the number
of handovers required.
Two counters are used by the RLC algorithms to estimate mobile speed by measuring the
amount of time a mobile spends in the coverage area of a serving cell and/or neighbouring
cells. These duration-of-stay counters are defined as follows:
Cdos (estimates the duration-of-stay of a mobile in its serving cell)
Cdosnc(I) (estimates the duration of stay of a mobile within the coverage area of a lower layer
cell Middle and Lower)
The Cdos counter

This counter is used in lower and middle layer cells to measure the amount of time a mobile
spends in the coverage area of a serving middle or lower layer cell.
The Cdos counter is started from zero when a mobile is assigned an SDCCH or TCH after an
intercell handover)2. It then increments by one for each SACCH multiframe (~480 ms). The
longer the mobile spends in the cell the higher the value of the Cdos counter. In all other cases
(for example, call set up) the counter is set to its threshold value of C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO.
Note: On call set up in a Lower Layer cell the Cdos counter is set to its threshold value,
C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO, and the mobile is assumed to be slow moving.
The counter uses two thresholds (set in the HOCTRL Object) to distinguish between
slow/stationary, medium, and fast moving mobiles:
C_MICRO_HO (lower and middle layer cells)
C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO (lower layer cells only)
The C_MICRO_HO threshold is set on a per cell basis for both lower and middle layer cells.
The C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO threshold is set on a per cell basis for lower layer cells only.
2 The duration-of-stay counters are not affected by intra-cell handovers (that is, they are not reset after
an intracell handover).

Issue 1.0 May 1999
31
(I) Use of C_MICRO_HO & C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO thresholds in estimating a mobiles speed

in Lower Layer cells
Fast Moving Mobile

Cdos < C_MICRO_HO
Medium Moving Mobile

C_MICRO_HO < Cdos <
C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO
Slow Moving Mobile

Cdos > C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO
C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO
C_MICRO_HO
(II) Use of C_MICRO_HO threshold in estimating a mobiles speed in Middle Layer cells
Fast Moving Mobile
Cdos < C_MICRO_HO
Medium Moving Mobile

Cdos > C_MICRO_HO
C_MICRO_HO
In Middle Layer cells a mobile is classified as slow moving using the Cdosnc(i) counter (see the
next section).
When a handover is requested in a lower layer cell, the information on the Cdos counter, in
relation to the C_MICRO_HO and C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO thresholds, is used to determine
the most appropriate cell layer for handover using the Target Cell Identification process. For
middle layer cells, information on the Cdos counter in relation to C_MICRO_HO is used to find
the best layer.
Both these parameters can be set between 0 - 127 SAACH multiframes (0 - 63 seconds).
When setting the values of C_MICRO_HO and C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO the following
guideline is recommended:
C_MICRO_HO < C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO
Notes:
The above guideline is not hard coded into the algorithms. It is possible to set
C_MICRO_HO = C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO on the OMC-2000, but this should typically
only be done when there is no middle cell layer implemented (that is, in a 2-layer HCS
architecture employing only Upper and Lower Cell Layers)
The Cdos counter is used in Upper Layer cells in the same way as Lower/Middle Layer cells,
but is not used as part of the Handover Target Cell Identification process. Information on
this counter is only used for performance measurement purposes

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
The Cdosnc(i) counter

This counter is used in middle and upper layer cells only, to measure the amount of time a
mobile currently served by an upper or middle layer cell spends in the coverage area of a
neighbouring lower layer cell (either Middle or Lower depending on the serving layer).
When a mobile is allocated to an SDCCH or TCH of a middle or upper layer cell, the Cdosnc(i)
counter is started for each neighbouring cell of a lower layer whose averaged received signal
level satisfies the following criterion:
AV_RXLEV_NCELL_S(i) > RXLEV_MIN(i) + UMBRELLA_MICRO_HYST
+ 2*MAX(0,P MS_TXPWR_MAX(i))
where:
RXLEV_MIN(i) = minimum receive signal level needed by a neighbouring cell for
handover
UMBRELLA_MICRO_HYST = a hysteresis value used to introduce a receive level
threshold
MS_TXPWR_MAX(i) = Maximum transmit power a mobile is permitted to use on a
dedicated control channel or a traffic channel within the neighbour cell (i).
P = MS power class
The UMBRELLA_MICRO_HYST parameter can take values in the range 0-31 in 1 dB steps
and can be used to introduce a receive level entry condition to lower layer cells. That is, a
slow moving mobile is only handed down to a lower layer cell if its receive signal level is better
than the entry level for a time duration defined by the Cdosnc(i) threshold,
C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO.
Notes:
AV_RXLEV_NCELL_S(i) is averaged using the averaging window period A_LEV_NC. This

is a new LM5 O&M parameter introduced for use in the Handover Target Cell Identification
process. This averaging window should ideally take a small value (default = 4 SACCH
frames) to execute fast handovers
The expression Max(0, P MS_TXPWR_MAX(i)) defines the maximum RF power level a

mobile can use in a neighbouring cell (i) without power control
AV_RXLEV_NCELL_S(i) measurements are based on BCCH receive levels for which

power control is not permitted
The Cdosnc(i) counter increments by 1 for every SACCH multiframe in which the neighbouring
lower layer cell satisfies the above criterion. It decrements by 1 if the received level of a
neighbouring lower layer cell either does not satisfy the above criterion or is not available in a
measurement report.

Issue 1.0 May 1999
33
The Cdosnc(i) counter is used with a single threshold set by the following O&M parameter:
C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO (Middle and Upper Layer cells)
The C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO threshold is set on a per cell basis for upper and middle layer
cells, but is used in the duration-of-stay measurement for all neighbouring lower layer cells. The
same is true for the BSS O&M parameter, UMBRELLA_MICRO_HYST.
(I) Use of C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO threshold in estimating a mobiles speed in Middle Layer cells
Fast/Medium Moving Mobile

Cdosnc(I) < C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO
Slow Moving Mobile

Cdosnc(I) > C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO
triggers a layer down handover to a
Lower Layer cell
C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO
(II) Use of C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO threshold in estimating a mobiles speed in Upper Layer cells
Fast Moving Mobile

Cdosnc(I) < C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO
Slow/Medium Moving Mobile

Cdosnc(I) > C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO
triggers a layer down handover to a
Lower or Middle Layer cell
C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO
Once Cdosnc(i) > C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO a layer-down handover is automatically triggered.

The Cdos counter can be thought of as identifying whether a handover is required to a cell in a
higher layer or a cell in the same layer as the serving cell. The Cdosnc(I) counter is used to
determine whether a handover down to a lower layer cell, or a handover to a cell in the same
layer as the serving cell is required.
The following sections explain how duration-of-stay counters are used in the Handover
Threshold Comparison algorithms and Target Cell Identification process.

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
Handover Threshold Comparison algorithms for

different cell layers
To support HCS, new Handover Comparison algorithms have been developed that are specific
to each cell layer. These algorithms are modified versions of the Standard Handover
Comparison algorithm, with the following modifications:
Lower layer
Power budget (PBGT) handovers are enabled or disabled depending on the status of the
Cdos counter. Once a mobile has been classified as slow moving (Cdos is equal to or greater
than C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO), power budget handovers are permitted between cells in
the lower layer only
The maximum power rule is not taken into account for handover decisions in lower layer
cells relating to fast moving mobiles (while Cdos < C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO). For slow
moving mobiles the maximum RF power rule is taken into account.
In the case of a fast moving mobile in a lower layer cell that requires an intercell handover,
the MS and BTS are instructed by the BSC to use their maximum power (Max(P,
MS_TXPWR_MAX) on the channels in the old cell during handover
The Cdos duration-of-stay counter is used in the Handover Target Cell Identification process
to identify the best cell layer for handover
To activate the new Handover Threshold Comparison algorithm in a lower layer cell, a cell must
be defined as CELL_TYPE = 1 (lower layer cell).
Note: It is important to remember that layer-down handovers will not be executed if a lower
layer microcell (defined as CELL_TYPE = 1) is not also defined as a lower layer microcell in the
ADJCELL Object of neighbouring upper layer cells (using CELL_TYPE_NCELL(i)).

Issue 1.0 May 1999
35
The following figures illustrate the Handover Threshold Comparison algorithm for lower layer
cells:
where
QUAL condition UL: AV_RXQUAL_UL_HO>L_RXQUAL_UL_H
QUAL condition DL: AV_RXQUAL_DL_HO>L_RXQUAL_DL_H
IHOcondition UL: AV_RXLEV_UL_HO>RXLEV_UL_IH
IHOcondition DL: AV_RXLEV_DL_HO>RXLEV_DL_IH
LEVcondition UL: AV_RXLEV_UL_HO< L_RXLEV_UL_H
LEVcondition DL: AV_RXLEV_DL_HO< L_RXLEV_DL_H
PBGT condition: PBGT(i) - HO_MARGIN(0,n) >0
Lower Layer Cell

HO Algorithm
true
Cdos < C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO
see part 2 for fast MS
false
true
EN_QUAL_HO
false
true
max. RF power rule UL
quasi-stationary
MS
QUAL condition for UL

false
true
EN_INTRA_HO
true
AND
IHO condition for UL
false
false
true
QUAL condition for DL
true
false
EN_INTRA_HO
true
AND
IHO condition for DL
false
false
true
EN_RXLEV_HO
false
false
true
LEV condition for UL
true
true
false
false
LEV condition for DL
true
false
true
EN_PBGT_HO
false
true
PBGT condition
false
3
Intra-cell HO
Algorithm
Intercell HO
execution process
PBGT
Use max. RF Power

in MS and BS
Intercell HO
execution process
XX_RXLEV
Use max. RF Power

in MS and BS
Intercell HO
execution process
XX_RXQUAL
Figure 6 Handover Threshold Comparison algorithm for lower layer cells (for slow moving mobiles served
by Lower Layer cells)

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
Cdos < C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO (fast MS)

true
EN_QUAL_HO
QUAL condition for UL
false
true
EN_INTRA_HO
AND
IH condition for UL
true
true
false
QUAL condition for DL

false
EN_INTRA_HO
AND
IH condition for DL
true
false
true
EN_RXLEV_HO
false
true
LEV condition for UL
false
LEV condition for DL
true
false
Use max. Power

in MS and BS
Intercell HO
execution process
XX_RXLEV
Use max. Power

in MS and BS
Intercell HO
execution process
XX_RXQUAL
Intra-cell HO
Algorithm
exit: no HO
Figure 7 Handover Threshold Comparison algorithms for lower layer cells (for fast moving mobiles served
by Lower Layer cells)

Issue 1.0 May 1999
37
Middle layer
Power budget handovers are permitted between neighbouring middle layer cells, and to
standard layer cells in non-HCS networks
The maximum RF power rule is enabled
The Cdosnc(i) counter that measures the duration-of-stay in a neighbouring lower layer cell is
used to trigger layer-down handovers for slow moving mobiles from middle to lower layer
cells
To activate this algorithm a cell must be defined as CELL_TYPE = 2 (middle layer cell).
Upper layer
Power budget handovers are only permitted between neighbouring upper layer cells
The maximum RF power rule is enabled
The Cdosnc(i) counter used for measuring the duration-of-stay in a neighbouring lower layer
cell is used to trigger layer-down handovers from upper layer cells to middle or lower layer
cells
To activate this algorithm a cell must be defined as CELL_TYPE = 3 (upper layer cell).
Note: Power budget handovers are not permitted between cells of different layers.
For information about implementing 2-layer HCS, refer to the HCS 2-layer implementation
section later in this chapter.

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
Handover Target Cell Identification process

Entry conditions
When the Handover Threshold Comparison process determines that an intercell handover is
required, a handover target cell list is generated. To qualify for the list, a candidate cell must
fulfil entry conditions that depend on the handover type.
HCS introduces a new entry condition that is specific to the layer-down handover. This is
detailed in the following table:
Handover type
Entry condition
Mandatory or Directed retry

(SDCCH-TCH)
AV_RXLEV-NCELL_S(i) > RXLEV_MIN(I) + 2*Max(0,PMS_TXPWR_MAX(i))
Power budget (PBGT)
as above, plus PBGT(i) HO_MARGIN(0,I) > 0
Layer-down
Cdosnc(i) >= C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO
Table 2 Entry conditions for handover target cell list

Issue 1.0 May 1999
39
Ranking
Having identified all possible handover target candidates, the target cells are prioritised using
pre-defined sort criteria.
For HCS, a new sort criterion based on cell layer is introduced with the following priority:
1. Cell layer.
2. Priority (based on the ORDER_TC(i) value) power budget. For more information, Lucent
personnel can refer to the document Mobility Related Algorithms (MRA) for GSM (R8.0).
3. Traffic load (if Handover Regarding Traffic Load is used).
To sort by cell layer, the algorithm uses information on the current status of the Cdos and Cdosnc(i)
counters to determine the best cell layer for handover in accordance with the mobile speed at
that time. This sort criterion is explained in detail in the following section.
Once the candidate cells have been sorted on the basis of cell layer the algorithm will use the
remaining sort criteria to order the cells within each cell layer block.

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
3.6.
Cell layer ranking in Target Layer

Identification process
The preferred target cell layer depends on the handover algorithm used in the cell and the
duration-of-stay counter status at handover time.
Lower layer cells (for mobiles served by Lower

Layer cells)
The following figure illustrates how lower layer cells use the Cdos counter to rank target cells by
layer in mandatory handovers:
Figure 8 Use of Cdos counter in cell layer identification for lower layer cells
Mandatory handovers Case 1

Cdos < C_MICRO_HO
If a mandatory handover is requested before the Cdos counter has reached the C_MICRO_HO
threshold, the mobile is considered to be fast moving. The upper cell layer will be preferred. If
no suitable upper layer cell is available then the next preference is the middle layer, followed by
the standard layer, and finally the lower layer.

Issue 1.0 May 1999
41

C_MICRO_HO < Cdos < C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO
If a mandatory handover is requested after the Cdos counter has reached the C_MICRO_HO
threshold but before the C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO threshold is reached, the mobile is
considered to be medium speed. The middle cell layer will be preferred. If no suitable middle
cell layer cell is available then the next preference is the standard layer, followed by the lower
layer, and finally the upper layer.
Cdos > C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO
If a mandatory handover is requested after the Cdos counter has reached the
C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO threshold, the mobile is considered to be slow moving or stationary.
The lower cell layer will be preferred.
Power Budget (PBGT) handovers
These are not permitted between neighbouring lower layer cells unless the following condition is
met:
Cdos C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO
This is used to prevent fast moving mobiles staying in the lower layer through repeated power
budget handovers.
SDCCH-TCH handovers (directed retry)
These are made in the following priority order:
1. Lower layer cells.
2. Middle layer cells.
3. Standard layer cells.
4. Upper layer cells.

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
Middle layer cells (for mobiles served by Middle

Layer cells)
The following figure illustrates how middle layer cells use the Cdos and Cdosnc(i) counters to rank
target cells by layer in mandatory handovers:
Figure 9 Use of Cdos/Cdosnc(i) counters in cell layer identification for middle layer cells

Cdos < C_MICRO_HO & Cdosnc(i) <
C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO
If a mandatory handover is requested before either the Cdos or Cdosnc(i) counter has reached its
threshold, the mobile is considered to be fast moving. The upper layer will be preferred.
Cdos > C_MICRO_HO & Cdosnc(i) <
C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO
If a mandatory handover is requested after the Cdos counter has reached the C_MICRO_HO
threshold but Cdosnc(i) is less than the C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO threshold, the mobile is
considered to be medium speed. The middle layer will be preferred.

Issue 1.0 May 1999
43
Layer-down handover Case 3

Cdosnc(i) > C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO
This situation is a special case for the layer-down handover. Once Cdosnc(i) has reached this
threshold (that is, the RXLEV layer-down criterion has been satisfied for a duration of
C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO) the mobile is considered to be slow moving or stationary. A layerdown handover to a suitable lower layer cell is executed immediately.
Note: No comparison is made between the serving and target receive levels during a layerdown handover. Therefore a mobile could be handed down to a lower layer cell that exhibits a
worse receive level than the previous serving cell. This does not present a problem if a
sufficiently high receive entry level is applied to the lower layer cells. To achieve this, either set
a high RXLEV_MIN(I) value for these cells, or in cases where the value of RXLEV_MIN(i)
cannot be raised that high, set a high UMBRELLA_MICRO_HYST value.
Power budget (PBGT) handovers
These are permitted between neighbouring middle layer cells (and standard layer cells in nonhierarchical networks).
These handovers are made in the following priority order:
1. Lower layer cells which satisfy the RXLEV criterion.
4. Other lower layer cells.
Note: The likelihood of a neighbouring lower layer cell satisfying the RXLEV criterion in time for
an SDCCH-TCH handover is small, particularly if a short queuing time is associated with the
directed retry.

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
Upper layer cells

The following figure illustrates how upper layer cells use the Cdosnc(i) counter to rank target cells
by layer in mandatory handovers:
Figure 10 Use of Cdosnc(i) counter in cell layer identification for upper layer cells

Cdosnc(i) < C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO
If a mandatory handover is requested before the Cdosnc(I) counter has reached its threshold for a
lower (Lower or Middle) layer cell the mobile will be considered to be fast moving. The Upper
Layer will be preferred.
Layer-down handover Case 2
Cdosnc(i) = C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO
Once the Cdosnc(i) counter reaches its threshold for a lower (Lower or Middle) layer cell a layerdown handover is triggered to that cell.
Power budget (PBGT) handovers
These are permitted between neighbouring upper layer cells.
These handovers are made in the following priority order:
1. Lower layer cells which satisfy the RXLEV criterion.
Issue 1.0 May 1999
45
4. Other lower layer cells.

Note: The likelihood of a neighbouring lower layer cell satisfying the RXLEV criterion in time for
an SDCCH-TCH handover is small, particularly if a short queuing time is associated with the
directed retry.
Handover state diagram

The diagram on the next page summarises permitted inter-layer handovers within hierarchical
cell structures.
Notes:
The diagram assumes that the target handover cell is always available
Power budget handovers from upper and/or lower to standard layer cells are possible
providing the target cell is defined in the ADJCELL Object for the serving cell as the same
cell type as the serving cell (see the Mobile behaviour at hierarchical non-hierarchical
borders section)

46
Issue 1.0 May 1999
Figure 11 HCS Handover state diagram

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47
Mobility management using duration-of-stay

counters
It is possible to influence the distribution of mobiles between the different layers by varying the
duration-of-stay counter thresholds.
Setting high values for the C_MICRO_HO, C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO and

C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO thresholds will encourage mobiles to move onto the upper cell
layer
Setting a low value for the C_MICRO_HO threshold and high value for
C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO will encourage mobiles to move onto the middle cell layer
Setting low values for C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO and C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO

thresholds will encourage mobiles to move onto the lower cell layer
Duration-of-stay threshold settings need to take into account the cell size, expected traffic in the
cell coverage area, and average call holding time.

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Mobile behaviour at hierarchical non-hierarchical

borders
There are a number of possible approaches to defining handovers between HCS and non-HCS
networks, depending on the serving cell at the time of handover.
Non-HCS to HCS handovers
Standard layer cells within a non-HCS network employ the Standard Handover Comparison
algorithm and therefore do not recognise duration-of-stay counters or layer-down handovers. As
a result, a handover from a non-HCS standard layer cell to an HCS cell layer will be performed
on the basis of standard handover causes: mandatory (for RXLEV or RXQUAL reasons), power
budget, and distance. Typically, most cases will be power budget based handovers.
HCS to non-HCS handovers
For mobiles served by middle layer cells, handovers to non-HCS standard layer cells can be
performed by mandatory, power budget, or distance handovers. In the 3-layer HCS feature,
middle layer cells are equivalent to standard layer cells in non-HCS networks.
For mobiles served by upper or lower layer cells, power budget handovers to non-HCS standard
layer cells are not permitted (power budget handovers are not permitted between cells of
different layers). Therefore, handovers out of Upper or Lower layer cells to Standard cells of
non-HCS regions should be initiated using mandatory handovers. These can generally be
achieved by raising the lower level receive threshold (L_RXLEV_XL_H) for mandatory RXLEV
handovers.
This approach can also be used to initiate handovers out of Lower Layer cells to Middle or
Upper Layer cells when used for either hot-spot coverage or lower layer cells, within a
contiguous layer, that border cells to other layers. This will reduce the coverage area of these
Lower Layer cells but will initiate RXLEV handover out of the cell sooner, without stretching
the coverage areas of these cells.
Raising the L_RXLEV_XL_H limit is obviously dependent on operator approval, as it also
necessitates higher values for RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN and RXLEV_MIN in order to avoid
immediate handover requests after call set up/handover.
Note: It is possible to introduce power budget handovers between upper to standard and lower
to standard layer cells by making the algorithms think the target cell is in the same cell layer
as the serving cell. This is achieved by setting the CELL_TYPE_NCELL(i) parameter in the
Adjacent Cell List (ADJCELL Object) of the serving cell for the intended target cell, to the same
value as the serving cell CELL_TYPE parameter. This is illustrated in the following figure:

Issue 1.0 May 1999
49
Figure 12 Parameter setting for lower to standard layer PBGT handovers

50
Issue 1.0 May 1999
In the previous illustration, a mobile served by a lower layer cell is moving out of the coverage
area of the HCS network towards a standard layer cell of a non-HCS network. Setting the
CELL_TYPE_NCELL(i) for the standard layer cell as microcell in the ADJCELL Object of the
serving lower layer microcell, makes the Handover Comparison algorithm in the serving
microcell think that the standard layer cell is in fact a neighbouring lower layer cell. This enables
a power budget handover between the cells as the mobile moves from the HCS to the non-HCS
network.
The CELL_TYPE_NCELL(i) parameter is defined on a per neighbour cell basis. So setting the
standard layer cell as a microcell in the ADJCELL Object of the serving lower layer microcell
does not affect handovers between the standard layer cell and other cells.
The same approach can be adopted for handovers between standard and upper layer cells.
This approach, however, requires careful setting of the HO_MARGIN to avoid ping-pong
between cells and is generally not recommended. It is best used with a group of microcells as
opposed to a single hot spot microcell. For the latter, it is generally better to use a higher value
for the mandatory lower receive level threshold (L_RXLEV_XL_H) to force handovers out of the
microcell sooner.
HCS 2-layer implementation

When implementing 2-layer HCS using LM5, it may be better to define the higher layer cells as
Middle Layer rather than Upper Layer cells. This enables power budget handovers between
these cells and standard cells of surrounding non-HCS areas.
For this application the value of C_MICRO_HO for Lower Layer cells can be set to zero (=0) as
there is no Upper Layer.
If the two layers are implemented using an Upper and Lower Cell Layer then
C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO can be set to the same value as C_MICRO_HO as there is no
Middle Layer.
If the higher layer cells are defined as Upper Layer cells, power budget handovers between
these cells and standard cells can be achieved using the methods outlined in the previous
section Mobile behaviour at hierarchical non-hierarchical cell borders.

Issue 1.0 May 1999
51
3.7.
Associated features
Performance of the HCS feature can be further enhanced when it is used in association with the
following features:
Frequency hopping (FH)

nd
Using synthesiser FH on the 2 transceiver of the BTS-2000/2C micro base station can be used
for lower layer microcells. It simplifies the frequency planning task and reduces the number of
frequency dedicated frequency channels needed to plan the lower cell layer, as these
frequencies can be shared with the upper or middle cell layer (the BCCH channels still need to
be dedicated). For more information on frequency planning for microcells within HCS, refer to
the GSM Frequency Hopping and Variable Interference Planning Engineering Guideline
Directed retry
Directed retry can be used within lower layer microcells to provide an escape route for mobiles
to neighbouring cells, when there are no free traffic channels (TCHs) available in the target cell.
For directed retry in the lower layer, the algorithm will first look for a neighbouring lower layer
cell with which to perform an SDCCH-TCH handover. If no lower layer cell is available then the
remaining cell layers will be searched in the following order: middle; standard; upper. For higher
layer cells, a directed retry will first look for a suitable lower layer cell (that is, one that satisfies
the RXLEV layer-down condition). Since this is unlikely, directed retry will effectively look to
suitable cells in the same layer. If the C2 criterion is enabled, this will keep the mobile within the
desired cell layer for its speed.
Dual band operation

Combining HCS with dual band operation (GSM 900 and GSM 1800) can provide even greater
capacity gains. If deployed as colocated sites, this offers a very cost-effective solution to
increasing capacity. Using the HCS RLC algorithms (duration-of-stay counters, thresholds and
so on) it is possible to prioritise the different cell layers for dual band mobiles, ensuring that the
maximum potential of each cell layer is fully exploited.
More information about the use of HCS with these features can be found in the associated
Engineering Guidelines listed in the Further reference section on page 3.

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
HCS Parameters
4
4. HCS Parameters
This chapter details the key O&M parameters involved in the design of HCS networks. These
parameters are listed in the table below with the following information:
Equivalent GUI and AUI names in the OMC-2000
Associated object class (BTS, Handover, or Power Control)
Permitted values
Default values
Recommended values
The information in the table has been taken from the Lucent GSM Parameter Catalogue for
GSM Network Release 8.0. A more detailed description of each parameter can be found in that
document.
Important: The recommended parameter values in the table are guidelines only. The actual
settings may need to be modified to meet site-specific requirements that may vary from one
lower layer cell to another, depending on the cell application.

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53
GSM parameter name
GUI name
AUI name
Range
Default values
Lower
Recommended values
Middle
Upper
Lower
Middle
Upper
BTS Object
RBS Type
BTS-2000/2C
BTS-2000 or
BTS-900
BTS-2000 or
BTS-900
BTS-2000/2C
BTS-2000 or
BTS-900
BTS-2000 or
BTS-900
CELL_TYPE
Cell Type
CELLTYPE
0-15
1 = Lower
2 = Middle
3 = Upper
CELL_BAR_ACCESS
Cell Barred
CELLBAR
Yes/No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes = Barred
CELL_BAR_QUALIFY
Cell Bar Qualify
CELLBARQ
Yes/No
Yes = Enabled
No
No
No
No
No
No
CELL_RESELECT_HYST
Cell Reselect
Hysteresis
CELLRESELH
YST
0-7
2dB steps
MS_TXPWR_MAX_CCH
MS Tx Power
Maximum CCH
MSTXMAXCC
H
0-19
GSM900=2
GSM1800=0
GSM900=2
GSM180 =0
GSM900=2
GSM1800=0
GSM900=2
GSM1800=0
GSM900=2
GSM1800=0
GSM900=2
GSM1800=0
CELL_TYPE replaces the LM4 parameters EN_MICRO_HO and EN_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO used to define the type of Handover Comparison algorithm used in a cell.

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
GSM parameter name
GUI name
AUI name
Range
Default values
Lower
Recommended values
Middle
Upper
Lower
Middle
Upper
BTS Object
2
RXLEV_MIN_ACCESS
Minimum
Receive Level
Access
RXLEVACC
Radio Link :
Timeout
RADIOLKTO
THRES_PC_RLF
Radio Link
Failure Warning
CELL_RESELECT_
4
PARAM_IND
C2 Criterion
RADIO_LINK_TIMEOUT (T100)
0-63
GSM900=8
GSM900=8
GSM900=8
GSM900=8
GSM900=8
GSM900=8
GSM1800=10
GSM1800=10
GSM1800=10
GSM1800=10
GSM1800=10
GSM1800=10
1-16
6
(= 11520ms)
6
(= 11520ms)
6
(= 11520ms)
6
(= 11520ms)
6
(= 11520ms)
6
(= 11520ms)
RADIOLKFAIL
0-15
4 SAACH
frame steps
4
(= 7680ms)
4
(= 7680ms)
4
(= 7680ms)
C2ENABLE
Yes/No
No
No
No
Optional
Optional
Optional
The recommended value for RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN assumes that the network is driven by power budget handovers, and that the value of L_RXLEV_XL_H is set to a similar value as for Upper and Middle layer
cells (that is, -104 to -110 dBm). RXEV_ACCESS_MIN should typically be set higher than L_RXLEV_XL_H in order to avoid immediate handover requests on channel assignment. Many operators set
L_RXLEV_XL_H and RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN to a very low value to ensure that the majority of handovers within the network are power budget driven. For applications where L_RXLEV_XL_H is raised,
say to between -75 and -65 dBm, note that the resulting increase in RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN will have a direct effect on the C2 values for those lower layer cells. For networks employing the C2
reselection criterion we recommend setting a low value for RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN on Lower Layer cells. This avoids restricting the reselection area for those cells to too small an area.
3
This parameter was previously called N_BS_TXPWR_M in BSS LM4.

4
Whether or not the C2 parameter is enabled within an HCS network is up to the operator, and will depend on the penetration of Phase 2 mobiles in the network. If there is a large penetration it is recommended that
C2 is enabled.

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55
GSM parameter name
GUI name
AUI name
Range
Default values
Lower
Recommended values
Middle
Upper
Lower
Middle
Upper
BTS Object
5
CELL_RES_OFFSET
Cell
Reselection:Cell
Offset
CELLOFF
0-63
TEMPORARY_OFFSET
Temporary
Offset
TEMPOFF
0-7
0-6 in 10dB
steps
7 = infinity
6 (=60dB)
PENALTY_TIME
Penalty Time
PENTIME
0-31
20s steps
0= 20s
31
31
31
1 (=40s)
1 (=40s)
+ tuning
+ tuning
2dB steps
10-20
6 (=60dB)
(= 20-40dB)
31 (reserved)
This parameter setting will depend on the value of RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN used for lower layer cells and the relative difference in receive signal level between lower and higher layer cells. The higher the
RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN value and the smaller the receive signal level difference, the greater the value of CELL_RES_OFFSET required to make the lower layer cells preferred for reselection once
PENALTY_TIME has expired. For this reason, when implementing HCS with LM5, it is recommended that a low value is set for RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN (in conjunction with a low L_RXLEV_XL_H
threshold) in order to optimise the benefits of the C2 criterion for cell reselection.
6
This value is based on a fast moving mobile travelling at 36 km/h, and a lower layer cell site separation of 400 m. For environments where mobiles travel at even higher speeds, this value can be reduced
accordingly. For environments where fast moving mobiles are not present at all (for example, in-building applications) a PENALTY_TIME and associated TEMPORARY_OFFSET value may not be
required.
7
As an alternative to setting CELL_RES_OFFSET = 0, TEMPORARY_OFFSET = 0, and PENALTY_TIME = 31 (reserved), the C2ENABLE parameter can be disabled.

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
GSM parameter name
GUI name
AUI name
Range
Default values
Lower
Recommended values
Middle
Upper
Lower
Middle
Upper
Handover Control Object

EN_INTER_HO
Enable
Handover:
Internal Inter Cell
INTERHO
True/False
True
True
True
True
True
True
EN_INTRA_HO
Enable
Handover:
Internal Intra Cell
INTRAHO
True/False
True
True
True
True
True
True
EN_PBGT_HO
Enable
Handover due to
Power Budget
(PBGT)
PWRBGHO
True/False
True
True
True
True
True
True
EN_DIST_HO
Optimal MS
Distance
MSDISTPROC
True/False
True
True
True
True
True
True
EN_RXLEV_HO
Enable Intercell
Handover due to
receive level
RXLEVHO
True/False
True
True
True
True
True
True
Distance handovers are not recommended within lower layer cells. The step size for this handover evaluation of +/- 550 m is too large when compared with lower layer cell site separations of 400 m.

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57
GSM parameter name
GUI name
AUI name
Range
Default values
Lower
Recommended values
Middle
Upper
Lower
Middle
Upper

EN_RXQUAL_HO
Enable
Handover:
Receive Quality
RXQUALHO
True/False
True
True
True
True
True
True
EN_SDCCH_HO
Enable
Handover:
SDCCH
SDCCHHO
True/False
True
True
True
True
True
True
EN_INCOM_HO
Incoming
Handover
INCOMHO
True/False
True
True
True
True
True
True
EN_SDCCH_TCH_HO
Enable
Handover:
SDCCHTCH
SDCCHTCHH
O
True/False
True
True
True
True
True
True
EN_LOAD_REGARD
Enable
Handover
regarding traffic
load
LOADREG
True/False
True
True
True
True
True
True

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GSM parameter name
GUI name
AUI name
Range
Default values
Lower
Recommended values
Middle
Upper
Lower
Middle
Upper

T_SDCCH_HO_ALLOWED
SDCCH HO
Time Allowed
TSDCCHHO
1-31
9 (=4237ms)
9 (=4237ms)
9 (=4237ms)
9 (=4237ms)
14 (= 6720ms)
14 (= 6720ms)
14 (= 6720ms)
8 (= 3840ms)
9 (=4237ms)
9 (=4237ms)
14 (= 6720ms)
14 (=
6720ms)
(470.77
15954ms)
SAACH
periods
(470.77ms)
9
A_PBGT_HO
Power Budget
Averaging Period
PWRBGAVG
1-31
(480
14880ms)
SAACH
frames
For lower layer microcells it is generally recommended to have a short power budget averaging window with a bigger HO_MARGIN to avoid unnecessary handovers. Generally the opposite applies for upper and
middle layer cells, due to the increased measurement times associated with larger cells.

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59
GSM parameter name
GUI name
AUI name
Range
Default values
Lower
Recommended values
Middle
Upper
Lower
Middle
Upper

MS_TXPWR_MAX
MS_DIST_MAX
MS Tx Power
Maximum
MS Range
Maximum
MSTXMAXTC
H
MSRANGEMX
GSM900: 2-19
(43
2xMS_TXPWR
_MAX)
GSM1800: 015
(30
2xMS_TXPWR
_MAX)
0-31
GSM900 = 2
GSM900 = 2
GSM900 = 2
GSM900 = 2
GSM900 = 2
GSM900 = 2
GSM1800 = 0
GSM1800 = 0
GSM1800 = 0
GSM1800 = 0
GSM1800 = 0
GSM1800 = 0
N/a
31 (=34.1km)
31 (=34.1km)
N/a
31 (=34.1km)
31 (=34.1km)
1.1km steps
(0 34.1km)

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GSM parameter name
GUI name
AUI name
Range
Default values
Lower
Recommended values
Middle
Upper
Lower
Middle
Upper

A_DIST_HO
Averaging Period
DISTAVGPER
1-31
16 (=7680ms)
16 (=7680ms)
16 (=7680ms)
16 (=7680ms)
16 (=7680ms)
16 (=7680ms)
(480
14880ms)
10
L_RXLEV_DL_H
L_RXLEV_UL_H
Signal Strength:
Lower Downlink
Limit
LRXLEVDLH
0-63
-110 +
L_RXLEV_DL
_H
GSM900 = 8
GSM1800 = 10
GSM900 = 8
GSM1800 = 10
GSM900 = 8
GSM1800 = 10
GSM900 = 8
GSM1800 = 10
GSM900 = 8
GSM1800 = 10
GSM900 = 8
GSM1800 =
10
Signal Strength:
Lower Uplink
Limit
LRXLEVULH
0-63
-110 +
L_RXLEV_DL
_H
GSM900 = 8
GSM1800 = 10
GSM900 = 8
GSM1800 = 10
GSM900 = 8
GSM1800 = 10
GSM900 = 8
GSM1800 = 10
GSM900 = 8
GSM1800 = 10
GSM900 = 8
GSM1800 =
10
Signal Quality:
Averaging Period
AQUALHO
1-31
(480
14880ms)
10
A_QUAL_HO
10
If power budget handovers are predominantly employed in the network between lower layer cells, it is advisable to use a low value for L_RXLEV_XL_H to allow a low value for RXLEV_ACCESS_MIN. If power
budget handovers are not used, this value will depend on the desired coverage area for each cell.

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61
GSM parameter name
GUI name
AUI name
Range
Default values
Lower
Recommended values
Middle
Upper
Lower
Middle
Upper

W_QUAL_HO
Signal Quality:
Weighting Factor
WQUALHO
1-3
L_RXQUAL_DL_H
Signal Quality:
Lower Downlink
Limit
LRXQUALDLH
0-7
(1.6% - 3.2%)
(1.6% - 3.2%)
(1.6% - 3.2%)
(1.6% - 3.2%)
(1.6% - 3.2%)
(1.6% - 3.2%)
Signal Quality:
Lower Uplink
Limit
LRXQUALULH
(1.6% - 3.2%)
(1.6% - 3.2%)
(1.6% - 3.2%)
(1.6% - 3.2%)
(1.6% - 3.2%)
(1.6% - 3.2%)
Signal Strength:
Averaging Period
ALEVHO
50
35
35
50
35
35
(= -60dBm)
(= -75dBm)
(= -75dBm)
(= -60dBm)
(= -75dBm)
(= -75dBm)
50
36
36
50
36
36
(= - 60dBm)
(= - 74dBm)
(= - 74dBm)
(= - 60dBm)
(= - 74dBm)
(= - 74dBm)
L_RXQUAL_UL_H
A_LEV_HO
0-7
1-31 SACCH
frames
(480
14880ms)
RXLEV_UL_IH
RXLEV_DL_IH
Signal Strength:
Uplink Limit
Signal Strength:
Downlink Limit
RXLEVULIH
RXLEVDLIH
0-63
0-63

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GSM parameter name
GUI name
AUI name
Range
Default values
Lower
Recommended values
Middle
Upper
Lower
Middle
Upper

C_MICRO_HO
HO To Lower
Cell/For Slower
MS
LOWSLOW
HO To Higher
Cell/For Faster
MS
HIGHFAST
Umbrella Cell
Threshold
UMBTHRESH
Umbrella Cell
Hysteresis
UMBHYST
0-127
20
n/a
125 (=60s)
83 (=40s)
n/a
83 (=40s)
N/a
N/a
N/a
N/a
83 (=40s)
83 (=40s)
N/a
N/a
(= 5dB)
(= 5dB)
(= 5dB)
(= 5dB)
SACCH
frames
11
C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO
C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO
0-127
SACCH
frames
0-127
SACCH
frames
12
UMBRELLA_MICRO_HYST
0-31
1dB steps
11
The recommended value for this parameter has been identified through simulation work based on Lucents STEAM simulation tool.
12
The recommended value for UMBRELLA_MICRO_HYST assumes a high value for RXLEV_MIN(i) for neighbouring cell. If RXLEV_MIN(i) is set low, the value of UMBRELLA_MICRO_HYST may need to be
increased to ensure an adequate receive level entry value for lower layer cells (Middle and Lower Layers).

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GSM parameter name
GUI name
AUI name
Range
Default values
Lower
Recommended values
Middle
Upper
Lower
Middle
Upper
Power Control Object

EN_BS_PC
BS_TXPWR_RED
Enable BS RF
Power Control
BSRFPWR
BS Tx Power
Reduction
BSTXPWRRED
Yes/No
True
True
True
True
True
True
0 (=0dB)
outdoor
(=0dB)
(=0dB)
(=0dB)
(=0dB)
(=0dB)
Yes =
Enabled
0-6
2dB steps
3 (=6dB) indoor
POW_INCR_STEP_SIZE
POW_RED_STEP_SIZE
P_CON_INTERVAL
MS Tx Power
Increase
MS Tx Power
Reduction
Power Control
Interval
PWRINCRSTEP
PWRREDSTEP
MINTIMBETPW
RCTRL
0-2
2dB steps
(= 4dB)
(= 6dB)
(= 6dB)
(= 4dB)
(= 6dB)
(= 6dB)
0-1
2dB steps
(= 2dB)
(= 4dB)
(= 4dB)
(= 2dB)
(= 4dB)
(= 4dB)
0-31
2 SACCH
frame steps
(= 1920ms)
(= 1920ms)
(= 1920ms)
(= 1920ms)
(= 1920ms)
(= 1920ms)

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GSM parameter name
GUI name
AUI name
Range
Default values
Lower
Recommended values
Middle
Upper
Lower
Middle
Upper

P_CON_ACK
EN_MS_PC
L_RXQUAL_DL_P
L_RXQUAL_UL_P
U_RXQUAL_DL_P
U_RXQUAL_UL_P
Power Control
Acknowledge
Time
ACKTIMEPWRC
TRL
Enable MS RF
Power Control
PWRCTRLMS
Signal Quality:
Downlink Power
Increase
LRXQUALDLP
Signal Quality:
Uplink Power
Increase
LRXQUALULP
Signal Quality:
Downlink Power
Reduction
URXQUALDLP
Signal Quality:
Uplink Power
Reduction
URXQUALULP
0-31
2 SACCH
frame steps
(= 3840ms)
(= 3840ms)
(= 3840ms)
(= 3840ms)
(= 3840ms)
(= 3840ms)
Yes/No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
(0.8% - 1.6%)
(0.8% - 1.6%)
(0.8% - 1.6%)
(0.8% - 1.6%)
(0.8% - 1.6%)
(0.8% - 1.6%)
(0.8% - 1.6%)
(0.8% - 1.6%)
(0.8% - 1.6%)
(0.8% - 1.6%)
(0.8% - 1.6%)
(0.8% - 1.6%)
(0.2% - 0.4%)
(0.2% - 0.4%)
(0.2% - 0.4%)
(0.2% - 0.4%)
(0.2% - 0.4%)
(0.2% - 0.4%)
(0.2% - 0.4%)
(0.2% - 0.4%)
(0.2% - 0.4%)
(0.2% - 0.4%)
(0.2% - 0.4%)
(0.2% - 0.4%)
Yes =
Enabled
0-7
0-7
0-7
0-7

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65
GSM parameter name
GUI name
AUI name
Range
Default values
Lower
Recommended values
Middle
Upper
Lower
Middle
Upper

A_QUAL_PC
Signal Quality:
Averaging
AQUALPC
1-31
1 SACCH
frame steps
(= 960ms)
(= 960ms)
(= 960ms)
(= 960ms)
(= 960ms)
(= 960ms)
W_QUAL_PC
Signal Quality:
Weighting Factor
WQUALPC
1-3
L_RXLEV_DL_P
Signal Strength:
Downlink Power
Increase
LRXLEVDLP
0-63
GSM900 = 25
GSM900 = 25
GSM900 = 25
GSM900 = 25
GSM900 = 25
GSM900 = 25
GSM1800 = 27
GSM1800 = 27
GSM1800 = 27
GSM1800 = 27
GSM1800 = 27
GSM1800 =
27
Signal Strength:
Uplink Power
Increase
LRXLEVULP
23
23
23
23
23
23
(= -65dBm)
(= -87dBm)
(= -87dBm)
(= -65dBm)
(= -87dBm)
(= -87dBm)
Signal Strength:
Downlink Power
Reduction
URXLEVDLP
GSM900 = 35
GSM900 = 35
GSM900 = 35
GSM900 = 35
GSM900 = 35
GSM900 = 35
GSM1800 = 37
GSM1800 = 37
GSM1800 = 37
GSM1800 = 37
GSM1800 = 37
GSM1800 =
37
Signal Strength:
Uplink Power
Reduction
URXLEVULP
33
33
33
33
33
33
(= -55dBm)
(= -77dBm)
(= -77dBm)
(= -55dBm)
(= -77dBm)
(= -77dBm)
L_RXLEV_UL_P
U_RXLEV_DL_P
U_RXLEV_UL_P
0-63
0-63
0-63

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GSM parameter name
GUI name
AUI name
Range
Default values
Lower
Recommended values
Middle
Upper
Lower
Middle
Upper

A_LEV_PC
Signal Strength:
Averaging
ALEVPC
1-31
SACCH
frames
(= 960ms)
(= 960ms)
(= 960ms)
(= 960ms)
(= 960ms)
(= 960ms)
Table 3 Key HCS parameters

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HCS Implementation
5
5. HCS Implementation
5.1.
Introduction
This chapter reviews some of the key implementation issues relating to the HCS feature
including:
Activating HCS
Antenna heights, site locations, and output powers
Network planning
Frequency planning
Microcellular propagation and design tools
Note: This section does not cover issues relating to site acquisition or installation.

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5.2.
GSM network operators will typically implement HCS as a means of increasing capacity, once
they have exhausted more traditional methods such as cell splitting.
Initial deployment of the HCS feature is likely to be based on a 2-layer architecture using an
upper cell layer of umbrella cells, combined with a lower layer of microcells. The lower layer
microcells will typically be introduced in small numbers at first to alleviate congestion in
localised hot spots within the network (such as city centres). The more hot spot areas an
operator identifies, the greater the number of HCS pockets that will be introduced.
Operators will use a variety of methods to identify hot spots, including:
Using OMC-2000 and marketing data, together with their inherent knowledge of the
network to identify congested areas
Deploying dummy cells
Monitoring saturated macrocells using protocol analysers to identify their neighbour cells
and receive levels
Note: Information on Lucents proposed new hot spot detection tool is contained in the GSM
Networks Traffic Hot Spot Location Test Procedure Technical Memorandum which can be
found on the RF Systems & Capacity Group homepage at:
http://en0033svr06.uk.lucent.com/rfsystems
As the subscriber base for the network grows, the initial hot spot coverage areas will increase
in size and new ones will be identified (for example, city suburbs and nearby towns). The
distance between adjacent hot spots will decrease, forming larger and more contiguous areas
of HCS. As this growth continues the network will migrate from a non-HCS to an HCS
architecture.

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The following figure illustrates the typical evolution of HCS within a GSM network:
Figure 13 Typical network evolution from non-HCS to HCS
In applications where small pockets of HCS are employed, handovers out of and into the nonHCS network should be carefully analysed to optimise performance at HCS non-HCS
borders and to minimise dropped calls.

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5.3.
Activating 3-layer HCS
In order to activate the 3-layer HCS feature:
The following software loads must be available: BSS software release LM5, OMC-2000
version 4.5 and MSC software version 10.1
Lower and/or middle layer cells must be installed and identified on the OMC-2000 as the
appropriate CELL_TYPE. (And CELL_TYPE_NCELL(i) must also be set accordingly)
Existing standard layer macrocells in the surrounding area for HCS implementation must
be reclassified as Upper or Middle Layer cells
The relevant BSS parameter must be set in accordance with the cell type

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5.4.
Network planning guidelines
The following points should be considered when planning for HCS:
Sufficient overlap between neighbouring microcells is essential when deploying hot spot
or contiguous lower layer microcell coverage. This ensures that unnecessary inter-layer
handovers are minimised when mobiles move out of the coverage range of lower layer
cells. It also helps to ensure that if the target microcell is unavailable, the mobile can be
handed over to a neighbouring microcell rather than a higher layer cell
To future-proof the network, it is recommended that 2 TRX microcells (9.01 Erlangs/cell)

be used from the outset, rather than 1 TRX configurations (2.91 Erlangs/cell). This
provides a three-fold increase in potential capacity within the microcell layer.
Note: The first release of Lucents mTRX feature, available with GSM Network Release
8.5 enables two BTS-2000/2Cs to be combined (that is, a four-TRX cell)
BCCH carriers should be planned as clean as possible
Try and ensure that microcell coverage is contained, by locating lower layer microcells to
take advantage of the surrounding street layout and buildings
Detailed street and building layout information will be required to identify potential
microcell site locations and possible reuse factors within lower layer microcells. This
information is of particular importance if any analysis work is to be carried out using the
WiSE design tool (see the Design tools section on page 91 for information about WiSE)
Try to avoid locating lower layer microcells at the borders of neighbouring upper layer
(umbrella) cells as this makes frequency planning more difficult, particularly where
spectrum sharing is employed. It is important to remember that lower layer microcell site
locations are influenced by frequency planning issues as well as coverage issues
Position in-building lower layer microcells (that is, picocells) to minimise external
interference. This also provides better defined handover boundaries between in-building
and outdoor lower layer cells. Antennas should ideally be located facing in towards the
building. (See the Indoor Coverage Systems for GSM Networks Engineering Guidelines
for more information on in-building microcell site location)
Transmission issues should be addressed from the start. The introduction of a large
number of lower layer microcells necessitates additional E1 links
The WiSE tool can be used to provide initial approximations to lower layer site locations,
but detailed network and frequency planning for HCS should be performed using GRAND
(see the Design tools section on page 91 for more information)
Areas for lower layer cell coverage should be defined from the start of the project (that is,
main streets, side streets and so on) as this will have a major impact on the number of
lower layer cells required
When using BTS-2000/2C equipment for lower layer microcells in high traffic areas, a
second, standalone SDCCH logical channel may be required to avoid SDCCH blocking. If
nd
so, a second channel can be set up on the 2 TRX of the BTS-2000/2C. However, with
Issue 1.0 May 1999
73
nd
this configuration it is not possible to configure the 2 TRX as the emergency RT in

case of failure on the BCCH RT. (This problem is due to be corrected in GSM Release
8.5)
5.5.
Lower layer microcell planning
Antenna heights
Microcell antennas should ideally be located significantly below the height of the surrounding
buildings, typically between 4 and 10 metres above ground level. In this way buildings in the
vicinity of the microcell base station can be used to restrict the coverage area of the microcell
and reduce interference to co-channel microcells.
In practice, the actual height will depend on a number of issues including site acquisition
(which floors of an identified building can be used), site access for maintenance purposes,
and the surrounding environment.
Site location
The location of lower layer microcells is critical to the optimisation of HCS networks and thus
in maximising the benefits that can be obtained from this feature. A lower layer microcell
located in the wrong position can end up carrying very little traffic.
It is therefore essential that prior to introducing lower layer microcells, the upper layer
macrocells have been satisfactorily optimised. Only after this optimisation has been
performed will an operator be able to accurately identify hot spots within the network.
The final choice of site location depends on a number of issues including:
The nature of the application (the type of hot spot to be covered)
The local street layout
Customer requirements (which streets should be covered in a particular area)
Figures 14 and 15 below illustrate two typical microcell locations for different applications.
In Figure 14, lower layer microcells A and B are used to provide coverage onto perpendicular
streets. As a slow moving mobile moves from point X to point Y it moves from the coverage
area of Microcell A to Microcell B.
While it is in Line-of-Sight (LOS) of microcell A, it will be served by this cell as it will receive a
strong receive level from this cell. However, as the mobile turns the corner it is no longer in
LOS of the serving Microcell A and the receive level from this cell drops (typically by 15-25 dB
over a distance of 10-20 m). On turning the corner, the mobile now has LOS to Microcell B
and as the receive level from Microcell A falls a power budget handover is initiated towards
Microcell B.
To avoid unnecessary handovers a short power budget averaging window size
(A_PBGT_HO) combined with a large handover margin (HO_MARGIN) is recommended.
This helps prevent ping-pong between the two microcells whilst ensuring that once the
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Issue 1.0 May 1999
PBGT(i) for Microcell B exceeds that of Microcell A by HO_MARGIN, a handover is executed

promptly. The opposite is generally true for upper and middle layer cells as the increased cell
size allows a greater evaluation period.
For this type of application, the integral antenna or an external antenna (~65 Hor BW) would
be used pointing towards the opposite side of the street and angled down the street (see
Figure 14 below). This creates a zig-zag effect as the signal is bounced back and forth
down the street. The zig-zag effect helps restrict the coverage (as opposed to firing the signal
straight down the middle of the street) and creates a more gradual handover area between A
and B. This arrangement also provides improved in-building coverage to the buildings (lower
floors) on the opposite side of the street to the antenna.

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Traffic light junctions

If the junction between the two streets contains traffic lights, the C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO
duration-of-stay threshold must be set carefully to ensure that fast moving mobiles do not
hand down to either microcell A or B while waiting at the lights.
The value of C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO will depend on:
Traffic density at the junction
Average mobile speed at peak traffic time
Average holding time at the lights
Figure 15 above illustrates a lower layer microcell used to provide coverage to a busy junction
with traffic lights. In such cases a wide beam (90 Hor BW) or an omni-directional antenna
can be used to provide coverage to all four approaches to the junction.
It is important to set the duration-of-stay thresholds carefully in accordance with traffic speed
at the junction and the typical waiting period at the traffic lights. The threshold for a layerdown handover should be set high enough to prevent fast moving mobiles being handed
down to the microcell while they wait at the lights.

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
Street coverage scenarios

The following figures show two possible approaches to microcell site locations for street
coverage:
Figure 16 illustrates a single BTS-2000/2C used with two external antennas pointing in
opposite directions. Figure 17 depicts multiple BTS-2000/2Cs with single antennas, with each
neighbouring antenna pointing to opposite sides of the street.
The advantage of this approach is that it requires fewer BTS-2000/2Cs. However, it does
require an additional external 2-way power divider to ensure that the BCCH is transmitted
from both antennas (this introduces a loss of ~3.5 dB). As both antennas are covering
different areas, receive diversity is not possible with this arrangement, thus introducing a ~3
dB loss into the system. In the downlink-limited scenario typical of microcells these losses
should not be a major concern.
The configuration in Figure 17 requires more BTS-2000/2Cs but does not need external
equipment and benefits from receive diversity.
The smaller the lower layer site separation, the greater the complexity involved in frequency
planning. The smaller the site separation, the lower the transmit power required to avoid cochannel interference and the greater the effect of neighbouring higher layer cells if spectrum
sharing is employed (see the Frequency planning for HCS section on page 86).

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In-building lower layer cell locations

When locating lower layer cells within buildings the following guidelines should be considered:
Minimise the amount of external interference by using the following techniques:
Locate antennas against internal walls directed towards the centre of the building to
avoid having antennas pointing directly towards windows and doors
Use lower transmit powers
When identifying potential site locations it is important to consider desirable handover

boundaries from in-building to external macro or microcells
When setting the BSS parameters it is generally advisable not to employ

TEMPORARY_OFFSET values, as the likelihood of having fast moving mobiles indoors
is very low. For the same reason it may be desirable to set a low value for the
C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO threshold to ensure that mobiles are handed down as
quickly as possible from a higher layer cell on entering the building
Note: Care should be taken in setting the value of C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO as it will
be used for all lower layer cells within the coverage area of the higher layer cell
including those in close vicinity to the indoor cell
For in-building lower layer cells it may be desirable to set a high receive entry level. To do
this, set a high value for
RXLEV_MIN(i) + UMBRELLA_HYST + 2xMAX(0,P MS_TXPWR_MAX(i))
in the layer-down handover criterion. This prevents outside mobiles in close proximity to
the building from handing down to the indoor cell. This is recommended if a low value of
C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO is used. Minimising the transmit power of the indoor cell will
also reduce the problem
Note: These applications are essentially a trade-off between speed of access and optimum
coverage.
For more information about in-building site locations, refer to the GSM In-building Coverage
Systems Engineering Guideline.

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
In-building coverage from outdoor lower layer

cells
Due to the reduced antenna heights, lower layer microcells generally provide good coverage
improvements to lower floor buildings (for example, restaurants and shops). The actual level
of coverage enhancement depends on:
The penetration loss of the surrounding buildings.
The type of antenna used (gain, beamwidth, and so on)
Transmit output power

Note: Where outdoor lower layer cells are used to provide enhanced in-building
coverage, it is recommended that the BTS is initially set at its maximum output power
(+37 dBm) and then reduced as appropriate during optimisation
At increasing floor heights, the coverage from surrounding macrocell sites improves and
lower layer microcell coverage is no longer the dominant factor. This leads to handovers
between outdoor microcells and outdoor macrocells as a mobile moves higher through the
building.
If good coverage below ground level is required, the only effective solution is to install
permanent in-building systems.
BTS power classes

The transmit output power used for lower layer cells will typically depend on:
The base station hardware equipment (BTS-2000/2C or BTS-2000) employed
The application for which the cells are being employed (which in turn determines the
desired coverage area)
Antenna type used
Method of frequency planning employed
If lower layer microcells are realised using the BTS-2000/2C micro base station the following
micro base station power classes are available:

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79
Power level
Output power (dBm)

GSM900
GSM1800
M1
+24 dBm
(0.25 W)
+32 dBm
(1.6 W)
M2
+19 dBm
(0.08 W)
+27 dBm
(0.5 W)
Table 4 Micro base station power settings
Note: There is no M3 power class specified with the BTS-2000/2C micro base station.
With each micro basestation power class (M1 or M2), 6 static power level reduction levels in
2 dB steps are possible. This power reduction is defined by the O&M parameter
BS_TXPWR_RED.
Alternatively, the BTS-2000/2C can be configured as a macro base station which can then be
used at its maximum output transmit power of +37 dBm (= 5 W).
The power class of the BTS-2000/2C can be set either at the factory or by the commissioning
engineer during installation using the Radio Basestation Tester (RBT).
Depending on the application it may not always be necessary to use the maximum BTS
output power for lower layer cells. For most outdoor (street hot spot) applications an initial
output power of 5 Watts (+37 dBm) is recommended. This can then be tuned as required
using the BS_TXPWR_RED parameter. For in-building applications a much lower power will
typically be required, which may be dependent on government regulations on the maximum
EIRP (Effective Isotropic Radiated Power) that can be transmitted in public areas (see
Chapter 7).

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5.6.
Antennas
As mentioned earlier, implementation of a lower layer cell is dependent on the height and type
of antenna used.
The lower antenna heights associated with smaller cells require more compact and less
obtrusive antennas. The specific application for which the lower layer cell is being deployed
will tend to dictate the type of antenna.
For microcellular applications that employ the BTS-2000/2C micro base station, two possible
antenna options are available:
Integral antenna
External antenna(s)
The BTS-2000/2Cs integral antenna is a dual polarised (circularly polarised, RHCP and
LHCP) antenna with the following specification:
Parameter
Value
EGSM
GSM1800
Max: 75
Max: 83
Min: 60
Min: 70
Max: 85
Max: 50
Min: 46
Min: 36
Front-to-back ratio
10 dB min
10 dB min
Gain
6 dBi min
8 dBi min
Power handling
10 W per ant
patch
10 W per ant
patch
Connector to antenna
N-type, plug,
male, straight
N-type, plug,
male, straight
Beamwidth (azimuth)
Beamwidth (elevation)
Table 5 BTS-2000/2C integral antenna specification
Although lower layer cells can be implemented using the BTS-2000/2C micro base station, it
is important to remember that a lower layer cell is defined by the height of the antenna, not
the type of BTS hardware employed. As such, in situations where the BTS-2000/2C is not
applicable, it is possible to implement lower layer cells using BTS-2000 equipment for which
an external antenna(s) is required.
For applications which require external antennas, a variety of compact microcell antennas are
now available. The following table lists a number of typical external antennas suitable for
lower layer microcellular environments:
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81
Notes:
1
With the exception of Cushcraft which is not currently an approved Lucent supplier, the
antennas listed in the table are from approved Lucent suppliers
The antennas shown are all dual polarised antennas. As there is no Tx combining in the
BTS-2000/2C, using a single polarised antenna would require two external antennas. This is
not advisable for microcell applications.
This antenna does not require additional combining equipment as it has 2 i/p ports (+/-45)
for each band (GSM 900 and GSM 1800).
A 90 beamwidth version of this antenna is expected to be available later this year.

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
Antenna
type
SIRA
Frequency
GSM900
VS
WR
<1.5
Gain (dBi)
2x7
GSM900
<1.5
2 x 10
DBTEL06-90
GSM900/GS
M1800
DC/DIP
SIRA
DBTEL06-90/DC
SIRA
GSM900/GS
M1800
GSM1800
<1.5
Tx
2 x 5.5
(GSM900)
<1.8
Rx
2x6
<1.5
Tx
2 x 5.5
(GSM900)
<1.8
Rx
2x6
<1.5
2x7
Dimensions
Weight (Kg)
90
205x166x54.4
1.0
85
40
600x166x54.4
3.0
85
90
(GSM900)
310x175x54.4
1.5
310x175x54.4
1.5
Dual Pol.
Dual Pol.
(+/-45 slant)
60
(GSM1800)
Dual Pol.
85
(+/-45 slant)
90
(GSM900)
60
(GSM1800)
Dual Pol.
65
65
200x166x54.4
0.8
60
70
256x262x116
3.0
65
75
264x258x103
1.2
70
65
305x305x44
1.0
70
65
305x305x44
1.0
(+/-45 slant)
GSM900
<1.5
2x9
Dual Pol.
(+/-45 slant)
GSM900
<1.5
2x9
737 115
Cushcraft
90
(GSM1800)
739 619
Kathrein
Dual Pol.
(GSM1800)
PTEL-0765/DC
Kathrein
Ver BW
(+/-45 slant)
ETEL62/C
SIRA
Hor
BW
(+/-45 slant)
ETEL61/C
SIRA
Polarisation
Dual Pol.
(Ver/Hor)
GSM900
1.5
2x8
Dual Pol.
(+/-45 slant)
S888SLP
12NF
Cushcraft
GSM900
1.5
2x8
Dual Pol.
S888HVP
12NF
(Ver/Hor)
Table 6 Microcell external antennas

Issue 1.0 May 1999
83
5.7.
External combining equipment
Additional external splitters are required for applications where external antennas are used
with the BTS-2000/2C to provide coverage to different areas. For example: for covering both
directions of a street. External splitters are required because there is no internal Tx combining
in the BTS-2000/2C.
When using a lower layer microcell to cover both ends of a street, the BCCH channel
(typically RT0) must be transmitted out of both antennas (see Figure 18). In these
applications, receive diversity is not possible and an additional loss of ~3 dB will be incurred
due to the power division. In a downlink-limited scenario typical of microcells, these losses
should not be a major concern.
One Cell/BTS2000/2C
Tx/Rx
Tx/Rx
1:2 Power
Divider
1:2 Power
Divider
BTS2000/2C
Duplexer
RT#1
RXb2
1:2
RXb1
RXa1
TX1
1:2
TX2
Duplexer
Tx/Rx
RXa2
Tx/Rx
RT#2
Figure 18 BTS-2000/2C with multiple external antennas

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
The following figure illustrates such an installation that was used for microcell deployment in
Taiwan (in Taipei city):
Splitter/Combiner
Cube
Figure 19 Lucent microcell deployment with external power dividers (Taipei)
This application employed the following power divider:
Type
737 304
Freq.
range
(MHz)
800-2000
Connector
Max.
power
VSWR
Impedance
Insertion
loss
Size (cm)
7/16 female
700 W
<1.1:5
50
<0.5 dB
28.5x80x80
For applications where the external antennas cover the same geographical area, external
combiners or splitters are not required.

Issue 1.0 May 1999
85
5.8.
Frequency planning for HCS
Introduction
Frequency planning is one of the biggest challenges when implementing a hierarchical
network and requires careful consideration. In dense urban environments in particular (where
microcell site separations can be as low as 150-200 metres) planning is required to ensure
that the new cells do not introduce excessive interference levels.
The typical reuse factor in the microcell layer would be between 8 and 10. However, actual
reuse will depend on the street layout, building heights, and local microcell characteristics
such as location, output power, antenna height, and antenna type.
Planning methods
There are three main frequency planning methods for introducing a lower layer of microcells
into an HCS network:
Spectrum partitioning
Spectrum sharing
Dynamic Channel Allocation (DCA)
Spectrum partitioning
This method partitions the spectrum allocation and assigns a defined subset of the radio
channels to each cell layer. In most cases this would involve removing spectrum from the
existing macrocell layer allocation for use in lower layer microcells. For this approach the
overall capacity gain can be defined as:
Total capacity = original macrocell capacity decrease in macrocell capacity + microcell
capacity
For operators with a large amount of spectrum, spectrum partitioning is the simplest approach
to frequency planning for hierarchical networks as it avoids co-channel interference between
the cell layers. However, it requires a large spectrum allocation which makes it inappropriate
in most cases.
Spectrum sharing
For operators with limited spectrum, dividing the spectrum between cell layers would
potentially lead to an unacceptable reduction in the capacity of higher layers (upper and/or
middle). For these scenarios the spectrum sharing approach offers a far more realistic
solution.
Spectrum sharing involves reusing some of the macrocell frequencies in the microcell layer.
However, this approach requires careful planning and optimisation to avoid co-channel
interference and to ensure acceptable C/I levels in both layers. When frequency planning a
HCS network based on spectrum sharing, it is important to consider the interference between
higher layer upper/middle cells and lower layer microcells, for both mobile and base station

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
conditions (that is, uplink and downlink). In particular, the following issues need careful
consideration:
Lower layer cell location: it is easier to reuse higher layer frequencies in lower layer
cells that are located centrally within the coverage area of neighbouring higher layer cells
Mobile transmit power: due to the smaller coverage area of lower layer cells, mobiles
served by these cells should transmit at lower powers. Typically this should be 5-10 dB
less than for higher layer cells (that is, between 23-28 dBm as opposed to 33 dBm3 for
GSM 900 mobiles). The reduced MS power helps to minimise interference on the upper
layer cell uplink caused by mobiles in lower layer cells. It also increases the battery life of
these mobiles
Higher layer cells site separation: the site separation (radius) of neighbouring higher
layer cells has a significant impact on the ability to reuse macrocell frequencies in lower
layer cells. As the site separation between higher layer cells becomes smaller, the
coverage area of these cells shrinks. This means that higher layer cell base stations
move into close proximity to the lower layer cell coverage areas. Typically, when higher
cell site separations fall below 800-1000 m, the ability to reuse frequencies between
layers becomes very difficult
Lower layer cell transmit powers: to overcome potential interference from higher layer
cell base stations (interference on the lower layer cell downlink) it is important to ensure
that the lower layer cells transmit at their highest power levels
Reuse factor of higher layer cells: the tighter the reuse factor employed within higher
layer cells, the closer the interfering base stations will be to neighbouring lower layer
cells, and the harder it will be to reuse frequencies between layers
Assuming suitable transmit output powers and cell site separations (for macro and
microcells), the use of 7/21 and 4/12 reuse factors in higher layer cells should not present a
problem for reusing frequencies between layers. However, as the reuse factors become
tighter (3/9 and 1/3 with fractional loading) the task of frequency planning based on spectrum
sharing becomes more complex.
For this approach the overall capacity can be defined as:
Total capacity = original macrocell capacity + microcell capacity
3 For handheld mobiles

Issue 1.0 May 1999
87
Planning guidelines
The following rules should be taken into account when frequency planning for hierarchical
cells:
Using synthesiser frequency hopping within upper layer cells and on the 2 transceiver
within the lower layer cells can greatly simplify frequency planning. Frequency hopping
within the upper layer helps free-up frequency channels for the new lower layer. It also
helps randomise interference in the lower layer generated by the upper layer. Synthesiser
frequency hopping within lower layer cells can reduce the amount of spectrum required
for that layer
If simultaneous frequency sharing (spectrum reuse) is employed, it is better to reuse

traffic channels rather than BCCH channels from higher layer cells, within the lower cell
layer. Also, try to reuse frequencies with the lowest traffic loads, particularly if synthesiser
frequency hopping is used in the lower layer
The lower cell layer BCCH channels should be planned as clean as possible, and ideally
should use frequency channels specifically designated for the microcell BCCH
transceivers
If insufficient frequency channels are available for the lower cell layer BCCHs, it may be
possible to reuse frequency channels from higher layer cells providing they do not create
excessive interference. However, this is dependent on microcell location, and requires
careful planning and optimisation
Avoid using higher cell layer BCCH frequencies for in-building coverage solutions. This is
to minimise potential interference that cannot be predicted by the planning tool
Avoid adjacent BCCH allocations within the frequency planning allocation list
Avoid using the same frequency channel for BCCH and TCH channels. This restricts the
high levels of interference produced by the BCCH to specific frequencies. In turn, this
facilitates future attempts to tighten frequency reuse - for example by introducing
frequency hopping
A spectrum split between higher and lower layer frequency channels should be
introduced whenever possible. This is especially important if the automatic frequency
planning tool cannot differentiate between the two site types
nd
A spectrum split is also important if using multilayer algorithms. In these scenarios there
will be many cases when the mobile is not attached to the dominant server due to the
mobile speed. As a result, adjacent interference can be a problem.
nd
This only applies to the micro BCCH, since the 2 TRX frequencies can be shared by
using synthesiser frequency hopping
If possible, we recommend reserving several spare frequency channels. These can be

used to provide additional capacity quickly, or to combat temporary interference problems
Frequency channels should be assigned to the different cell layers in accordance with the
predicted or designed traffic load for each layer. In turn, this is dependent on the durationof-stay thresholds assigned to the layers
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Issue 1.0 May 1999
The method used for frequency planning is heavily dependent on the expected traffic load
for each layer and thus the values of the C2 Idle Mode parameters and duration-of-stay
thresholds in distributing mobiles between the cell layers. A bias towards the lower layer
will necessitate a higher percentage of frequency channels in this layer. This may require
a partitioning approach as opposed to spectrum sharing
Dynamic channel allocation (DCA)

Both spectrum partitioning and spectrum sharing are based on a fixed channel allocation
(FCA) approach: a fixed number of channels are assigned to each cell. For spectrum
partitioning, a fixed allocation of channels is assigned to each layer. In spectrum sharing, a
fixed set of macrocell frequency channels are available for use in lower layer microcells,
depending on where those channels are being used in the upper layer.
Dynamic channel allocation (DCA) offers a different approach to frequency planning in HCS.
It allows the entire pool of frequencies to be made available to all cell layers. The network
determines the best frequencies to use in each cell, based on short and long term
interference measurements. In this way the frequency planning is carried out automatically.
Note: DCA is an ongoing GSM research project and is not currently available within Lucents
product line.

Issue 1.0 May 1999
89
5.9.
Mobiles are capable of monitoring and reporting on up to 32 neighbour cells. For HCS
networks it is important that where required, the neighbour cells monitored by each mobile
include neighbour cells from other layers, as well as the co-layer neighbour cells.
Neighbour cell lists for lower layer cells should typically contain all co-layer cells that overlap
the serving cell. A lower layer cell generally has between 4 and 10 neighbouring lower layer
cells. The actual number will depend on:
BTS output power employed
Coverage areas
Site locations. That is, whether the cell planning strategy follows a regular or irregular
pattern. Irregular patterns tend to require larger neighbour cell lists
In addition, between 6 and 8 neighbouring upper and middle layer cell neighbours will be
required depending on site locations.

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
5.10. Design tools

Radio frequency propagation in microcellular environments differs significantly from that in
traditional macrocells. Reduced antenna heights in lower layer cells, coupled with the impact
of surrounding streets and buildings, reduced cell sizes, and lower transmit powers, mean
that macrocellular propagation methods do not apply to microcellular environments.
Methods based on Okumura-Hata (900 MHz) and Cost 231-Hata (1800 MHz) are not suitable
for lower layer microcells.They do not cater for the smaller cell radii and lower antenna
heights, and building information is not taken into account. Other methods such as WalfishIkegami, although able to differentiate between LOS and non-LOS as well as taking into
account building heights and street widths, do not account for different types of building
materials. So they provide good results only when building outline data is available.
This section describes Lucents design, planning, and simulation tools that can be used for
RF propagation analysis in microcellular and HCS environments:
WiSE
GRAND
STEAM
It should be noted that the use of prediction tools for microcellular planning introduces
significant cost implications, particularly for in-building analysis where detailed building
databases are required. The time implications of acquiring detailed building plans, digitising
them and so on should also be considered. For these reasons, using drive tests/walk tests is
still the most common approach to microcellular planning.
WiSE
Wireless Systems Engineering (WiSE) is Lucents proprietary simulation tool. It was
developed by Bell Laboratories for designing indoor and campus-sized (microcell) wireless
systems within HCS networks.
WiSE can run on either Unix systems with X windows or, in a more restricted form, on PCs
under Microsoft Windows.
WiSE is a coverage prediction tool, based on ray tracing, that can identify the optimum
number of microcell base stations required to provide pre-defined coverage levels within a
building or campus. The tool also identifies optimum locations, output powers, and antenna
configurations by predicting the local mean of the received power at any given point.
WiSE can provide the following types of RF coverage predictions:
Indoor coverage using internal antennas or leaky feeders
Outdoor coverage from both street level and roof top antennas
In-building coverage from external antennas and vice versa without simply relying on a
fixed building penetration loss

Issue 1.0 May 1999
91
Coverage on different floors within buildings
The following figure shows a sample WiSE coverage prediction:
Antenna
Building of
Interest
Red:
Magenta:
Yellow:
Green:
Blue:
0 -> -50 dBm

-50 -> -60
-60 -> -70
-70-> -80
-80-> -90
Figure 20 WiSE coverage prediction example (indoor coverage from outdoor microcell)
Note: WiSE includes the capability to assign different wall types to represent a variety of
building penetration losses.
WiSE incorporates four main components:
Propagation prediction model
WiSE contains a number of ray tracing prediction models (including image and 2D and 3D
pincushion) as well as the Keenan-Motley model and a simple power law model to predict the
received signal power at any given point. The prediction engine in WiSE is known as
BOUNCE.
Physical database acquisition (and conversion)
To generate coverage predictions, WiSE requires a wall database that contains the
locations and constructions of walls, floors, and other relevant obstructions. The database is
stored in .wal files which can be created manually or, more commonly, using a CAD
(Computer Aided Design) system to create a 3-dimensional drawing. Drawings are converted
to the appropriate .wal file format by using an associated conversion program known as
Wisecon.
Base station placement optimisation

92
Issue 1.0 May 1999
WiSE contains an optimisation algorithm which, for given parameter choices, can generate a
near-optimum placement (of a specified number of base stations) to satisfy a pre-defined
receive level threshold.
Graphical user interface (GUI)
WiSE employs an easy to use GUI that, amongst other features, can provide plan, elevation,
and perspective views of a .wal file, colour threshold scales, base stations or portables that
can be positioned interactively, and current progress indicators for simulations.
The following figure illustrates the main WiSE components:
'DWD
$
X
W
R
&
$
'
G[I
)LOH
:
L
V
H
&
2
1
)LOH
ZDO
)LOH
:
L
6
(
ZDO
)LOH
$QWHQQD
3DWWHUQ
SGI
%
R
X
Q
F
H
2XWSXW
Figure 21 WiSE components
WiSE takes the .wal file, antenna pattern definition (.pdf) files, and associated data files as
input to the BOUNCE prediction engine. The output results from BOUNCE can then be
viewed using the WiSE GUI.

Issue 1.0 May 1999
93
Prediction models
The following figure summarises the prediction models used within BOUNCE:
Figure 22 Prediction models within BOUNCE
Image: this is the default model and uses image ray tracing techniques to calculate the
coverage map. It is best used for in-building scenarios or small campus environments
Power law: this model ignores the effects of individual walls and uses the power law
instead of ray tracing to calculate the coverage map. (The traditional approach to
statistical modelling.)
2D Pincushion: this model uses a pincushion ray tracing model and is used for outdoor
prediction modelling
3D Pincushion: this model uses a pincushion ray tracing model and is best used for roof
top analysis
Keenan-Motley: this is another type of indoor prediction model. It is similar to the image
prediction model but does not take into account multiple bounces

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
Street coverage prediction

WiSE is also capable of providing coverage prediction analysis for street layouts. This is
illustrated in the following figure:
Figure 23 Street coverage prediction using WiSE

2
The figure illustrates an area of Boston covering approximately 12 km and containing 10

lower layer microcell sites. All base stations have been located at a height of 4 m AGL (above
ground level) with transmit powers ranging between 100 and 1000 mW. A combination of
omni-directional and integral BTS-2000/2C antennas has been employed.
The figure demonstrates the canyon effect within microcellular environments, and also
illustrates another important effect of lower layer cells: spreading of transmission signals at
the ends of streets. If these streets open onto major roads, careful setting of the duration-ofstay thresholds is required to prevent fast moving mobiles handing down to the microcells.

Issue 1.0 May 1999
95
The following figure shows the strongest server plot (dominant coverage areas) for the
different microcells:
Figure 24 Best server plot
The plot shows that with careful planning and site location, it is possible to minimise
undesirable mobile behaviour at street corners (round-the-corner effect), by ensuring that as
a mobile turns a corner it moves into the coverage area of a neighbouring microcell.
This plot also gives a good indication of the numbers of lower layer microcells required to
2
provide contiguous coverage to a localised area (in this case 12 km ).
From the plot it can be seen that each lower layer microcell requires approximately 6
neighbouring lower layer cells in its neighbour list (this number would increase if the transmit
powers of the base stations were all reduced to ~100mW).
WiSE is best used to provide accurate designs quickly for applications where more traditional
methods of performing measurements on customer premises would be too time consuming
and costly. For this reason, WiSE is more applicable to complicated buildings containing a
large number of walls and floors and many different wall types.
Note: WiSE does not provide any interference analysis or automatic frequency planning
functionality and should not be used as an RF Network Planning tool.
WiSE has been tested for accuracy within a wide variety of buildings including the New York
Stock Exchange, Hynes Convention Centre, and Lucents Crawford Hill, Middletown, and
Holmdel sites in the US. The validation tests have been carried out mainly at 2 GHz but more
recently also at 900 MHz, and have consistently demonstrated prediction errors of less than 6
dB for both mean and standard deviation.
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Issue 1.0 May 1999
Note: WiSE is currently only available as an internal design tool within Lucent.
More information about WiSE can be found on the RF System & Capacity homepage or at
the following Web site:
http://netlib.bell-labs.com/netlib/1127/www/wise
GRAND
GRAND (Generalised Radio Network Design) is Lucents proprietary RF planning tool that is
capable of performing both macro and microcellular analysis and can be used to evaluate
HCS systems. To accommodate HCS, two microcellular modules are incorporated into
GRAND: one is based on a modified Walfish-Ikegami model, the other is the BOUNCE
prediction engine within WiSE.
More information about GRAND can be found on the GRAND homepage:
GRAND@lucent.com
STEAM
STEAM is a simulation tool capable of analysing mobile behaviour in HCS environments
based on Lucents RLC algorithms. STEAM is particularly effective at simulating what if . . .
scenarios where RLC parameter values can be modified quickly and easily to determine their
impact on the HCS network performance.
More information on STEAM can be found on the RF Systems & Capacity homepage.

Issue 1.0 May 1999
97

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
HCS Implementation in
Multi-vendor Networks
6. HCS Implementation in
Multi-vendor Networks
This chapter provides an overview of HCS implementation within multi-vendor networks.
The majority of applications for Lucents HCS feature will involve deploying a lower microcell
layer under an existing macrocell layer of another vendor.
In these applications, the primary goal is to ensure that slow moving mobiles are handed
down to the Lucent lower cell layer and are kept there for the full duration that they are slow
moving. To achieve this the following guidelines should be followed:
A full understanding of the HCS algorithms implemented in the macrocell upper layer
(other vendor) is required in order to determine the pre-defined criteria needed for layerdown handovers to the Lucent layer and associated parameter settings
Sufficient overlap between lower layer cells is required to prevent mobiles jumping back
to higher layer cells as a result of coverage gaps in the lower cell layer. This is particularly
important in multi-vendor HCS architectures because inter-layer handovers will be MSCcontrolled rather than BSC-controlled, which increases the signalling load within the
network
The values of the C_MICRO_HO and C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO thresholds should be

set low so that mobiles are encouraged to stay within the lower cell layer. If there is no
middle cell layer, C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO can be set to the same value as
C_MICRO_HO. This ensures that as soon as the C_MICRO_HO threshold is reached,

Issue 1.0 May 1999
99
handovers to lower layer cells will be preferred (that is, middle layer target cell
identification is omitted).
If C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO does not equal C_MICRO_HO and a handover is requested
during the short interval between these thresholds, the (Lucent) lower layer will still be
preferred to the upper layer once the algorithm has identified that there are no suitable
middle layer cells available
Care should be taken in defining upper layer cells. If some cells are defined (within the
other vendors algorithms) as middle layer cells, then C_MICRO_HO and
C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO should be separated sufficiently to enable fast moving mobiles
to handover to upper layer cells

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
Design Examples
7
7. Design Examples
This chapter presents some examples of HCS implementation design. The examples are
taken from ongoing trials of HCS and microcellular applications conducted in Taiwan, Saudi
Arabia, and Italy, and internally at Lucent.
Note: The examples are based on trials conducted using the 2-Layer HCS feature based on
BSS software release 4. However, the majority of the results are equally applicable to the 3Layer HCS feature.
7.1.
Example 1 Microcellular coverage (Taipei)
This example is taken from Lucents microcellular project in Taiwan. A single BTS-2000/2C
was located on the outside wall of an office building in Taipei, facing a busy department store.
The location is shown below:

Issue 1.0 May 1999
101
BTS-2000/2C location.
Photo taken
from front of department
store
Figure 25 Microcell installation (Taipei)
The building is 11 storeys and approximately 150ft in height. The surrounding buildings are of
similar height, and the surrounding streets are narrow.
The BTS-2000/2C used the integral antenna and was set at an output power of 5 Watts
(+37dBm). A macrocell was located on the roof of the office. The macrocell comprised a 3sector configuration with between 9 and 12 downtilt and an output power of 8 Watts.
The following figure shows a WiSE coverage prediction for this set-up:

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
Figure 26 WiSE coverage prediction (Taipei)
The following figure illustrates the measurements recorded in the vicinity of the microcell:
-60
-48
-70
KAIFENG ST.
-60
Y
-70
-62
-35
-50
-75
-40
-42
-90
-42
-34
-45
-75
-79
-65
-55
HAN KO ST.
-57
-82
HSUCHANG ST.
-61
KGT
Office
-60
KAUNCHIEN RD.
HSINYANG ST.
Figure 27 Receive level measurements (Taipei)

Issue 1.0 May 1999
103
The previous figure illustrates that as the mobile moves from point X to point Y, the received
signal level drops by approximately 15-25 dB as the mobile moves out of LOS of the
microcell.
Test results from an ongoing microcellular deployment in Taipei indicate that for streets in
close vicinity to a microcell (<100 m), the receive signal can drop by about 10 dB as a mobile
turns a corner. The drop in signal is between 20-25 dB for streets that are over 100 m from
the microcell.
th
On the 11 floor of the buidling used in Taipei, the outdoor lower layer microcell was recorded
at -74 dBm and the macrocell was measured at -63d Bm.

104
Issue 1.0 May 1999
7.2.
Example 2 Microcellular coverage (Riyadh)
This example is taken from a Lucent project in Saudi Arabia and was part of a recent
customer demonstration of the 2-layer HCS feature using LM4.
Two lower layer microcells were installed within Lucents R01 compound in Riyadh, one
outdoor and one indoor. Both microcells used BTS-2000/2C hardware with the integral
antenna option. One upper layer umbrella cell was located at the far end of the compound.
The following figure illustrates the cell site location:
Upper Layer Umbrella Cell

located ~100m from position
shown at far end of compound
Lower Layer Microcell

(ooutdoor) located ~7m AGl
Lower Layer Microcell

(ooutdoor) located ~7m AGl
Figure 28 HCS cell site location - Lucent Saudi Arabia compound R01

Issue 1.0 May 1999
105
The outdoor microcell was set at an output power of 5 Watts (+37dBm) and the indoor
microcell at 1.25 Watts (+31dBm) using a BS_TXPWR_RED value of 3 (=6dB). Both the C2
criterion and duration-of-stay counters were used, with the following values:
Parameter
Value
Upper layer
umbrella cell
Lower layer
microcell
(outdoor)
Lower layer
microcell
(indoor)
CELL_RES_OFFSET (dB)
30
30
TEMPORARY_OFFSET (dB)
PENALTY_TIME (s)
31
C_MICRO_HO (SACCH frames)
84
42
C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO
(SACCH frames)
43
UMBRELLA_MICRO_HYST (dB)
Table 6 Parameter values for 2-layer HCS demonstration
As part of the demonstration, a number of drive and walk tests were conducted within and
outside the compound to verify the performance of the algorithms, and to demonstrate the
inter-layer handovers between the upper and lower layer cells.

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
The following figure illustrates the dominant server areas for the different cells:
Figure 29 Dominant server areas for HCS cells
Note: These coverage areas were achieved using the offset values shown in Table 6.

Issue 1.0 May 1999
107
The following figure and table summarise the receive level measurements recorded at various
locations in the trial area:
10
12
11
13
21
9
20
19
22
14
7
15
16
5
18
17
23
24
Figure 30 Receive level measurement locations around R01

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
Measurement
location
Receive signal level recorded (dBm)

Umbrella cell
Microcell
(outdoor)
Microcell
(indoor)
-65
-95
-37
-92
-48
-66
-67
-57
-64
-76
-68
-41
-90
-62
-40
-88
-49
-35
-82
-53
-38
-81
10
-50
-56
-88
11
-53
-63
12
-56
-82
-70
13
-61
14
-69
-92
-76
15
-74
-88
-63
16
-75
-85
-73
17
-77
-86
-69
18
-72
-73
-87
19
-64
-38
-65
20
-62
-35
-73
21
-71
-78
-57
22
-82
-81
-27
23
-69
-63
24
-81
-72
-74
Table 7 Receive level measurements for R01

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Performance Management
8
8. Performance Management
This chapter describes how the Lucent OMC-PMS (OMC-2000 Performance Management
Subsystem) can be used to measure performance of the 3-Layer HCS feature.
Version 4.5 of the OMC-PMS is required to carry out performance management of the 3-layer
HCS feature. This version introduces the following performance counters specifically for the
HCS feature:
Attempted handovers to upper layer type cells
Attempted handovers to middle layer type cells
Attempted handovers to lower layer type cells
These counters are available in the Daily Operations module under the <Display> menu.
From the <Display> menu, select <Cell Raw Counters> followed by <Cell Handover Details>
to list the plots (a maximum of 3) that can be generated. Each plot has an associated dropdown menu from which the required counters can be selected. Use of these counters
provides information on the number of attempted inter-layer handovers.
From these plots it is possible to determine whether the duration-of-stay thresholds need
tuning. For example, if there is an unnecessarily high number of handovers from lower layer
to upper layer cells in an area of predominantly slow moving mobiles, it may be that the
C_MICRO_DELAYED_HO threshold is too low.

Issue 1.0 May 1999
111
Notes:
Currently there is no facility in the OMC-PMS to identify the number of successful and
failed inter-layer handovers. New counters to identify these numbers are planned for a
future OMC-PMS release
Although the following parameters are no longer used in LM5 (due to enhancements
made to the power control process), it should be noted that they can still be viewed on
the OMC GUI:
EN_MICRO_HO
EN_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO
MICRO_HO_PC_HYST
MICRO_PWR_RES_HO
If LM5 software is employed, these parameters should be set to their default values.

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
List of Acronyms
9. List of Acronyms
The following acronyms are used in this document:
AGL
Above Ground Level
AUI
ASCII User Interface
BCCH
Broadcast Control Channel
BCE
BSS Controller Equipment
BCF
Base Station Controller Frame
BSC
Base Station Controller
BSS
Base Station System
BTS
Base Transceiver Station
BTS-2000/2C
(CUBE)
Lucents compact micro basestation
CAD
Computer Aided Design
CCCH
Common Control Channel
CHN
Channel
Issue 1.0 May 1999
113
C/I
Carrier to Interference Ratio
DCA
Dynamic Channel Allocation
EIRP
Effective Isotropic Radiated Power
ETSI
European Telecommunications Standards Institute
FH
Frequency Hopping
GSM
Global System for Mobile Communications
GUI
Graphical User Interface
HCS
Hierarchical Cell Structure
HO
Handover
LA
Location Area
LHCP
Left Hand Circular Polarised
LM5
Lucents BSS software release code
LOS
Line of Sight
MNC
Mobile Network Code
MS
Mobile Station
MSC
Mobile Switching Centre
MTRX
Feature that enables multiple BTS-2000/2C units to be combined within a

single cell
O&M
Operations and Maintenance
OMC-2000
Lucent Technologies Operations and Maintenance Center 2000
PBX
Private Branch Exchange
PBGT
Power Budget
PC
Power Control
PLMN
Public Land Mobile Network
RF
Radio Frequency
RHCP
Right Hand Circular Polarised
RLC
Radio Link Control

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Issue 1.0 May 1999
RT
Radio Terminal
RXLEV
Received Signal Level
RXQUAL
Received Signal Quality
SACCH
Slow Associated Control Channel
SDCCH
Standalone Dedicated Control Channel
SQUEEZE
Lucents Spectrum Quality EnhancEment ZonE

(RF capacity, coverage & quality portfolio)
TCH
Traffic Channel
VIP
Variable Interference Planning

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116
Issue 1.0 May 1999
Appendix A
Appendix A. Future Enhancements

As part of Lucents ongoing feature development, the RF Systems & Capacity Group, in
conjunction with the GSM Research, GSM SAE and NPI groups, are continually looking for
ways to enhance the HCS feature through feedback on feature performance from in-country
teams, and internal simulations using Lucents STEAM tool.
The following list summarises the current activities aimed at enhancing the performance of
this feature, some of which will be incorporated into the Improved Algorithms for HCS
feature currently proposed for GSM Release 10.
Effect of disabling the duration-of-stay counters and basing network performance on

power budget handovers
Full evaluation of the layer-down handover
Investigation into neighbour cell planning for lower layer microcells within a contiguous
coverage area
Investigation into mobile behaviour at HCS non-HCS borders
Investigation into the effect of transmit power levels on interference between cell layers
and on C2 and duration-of-stay parameters
Investigation into more sophisticated and accurate methods for measuring the speed of a
mobile

Issue 1.0 May 1999
117
Improvements in parameter value settings (such as C_UMBRELLA_MICRO_HO and

UMBRELLA_MICRO_HYST) on a per neighbour cell basis
Improvements in the OMC_PMS functionality by incorporating additional counters to

record the number of successful (and thus unsuccessful) inter-layer handovers

118
Issue 1.0 May 1999
Comments Form
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Title: GSM Hierarchical Cell Structures Engineering Guideline

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GSM Hierarchical Cell

GSM Hierarchical Cell Structures Engineering Guideline

Copyright 1999 Lucent Technologies

For permission to reproduce or distribute, please contact:

Lucent Technologies - PROPRIETARY

Issue 1.0 May 1999

GSM Hierarchical Cell Structures Engineering Guideline

1. ABOUT THIS GUIDE

Purpose and contents

2.5. Application methods

3.2. Cell layer categories

3.4. Idle Mode operation

Lucent Technologies - PROPRIETARY

Issue 1.0 May 1999

GSM Hierarchical Cell Structures Engineering Guideline

3.6. Cell layer ranking in Target Layer Identification process

3.7. Associated features

Non-HCS to HCS migration

Activating 3-layer HCS

Network planning guidelines

5.5. Lower layer microcell planning

External combining equipment

5.8. Frequency planning for HCS

Lucent Technologies - PROPRIETARY

Issue 1.0 May 1999

GSM Hierarchical Cell Structures Engineering Guideline

Neighbour cell planning

6. HCS IMPLEMENTATION IN MULTI-VENDOR NETWORKS

Example 1 Microcellular coverage (Taipei)

Example 2 Microcellular coverage (Riyadh)

APPENDIX A. FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS

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GSM Hierarchical Cell Structures Engineering Guideline

This page is intentionally left blank

Lucent Technologies - PROPRIETARY

Issue 1.0 May 1999

GSM Hierarchical Cell Structures Engineering Guideline

About this Guide

Purpose and contents

An overview of HCS including its benefits and limitations

Detailed descriptions of the underlying Radio Link Control (RLC) algorithms

An overview of the design and implementation of HCS networks

The guide is arranged in the following chapters:

Chapter 2 Introduction to HCS

Chapter 3 HCS Design

Chapter 4 HCS Parameters

Lucent Technologies - PROPRIETARY

Issue 1.0 May 1999

GSM Hierarchical Cell Structures Engineering Guideline

Chapter 5 HCS Implementation

Chapter 6 HCS Implementation in Multi-vendor Networks

Chapter 7 Design Examples

Chapter 8 Performance Management

Appendix A Future Enhancements

This guide is intended for use by the following groups:

Local radio frequency design and implementation engineers

Regional Technical Centres

Technical sales personnel