GSM TCH Call Drop & Solutions

ZTE university

Training goals
To master definitions of call drop
indicators and relevant counters
To master causes of the three types of
call drop and the corresponding
solutions
To know analysis of call drop and
location of call drop problem with traffic
statistics

Contents
Indicator definition
Call drop due to radio link fault
Call drop due to handover failure
Call drop due to LAPD link failure
Handling of call drop problem
Typical cases

Indicator definition

TCH call drop rate (incl. HO)

TCH call drop rate (incl. HO)=total of TCH call

drops/total of TCH occupancy times (incl. HO)100%

Counter formula:
V3:(C900060054+C900060055)*100%/
(C900060028+C900060036+C900060199+C90006021
0+C900060098+C900060102+C900060120)

Indicator definition

TCH call drop rate (excl. HO)

TCH call drop rate (excl. HO) = total of TCH call

drops/total of TCH occupancy times (excl. HO) 100%

Counter formula:
V3:(C900060054+C900060055)*100%/
(C900060028+C900060036+C900060199+C90006021
0)

Indicator definition

Total of TCH call drops

Connotation: TCH call drops in BSS caused by all kinds of

reasons, including those resulted from TCH loss and
various kinds of handover failure (incl. half-rate).

Computing formula= number of TCH/F call drops+ number

of TCH/H call drops

Trigger point: count message CLEAR REQUEST, which

follows message ASSIGNMENT COMPLETE, and count
CLEAR REQUEST, which follows HANDOVER COMMAND

Indicator definition

Traffic call drop rate

Indicator definition: traffic volume/number of TCH call

drops*60

Counter formula:
V3:((C900060129+C900060127)/3600)*60/
(C900060054+C900060055)

Indicator definition

Call drop counter

C900060054
Number of TCH/F call drops

C900060055
Number of TCH/H drops

Contents
Indicator definition
Call drop due to radio link fault
Call drop due to handover failure
Call drop due to LAPD link failure
Handling of call drop problem
Typical cases

Call drop due to radio link failure

UL failure

DL failure

Call drop due to radio link failure

Relevant counters

C900060244
Number of radio link
failures On TCH/F
speech

C901070037
Number of radio link failures
On TCH/H speech

Call drop due to radio link failure

Call drop due to radio link failure

Causes for call drop due to radio link failure & handling procedures
Handling procedures

Main causes

Weak coverage, poor radio

signal;

Interference;

Unreasonable settings of radio

parameter;

Incomplete or wrong adjacent

cell data ;

Unreasonable settings of
handover parameters;

Congestion in adjacent cell;

Equipment hardware fault;

Antenna system fault;

Subscribers fault.

Check radio parameters. Adjust

unreasonable settings of radio

parameters;
Check indicators like BER and level

of idle interference band, reduce or

eliminate radio interference ;
Check if coverage problem exists

through DT;
Check and eliminate equipment

fault ;
Check antenna system.

Contents
Indicator definitions
Call drop due to radio link fault
Call drop due to handover failure
Call drop due to LAPD link failure
Handling of call drop problem
Typical cases

Call drop due to handover failure

Principle

After the original cell received Handover

Command or Assignment (corresponding
handover control timer is started by BSC), MS
hasnt accessed into the target cell, nor has it
returned to the original cell. i.e. MS not only
failed to occupy TCH in target cell and send
Handover Complete or Assignment Complete,
but also failed to return to TCH in original cell
and send Handover Failure or Assignment
Failure, thus it is disconnected with network. At
the same time, the BSC-controlled handover
control timer expires, and MSC will be notified
to clear the release, and it will count this
abnormal call as call drop due to handover
failure.

Classification of Handover control

timer in BSC

T8 expires (inter-BSC
handover)
T3103 expires (inter-cell
handover under one
BSC)
T3107 expires (intra-cell
handover).

Call drop due to handover failure

Relevant counters

C900060220
Number of handover failures
On TCH/F speech

C900060151
Number of handover
failures On TCH/H
speech

Call drop due to handover failure

Call drop due to intra-cell handover failure

Call drop due to handover failure

Call drop due to intra-BSC handover failure

Call drop due to handover failure

Call drop due to inter-BSC handover failure

Call drop due to handover failure

Main causes for call drop due to handover failure & handling procedures
Main causes

Handling procedures

Interference;

Hardware fault;

the unreasonable settings, and add

Unreasonable settings of radio

necessary neighbor relations;

parameters ;

Inappropriate adjacent cell

relation or wrong adjacent cell
data;

Unreasonable settings of
handover parameters ,which
results in Ping-Pong handover.

Check radio parameters, adjust

Check indicators like BER and

level of idle interference band,

reduce or eliminate radio
interference;
Check equipment hardware,

change panels with problems.

Call drop due to LAPD link failure

Call drop due to LAPD link failure

Principle:

When LAPD link breaks, calls on carriers will be interrupted. BSC

counts after it receives message showing that LAPD link is broken.

Main causes for call drop due to LAPD link failure & handling procedures
Main causes

BTS hardware fault

BTS transmission
problem

BSC hardware fault

Handling procedures
Investigate & eliminate BTS
hardware fault;
Investigate & eliminate BTS
transmission problem;
Investigate & eliminate BSC
hardware fault

Call drop due to LAPD link failure

Relevant counters

C901070017
Number of LAPD link failures
On TCH/F speech

C901070038
Number of LAPD link
failures On TCH/F
speech

Contents
Indicator definitions
Call drop due to radio link fault
Call drop due to handover failure
Call drop due to LAPD link failure
Handling of call drop problem
Typical cases

Flow of handling call drops

Locate & analyze call drop with traffic statistics

Analytical framework
1
Locate cell with
high call drop rate
performance

report of BSC
level
performance

report of cell
level

2
Confirm call
drop type
Performance

report of cell
level CS basic
measurement
Warning

statistics

Confirm call drops

on carrier
BTS

measurement
Cell

radio
measurement

Analyze casue

Analysis

of

common
problem
Analysis

of
specific problem

Warning

analysis

From

macro to
micro view

Convenient

for
problem location
and analysis

Count

call drops
on carrier

form common
to specific

5
Problem solved

Analysis

of
Traffic statistics

Signaling

analysis
Other

network
optimization
methods

Execution

&
problem solution

Locate & analyze call drop with traffic statistics

Common causes for call drops

Unreasonable setting
of handover
parameters

Equipment hardware

UL/DL unbalance

fault

result in call drop

Unreasonable settings of

Interference

other parameters
Coverage problem

Common problem is
analyzed

Locate & analyze call drop with traffic statistics

Unreasonable settings of handover parameters

Analysis of traffic statistics
Check

Solutions

handover parameters: see if any

unreasonable settings exist;

Add

Common

Adjust

handover measurement: check

outgoing handover failure;
Handover

cause measurement: investigate

handover causes and percentage of different
causes;

Measurement

of adjacent cell handover

statistics: for low outgoing handover success
rate (a certain cell), find out the target cell with
low handover success rate, and investigate
failure cause with the target cell;
CS

basic measurement: number of HO

times is out of proportion to number of TCH
occupancy success times. HO/TCH 3

adjacent cells accordingly;

handover parameters.

Locate & analyze call drop with traffic statistics

UL & DL unbalance (tower amplifier power amplifier antenna direction)

Analysis of traffic statistics

Solutions

Investigate
TA CDU RDU BTS
single board and RF
connection lines;

CS basic measurement:
analyze UL/DL level average;
Abis interface signaling trace:
analyze UL/DL receive level;
Eliminate antenna system
Cell radio measurement:
problems: check installation of
analyze UL/DL level
distribution.
antenna azimuth and pitch
angle, connection of feeder
and jumper cable, feeder
head, feeder damage, VSWR.

Locate & analyze call drop with traffic statistics

Unreasonable settings of other parameters

Analysis of traffic statistics

Solutions

Check radio parameters:

adjust unreasonable settings;
Unreasonable setting of RLT
and minimum receive level;

Adjust unreasonable settings

of the parameters mentioned
on left.

Contents
Indicator definitions
Call drop due to radio link fault
Call drop due to handover failure
Call drop due to LAPD link failure
Handling of call drop problem
Typical cases

Typical cases

Case 1- Internal interference

Problem description:

Performance indicators at OMCR show high call drop rate at Cell A-1,
A-3.

Problem analysis:

Investigate call drop cause, its found that the main cause is radio link
failure. Check radio parameter settings, its found that Cell A-1, A-3
co-channel, and its confirmed that co-channel interference exists,
thus high call drop rate is resulted.

Problem solution:

Adjust frequency, eliminate interference. Number of call drops is

obviously reduced.

Typical cases

Case 2- External interference

Problem description:

Performance indicators at OMCR show high call drop rate at Cell B3.

No. of
TCH call
drops

No. of TCH
occupancy
times
(incl. HO)

TCH call
drop rate
(incl. HO)
(%)

Date

Site

Cell location
area
(LAC-CI)

2005-05-23

Region X _B-3_DV2

LAC8411-CI25458

19

608

3.12

2005-05-24

Region X _B-3_DV2

LAC8411-CI25458

22

542

4.05

2005-05-25

Region X _B-3_DV2

LAC8411-CI25458

39

790

4.93

Typical cases

Case 2- External interference

Problem analysis:

Get detailed performance statistics, investigate call drop cause, its found that the main
reason is handover failure. Check data of cell frequency and adjacent cells, no problem is found.
Trace signaling, its discovered that UL level is stronger, but UL quality is rather poor, interference
level of idle TCH indicated in RF resource is 5, as shown in the following figure. Therefore, its
confirmed that external interference exists in the cell.

Typical cases

Case 2- External interference

Problem solution:

Try to apply out-of-band frequency (usable frequency given by operator according

to the external interference at the region). After frequency adjustment, number of
call drops reduced greatly, indicators display normal, and the problem is solved.

No. of TCH
occupancy
times
(incl. HO)

TCH call
drop rate
(incl. HO)
(%)

Date

Site name

Cell location
area (LAC-CI)

No. of
TCH call
drops

2005-05-26

Region X_B-3_DV2

LAC8411-CI25458

703

0.28

2005-05-27

Region X_B-3_DV2

LAC8411-CI25458

826

0.12

2005-05-28

Region X_B-3_DV2

LAC8411-CI25458

495

0.2

Typical cases

Case 3- Unreasonable setting of SCCP timer

Problem description:

Problem analysis:

After a new BSC is set up at a region, subscribers complain that call drop
occurs 4mins after call establishment.
Timer TMIAR is set 2400 which is the default value, but not 6000.

Principle analysis:

During a call, a SCCP link is established between BSC and MSC. When the link
is set up successfully, the MSC and the BSC will continuously send and receive
SCCP test signaling from and to each other; there is a send timer and a receive
timer at both the BSC and the MSC. If no message is received from the
counterpart within the time set on receive timer, the BSC or the MSC will
suppose SCCP link is broken, then a call clear will be started to release the call.

ZTE BSC receiving timer TMIAR=2400, which is shorter than the MSC sending
timer. Therefore, when ZTE BSC timer expires (in 4mins), it hasnt received
SCCP message from MSC, thus it clears the call, presuming SCCP link is
broken, and call drop is therefore resulted.

Questions for thinking

Which timers will affect call drop indicators?

Please simply explain the flow of call drop due to

handover failure.