USING 2G DRIVE TEST DATA FOR

3G UMTS RADIO PLANNING IN A LARGE CBD:

A CASE STUDY
Issue Date: August 2005
AbstractThis paper presents a method for using GSM BCCH drive test data to estimate CPICH coverage
and Ec/Io coverage in 3G UMTS or CDMA networks. The benefits of the presented method are twofold: first,
it can be used to estimate coverage achievable using the existing 2G sites only. Second, it can complement
predictions obtained using radio planning tools in scenarios where the predictions are inherently less reliable,
such as dense urban areas. The results obtained from applying this method to the radio design of a 3G UMTS
network in a large CBD are also presented.

INTRODUCTION
adio planning in third-generation (3G)
networks [1] is fundamentally different from
radio planning in second-generation (2G)
networks. The major difference is that network
carriers expect to be able to reuse most of their
existing 2G site infrastructure for 3G deployment.
When 2G networks were originally designed and
deployed, all or most of the sites were
greenfields; in 3G networks, on the other hand,
carriers want only a small portion of greenfield
sites. This is, of course, due to business and
financial considerations, since developing
greenfield sites is associated with higher costs
and longer time to market, compared to
upgrading existing 2G sites. The percentage of
existing 2G sites in 3G networks typically ranges
from 70 to 95. Consequently, one cannot speak of
radio design for 3G in the same terms as for 2G.
In 3G, the starting point for radio design is the
coverage achieved using existing 2G sites; new
sites are used to fill the holes and provide
continuous 3G coverage in accordance with the
desired key performance indicators (KPIs). This
approach generally results in a less-than-optimal
design and puts more emphasis on the pre-launch
and post-launch optimization phases.

Suvath Lee
slee@bechtel.com

Amer Catovic
acatovic@bechtel.com

The opportunity to use 2G drive test data in the

radio design of 3G networks is advantageous.
Since the existing 2G sites constitute most of the
3G network sites, the drive test data from the 2G
network can be used to pinpoint areas where the
existing 2G sites cannot provide adequate 3G
coverage. This data, accompanied by the analysis
performed using radio planning tools, can then

2005 Bechtel Corporation. All rights reserved.

be used to determine the number and best

locations of new 3G sites. The importance of drive
test data rises in areas inherently unfriendly to
radio planning tools, such as dense urban areas.
To be used in the 3G radio planning process, 2G
drive test data must be scaled to 3G signal levels.
Also, since 3G planning is equally based on
common pilot channel (CPICH) coverage plots
and on CPICH power-to-total-interference plus
carrier-to-interference (notationally, Ec/Io) noise
ratio plots, Ec/Io coverage needs to be estimated
from the 2G drive test data. This paper presents
the method for doing so.
A case study is also presented illustrating the use
of 2G drive test data for the radio design of a 3G
universal mobile telecommunications system
(UMTS) network in a large central business
district (CBD). This approach provides crucial
insight into the validity of the radio design when
the design based on the radio planning tools
proves to be unreliable due to low propagation
model resolution and the very nature of urban
downtown clutter. This approach also allows
each proposed new site to be analyzed and
coverage holes and areas with potential quality
issues to be predicted, resulting in an increased
overall level of confidence in the radio design.
While this paper focuses on the use of global
system for mobile communication (GSM) drive
test data, the approach can be applied easily to
other 2G technologies. In fact, it is even better
suited for code division multiple access (CDMA)
systems, such as those based on the
Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)

57

ABBREVIATIONS, ACRONYMS, AND TERMS

2G

second generation

3G

third generation

BCCH

broadcast control channel

CBD

central business district

CDMA

code division multiple

access

CPICH

common pilot channel

Ec/Io

ratio of the signal energy

within one chip duration of
the pilot signal to the power
spectrum of the interference
and noise

GSM

global system for mobile

communication

KPI

key performance indicator

RF

radio frequency

RSCP

received signal code power

UMTS

universal mobile
telecommunications system

Interim Standard 95 (IS-95). In general, it is safe to

say that 2G drive test data can be used as a
standard procedure to enhance UMTS and
CDMA radio frequency (RF) designs, especially
in downtown and other difficult areas.

PROBLEM STATEMENT
new 3G UMTS network was to be designed
for a large, grid-like CBD with many
extremely tall buildings and a population of more
than 3 million people (Figure 1).

According to existing 2G estimates, between

30 and 40 percent of users were located in the
CBD, accounting for most of the high-data-rate
services and making the CBD the major
revenue-generating area. This must be kept in
mind when performing radio design.
The two major design criteria used in the first
iteration of radio design to fix site count and
rough site locations are CPICH signal strength
and Ec/Io level. (In later iterations, simulations of
different services based on specific traffic
distribution are used for fine-tuning and
optimization.) For the case study, the target
outdoor values for these two parameters for an
unloaded network in a CBD were set to 81 dBm
and 10 dB, respectively.
Radio design based on CPICH signal strength
and Ec/Io level is usually performed using a
radio planning tool. However, for the case study,
only a propagation model with a 50 m x 50 m
resolution was available. In CBDs, this
corresponds to one street block and is highly
unreliable. Hence, conventional radio planning
based on a planning tool was not feasible. On the
other hand, even when a high-resolution model is
available, it is difficult to accurately model the
radio environment in CBDs. First, the radio signal
propagates differently at low heights than at high
heights; using the same propagation model for
both results in an inaccurate design. Also, UMTS
is extremely sensitive to inter-site interference,
whereby even adjacent sites interfere with each
other. In CBDs, this situation is hard to model.
Finally, strong multipath, which is the major
characteristic of downtown clutter, is impossible
to model accurately. So, for the case study it was
essential that the design be supported by
alternative, creative methods.
In the case study, planners had originally relied
on site visits to perform analyses. They had
diligently scouted the entire CBD, taking many
photos and marking important objects and
landmarks, as well as potential problem areas.
They also shot videos and developed a good
grasp of the techniques used to obtain 360-degree
panoramic views from important locations.
During the desktop analysis, they combined the
photos, videos, and propagation maps to produce
a radio design. Unfortunately, although this
approach is diligent and provides good insight
into the geographical characteristics of an area, it
lacks the technical insight obtainable only
through solid, reliable radio analysis.
An additional constraint placed on the case
studys design was that existing 2G network sites

Figure 1. CBD Map

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Bechtel Telecommunications Technical Journal

had to be used to the extent possible. It should be

noted that network-wide 2G use of these sites
was approximately 85 percent.
The original radio design for the CBD grid
consisted of 23 sites (Figure 2), of which
12 were existing and 11 were new. However, the
radio planning teams efforts to provide credible
justification for each site were hampered by the
absence of solid radio analysis. Furthermore, this
number seemed high, especially because the
initial forecast was for 17 sites and an existing 3G
carrier had 17 sites in its CBD design. On the
other hand, the reported call failure rate in the
existing 3G carriers network was 18 percent,
which pushed that carrier to announce plans to
add 7 or 8 CBD sites. Because the number of sites
equally affects quality, cost, and time to market, it
was decided for the case study to conduct a
thorough design review and site-by-site
justification for the 23-site count.
Analysis based on radio measurements of the
existing 2G site coverage, extrapolated to 3G
radio conditions, was proposed. Measurements
from 2G GSM 1800 MHz drive tests were used to
derive the equivalent CPICH power and Ec/Io
plots for a UMTS RF signal. The resulting benefits
of this analysis were twofold: first, three
proposed new sites were removed from the
design without affecting the quality, generating
huge cost and time-to-market savings;
second, the radio planning team successfully
used the analysis in its report to justify the site
count on a site-by-site basis.
The approach described in this paper focused on
analyzing the 3G coverage achievable by using
existing 2G sites. The GSM 1800 MHz broadcast
common channel (BCCH) drive test measurements
were used to predict the CPICH and Ec/Io
coverage for UMTS 2100 MHz, thereby exposing
any coverage holes to be filled with new sites.
Using this method, it was possible to see whether
coverage overlapped among existing 2G sites and
proposed new sites. If the coverage (either CPICH
or Ec/Io) provided by existing 2G sites had a hole
at the same location where a new site was

Figure 2. CBD Radio Design

proposed, then the new site was considered

to be justified. On the other hand, it would
have been hard to justify the existence of a new
site where existing 2G sites already provided
good coverage.
First, a GSM 1800 MHz drive test was
performed. Then, the results were post-processed
to obtain estimates of the UMTS 2100 MHz
CPICH and Ec/Io coverage. Finally, an analysis
was performed to justify the existence of each
new site.
GSM 1800 MHz Drive Test
The GSM 1800 MHz BCCH drive test was
performed in idle mode to capture all recordable
carriers at each location in the CBD. GSM BCCH
numbers were obtained from the performance
engineers, and the drive test results were
recorded (see Figure 3). For each measurement,
the best server BCCH was retained as the
received signal strength, i.e., best BCCH equals
received signal code power (RSCP).
To improve both the location accuracy and the
signal strength accuracy of the measured data,
the measurements were averaged over a distance
of approximately 14 m.

Figure 3. 2G Drive Test Measurements

August 2005 Volume 3, Number 1

59

Basic radio
resource
management
decisions, such as
soft handover,
soft handoff, and
cell selection,
are based on
the received
Ec /Io level.

2100 MHz signal had been transmitted from the

existing 2G sites. So with a target CPICH power
level of 81 dBm, the equivalent GSM
1800 MHz signal strength is 81 dBm +
9.4 dB = 71.6 dBm 72 dBm.

UMTS CPICH Coverage Plot Generation

The first step in generating CPICH coverage
plots was to convert the GSM RSCP measurements
into the equivalent UMTS CPICH power levels.
The BCCH transmit power was 43 dBm, 10 dB
above the UMTS CPICH power level of 33 dBm.
Also, free-space attenuation of an 1800 MHz RF
signal was 1.2 dB below attenuation at
2100 MHz. Finally, TEMS DriveTester
indicated a net loss of 1.8 dB (6 dB feeder loss
and
4.2 dBi
antenna
gain).
Table 1
summarizes the difference between the measured
GSM RSCP and the UMTS CPICH.

Therefore, a measured GSM 1800 MHz signal

higher than 72 dBm yields a UMTS CPICH
signal higher than the target 81 dBm, making
the coverage provided by the existing 2G sites
adequate. By the same token, a measured GSM
1800 MHz RSCP lower than 72 dBm indicates a
coverage hole to be addressed by a new site(s).
Figure 4 shows the plot of the case studys GSM
RSCP drive test data for existing CBD 2G sites.
The green points represent locations where the
estimated UMTS CPICH coverage from existing
2G sites would be acceptable, i.e., better than
81 dBm, which corresponds to a measured GSM
RSCP of 72 dBm or better. The yellow points
represent estimated coverage holes.

Table 1. Difference Between

Measured GSM RSCP and UMTS CPICH
TEMS Antenna Gain

4.2 dBi

TEMS Cable Loss

6 dB

TEMS Net Loss

1.8 dB

Attenuation Difference Between

1.8 GHz and 2.1 MHz

1.2 dB

GSM BCCH (43 dBm)

UMTS CPICH (33 dBm) Transmit Power
Total Difference Between
GSM RSCP and UMTS CPICH

UMTS 2100 MHz Ec/Io Plot Generation

A CPICH power plot provides basic information
about coverage, but in UMTS, Ec/Io level best
represents the quality of the received signal [2].
Basic radio resource management decisions, such
as soft handover, soft handoff, and cell selection,
are based on the received Ec/Io level. Therefore,
it is essential to obtain good insight regarding
Ec/Io coverage during the design stage.

10 dB

101.8+1.2 = 9.4 dB

Based on Table 1, the measured GSM RSCP was

9.4 dB above the level that would have been
measured by the mobile terminal if the UMTS

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Figure 4. Measured 2G Signal Strength

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Bechtel Telecommunications Technical Journal

Ec/Io represents the ratio of the best-received

CPICH power to the total received power in the
bandwidth, which includes the thermal noise. So:

Ec
I0

Best pilot power

= Total received powers

(1)

To use GSM measurements in the case study, the

best BCCH was used as the best pilot. The powers
of all received BCCHs were summed to compute
the total received BCCH power. To simulate the
UMTS environment as closely as possible,
thermal noise power was also added to the total
received BCCH power, i.e.:

Best BCCH power

Ec
I0 measured = (Sum of all BCCH powers)

(2)

2 + noise power

Noise power in the 200 kHz band is:

N = kT W = 121 dBm

(3)

where kT is the noise spectral density of

174 dBm, with W = 200 kHz.
The multiplication by a factor of two in the
denominator of Eq. 2 represents the effect of the
interference power of the common control
channels, which are transmitted by the UMTS
base station along with the CPICH. The aggregate
power of these common control channels varies,

but is very similar to the CPICH power, hence the

reason for using a factor of two.
The Figure 3 spreadsheet was also used to derive
the estimate for the UMTS Ec/Io values. The best
BCCH power in each row (i.e., location) is the
maximum of the values under the column
headings and appears in the third column from
the right. The total received power, which
appears in the second column from the right, is
the sum of all columns, multiplied by two, plus
the thermal noise power. The Ec/Io value for
each row is the ratio of the two values, which
appears in the last column.
The fact that the noise power is negligible
compared to the received BCCH powers
eliminates the need to scale the BCCH powers to
the equivalent CPICH power levels, as was done
in the previous section, since both the numerator
and the denominator would have to be scaled,
thereby cancelling each other.
Figure 5 shows the Ec/Io value as computed
from the measurements of the GSM signal from
the existing 2G sites. It is clear from the figure that
the values obtained are within the range of
typical UMTS Ec/Io values, which reaffirms the
correctness of the approach taken for this study.
The red points represent locations where the
estimated UMTS Ec/Io coverage from the
existing 2G sites is not adequate.

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NodeB283_N
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NodeB343_T

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M0462
NodeB288_

NodeB360_N

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NodeB284_N

NodeB289_N

M0001
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Figure 5. Ec/Io Plot Based on the 2G Drive Test

August 2005 Volume 3, Number 1

61

ANALYSIS
CPICH Plot
Figure 6 shows the study areas with CPICH
coverage problems based on the analysis
performed for the study. Based on this plot,
proposed new Nodes B283, B284, B286, B288,
and B360 are justified from the standpoint of
securing adequate CPICH coverage in these
problematic areas. No further argument was
necessary to justify the existence of these sites.

Creating CPICH
and Ec /Io
coverage plots
based on 2G drive
tests before
commencing 3G
radio planning
provides a crucial
starting point for
quality optimal
radio design.

Ec/Io Plot
Figure 7 shows the study areas with
unsatisfactory Ec/Io levels, based on the analysis
performed for the study. The Ec/Io values shown
are taken from the last column in the Figure 3
spreadsheet. From the plot, it is evident that
(a) the proposed new sites that were justified
from the CPICH coverage perspective are also
justified from the Ec/Io coverage perspective,
and (b) proposed new Nodes B289, B290,
and B300 are required to fill in the obvious Ec/Io
coverage holes in their proximity.
Neither coverage perspectiveCPICH or
Ec/Iojustifies adding proposed new Nodes
B285, B287, and B343. Note that the Ec/Io
coverage hole east of Node B343 will be filled by

Node B288 once it is in place. Therefore, based on

the analysis, these three sites cannot be justified.
All other new sites are justified. A summary of
the analysis is provided in Table 2.
Cost Savings
The average cost of building a new rooftop
site in the case study CBD ranges between
US$227,000 and US$265,000. This makes the cost
savings generated by eliminating the three
unjustified sites nearly US$757,000 for only this
small portion of the network. A similar analysis
for the entire network should achieve
proportionally higher savings.

CONCLUSIONS
his paper presents a method for using data
from existing 2G sites to estimate the
achievable UMTS CPICH and Ec/Io coverage
by measuring 2G GSM BCCH levels and
extrapolating the measurements to equivalent
estimated UMTS coverage. This method can and
should be used whenever the UMTS design relies
heavily on existing 2G sites, which is nearly
always the case. It is particularly useful and
necessary in dense urban areas, where accurate
radio propagation models are not available.

NodeB286

NodeB343
NodeB300
NodeB285

NodeB287
NodeB288

NodeB283
NodeB360
NodeB289
NodeB284

NodeB290

Figure 6. 3G CPICH Coverage Problem Areas Based on the 2G Drive Test

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Bechtel Telecommunications Technical Journal

33160

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3302
NodeB286_H
33175

33037

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M0465

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NodeB300_N

M0465

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NodeB285_N
NodeB283_N

NodeB343_T

NodeB287_T
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NodeB288_N
NodeB360_N

M0545

NodeB284_N

NodeB289_N

M0001
33144

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NodeB290_N

Figure 7. Ec/Io Problem Areas Based on the 2G Drive Test

In its use to design the 3G UMTS network for the

case study CBD, this method achieved two goals:
first, credible radio analysis of proposed new sites
was provided in the absence of a reliable radio
planning tool; second, 3 out of 11 proposed
new sites were eliminated without sacrificing
Table 2. Summary of Site-by-Site Analysis

SITE

JUSTIFIED
BY CPICH
PLOT

JUSTIFIED
BY EC / IO
PLOT

Node B283

Node B284

TRADEMARKS

Node B287
Node B288

Based on the results of this case study, it is

highly recommended that this method be
considered a standard general procedure for
UMTS and CDMA radio planning. Creating
CPICH and Ec/Io coverage plots based on 2G
drive tests before commencing 3G radio planning
provides a crucial starting point for quality
optimal radio design.

Node B285
Node B286

NOT
JUSTIFIED
PER THE
ANALYSIS

coverage quality, thus saving approximately

US$757,000 in capital spending. The radio
planning team accepted the analysis as a credible
way to justify the necessity for new sites in the
case study CBD and also to show that some sites
were not necessary. The analysis was the single
most important element in the approval of the
radio design and the accompanying site list.

TEMS is a trademark of Telefonaktiebolaget LM

Ericsson, Sweden.

Node B289

REFERENCES

Node B290

[1]

Node B300

J. Laiho, A. Wacker, and T. Novosad, Radio

Network Planning and Optimisation for UMTS,
John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2002.

[2]

H. Holma and A. Toskala, WCDMA for UMTS:

Radio Access for Third Generation Mobile
Communications, Second Edition, John Wiley &
Sons Ltd., 2002.

Node B343
Node B360

August 2005 Volume 3, Number 1

63

BIOGRAPHIES
Suvath Lee joined Bechtel
Telecommunications in 2004
and is currently working as a
senior UMTS RF engineer in
Bechtels Asia-Pacific Region.
Suvath has 11 years of
experience in the telecommunications industry, including
more than 7 years in RF
planning,
design,
and
optimization of cellular networks. His experience
includes working for mobile network operators,
vendors, consulting firms, and the telecommunications
regulatory authority. Before joining Bechtel, Suvath was
involved in RF planning and optimizing GSM
900/1800 MHz, broadband wireless access, and UMTS
networks. He also worked for Ericsson and Motorola in
the RF design and optimization of Hutchisons UMTS
network in Sydney, Australia, and for Vodafone and
Lucent Technologies on GSM networks.
Suvath received his BSc in Engineering, with a major in
telecommunications, from the University of New South
Wales, Australia.
Amer Catovic joined Bechtel
Telecommunications in 2003.
He is currently a senior UMTS
RF engineer on assignment to
Bechtels Asia-Pacific Region.
Before this, as a wireless system
engineer with the New Jersey
Center for Wireless Telecommunications, he worked on
several projects related to the
different aspects of technology and services for nextgeneration wireless networks, funded by world leaders
in the field. Earlier, as a data network engineer with
Lucent Technologies NetCare division, he designed,
implemented, tested, and provisioned the infrastructure
and services in large-scale core broadband networks.
He began his career in 1997 as an RF engineer with
Motorola, Turkey.
A member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers, Dr. Catovic has published numerous papers
in international journals and conferences. His areas of
research include capacity and coverage optimization
techniques for UMTS, location estimation techniques
for wireless networks, resource and mobility
management for wireless networks, and 4G networks.
Dr. Catovic is the co-winner of Bechtel Telecommunications Network Planning Alternative Design
Award for 2003. He is a Six Sigma Yellow Belt.
Dr. Catovic received his PhD in Wireless
Telecommunications, with emphasis on 3G and 4G
networks, from the New Jersey Institute of Technology
in Newark, New Jersey. He received his MS in Electrical
Engineering from Bosphorus University, Istanbul,
Turkey, and a joint BS in Electronics Engineering from
Universit des Sciences et de la Technologie dOran,
Algeria, and University of Sarajevo, Bosnia.

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