HSPA+ Throughput Improvement Solution and

Implementation
Abstract This article presents a solution to improve HSPA+ throughput which
is consisted of RTWP optimization, Radio Resource Allocation and Adoption of New
Features. Compared with the historical optimization practice, the solution herein
outruns the improvement by more than 10 times for UL throughput and doubles the
DL throughput at the same time. The solution in this article already applied in the
other project and it is worthy of transplanting into more mobile networks for similar
optimization purpose.

Keywords HSPA+, Throughput Improvement, RTWP, Radio Resource

Allocation

1. Preface
HSPA+ supports UL 5.76Mbps/ DL 21Mbps and above throughput theoretically
which is rather high for the actual application requirement currently. But the
throughput in field test in many countries is far below the theoretical peak
throughput, esp. for HSUPA. For instance, UL HSPA+ throughput remains at 70kbps or
so in I country, similar as the performance in TD network in China Mobile. In the past
therere few optimization cases in this field in our company. One case in country M
achieved 15% improvement for UL throughput to reach about 100kbps or so. In
summary, HSPA+ throughput field test result is only close to 1% of the theoretical
peak throughput. It makes the operator undervalue the investment for HSPA+; and
the end user expect to enjoy better perception for HSPA+ service. The author
combines many technical methods to improve the UL throughput by 2 times to even
more than 10 times, and doubles the DL throughput during optimization solution
bidding for a large scale network. Finally we get the PO and implement the solution
in whole network. The solution also transplanted into the other network in country P.
I am honored to share my ideas herein first and expect everyone share better ideas
to all.

2. Ideas of HSPA+ Throughput Improvement

The solution is consisted of three parts:
RTWP Optimization
Radio Resource Allocation
Adoption of New Features
RTWP is consisted of UL payload, UL Signal and various of UL interference. In
UMTS, RTWP is tightly impacted the network KPI and UL/DL throughput: the lower
RTWP, the lower interference to network, and accordingly the higher throughput.
After reduces the RTWP, it provides the space to relieve the negative impact upon
KPI accompanied by the throughput. For the operator, the higher UL Payload, the
more income for them in most of the cases; and its hard to eliminate various of
interference esp. for a large network. So it seems only one relatively simple way to
decrease the RTWP through decreasing the UL signal traffic. We integrate some
methods with this idea based on the practice in other UMTS networks.
Radio Resource Allocation is to optimize the associated threshold and priority of
radio resource allocation between HSPA+ and other services to enable HSPA+
subscriber utilize more radio resource and own high priority than R99 PS under the
prerequisite that the user of other service perception maintains including KPIs.

Considered HSPA+ is of higher efficiency to consume the radio resource than that of
R99 PS, it is therefore reasonable and profitable.
Some new features have positive gains for both UL and DL throughput
theoretically. Considered the request of presales team to package the solution to
make it complex and valuable, we introduce some new features into the solution:
TTI Switch on BE Service Based on Coverage License
Adaptive Configuration of Traffic Channel Power Offset for HSUPA
CQI Adjustment Based on Dynamic BLER Target
CE Overbooking
HSDPA Scheduling Based on UE Location
HSDPA Scheduling Based on UE Location
During field test, after activates the new features above, UL throughput slightly
degrades, but UL throughput is more stable than ever before; and DL throughput
improves. Two new features are available starting from RAN 14. Considers the
network will upgrade to RAN14 in the near future, we integrate them into the
solution:

Implementation

of

HSPA+

Throughput

Improvement
31 Solution Details[1],[2]
RTWP Optimization[1],[5]
RTWP Optimization herein is to modify CQIFbCk, CQIFbCkforSHO,
CONSTANTVALUE,PREAMBLERETRANSMAX and POWERRAMPSTEP to decrease the UL
signal traffic but not produce negative impact upon network performance. These
methods are verified in other two large scale network in the past with positive
results, esp. for the cells in hot spot:
MOD UCELLHSDPCCH: CELLID=xxx,CQIFbCk=D8,CQIFbCkforSHO=D8;
MOD UPRACHUUPARAS: CELLID=xxx, PHYCHID=4,CONSTANTVALUE=30,PREAMBLERETRANSMAX=30, POWERRAMPSTEP=1;
Several reserved parameters below are profitable to maintain the KPI [5] hence we
integrate them into the solution as well:
SET UCORRMALGOSWITCH:ReservedSwitch0=RESERVED_SWITCH_0_BIT3-1;
SET UCORRMALGOSWITCH:ReservedSwitch0=RESERVED_SWITCH_0_BIT23-1;
SET URRCTRLSWITCH: RsvdPara1=RsvdBit1_BIT25-0;
SET UCORRMALGOSWITCH:
PcSwitch=PC_HSUPA_DATA_CH_PO_ADAPTIVE_ADJ_SWITCH-1;

 Radio Resource Allocation[1],[3],[4]

Radio Resource Allocation is dedicated to change the thresholds associated with
resource allocation to enable HSPA+ subscriber utilize more radio resource when
in use; and use the resource with a higher priority than that of the R99 PS user.
Considered HSPA+ is of higher efficiency to consume the radio resource than that
of R99 PS, it is reasonable and profitable to bear the data payload with HSPA+,
instead of R99. After HSPA+ subscriber completes the transmission, the resource
is free for use by other services. So the negative impact is acceptable in general
which is supported by the stable evolution of RNC level KPI. Associated settings
are listed below:
SET FRCCHLTYPEPARA: SrbChlType=HSUPA, SrbChlTypeRrcEffectFlag=FALSE;
ADD USPG:SPGID=2, PRIORITYSERVICEFORR99RT=1,
PRIORITYSERVICEFORR99NRT=2, PRIORITYSERVICEFOREXTRAB=1,
PRIORITYSERVICEFORHSDPA=1, PRIORITYSERVICEFORHSUPA=1;
MOD UCELLSETUP:CELLID=xx, SPGID=2;
SET UEDCHRATEADJUSTSET:EDCHRATEADJUSTSET= RATE_8KBPS-0&RATE_16KBPS0&RATE_32KBPS-0&RATE_64KBPS-1&RATE_128KBPS-0&RATE_144KBPS0&RATE_256KBPS-0&RATE_384KBPS-1&RATE_608KBPS-1&RATE_1280KBPS1&RATE_2048KBPS-1&RATE_2720KBPS-0&RATE_5440KBPS-1&RATE_11480KBPS-0;
ADD UCELLALGOSWITCH: CellId=xxx, NBMLdcAlgoSwitch=UL_UU_LDR-1;
MOD UCELLLDM: CellId=xxx, UlLdrTrigThd=50, UlLdrRelThd=45;
MOD UCELLLDR: CellId=xxx, UlLdrFirstAction=BERateRed;
MOD UCELLCAC: CELLID=xxxx, ULCELLTOTALTHD=83;
DEA UCELLHSUPA: CELLID=xxx;
MOD UCELLHSUPA:CELLID=xxx, EAGCHCODENUM=2, ERGCHEHICHCODENUM=2,
MAXTARGETULLOADFACTOR=85;
ACT UCELLHSUPA: CELLID=xxx;

When transplanting the solution, we can retune the above settings to adapt the
requirement and condition of each network, and not force to strictly follow the
settings listed above.
All associated parameters are summarized below
Descrip
tion
Basic
Require
ment for
HS
Radio
resource
allocatio
n

Decreas
e RTWP

Traffic
Balance
Assign
more

Parameters
SrbChlTy`pe
SrbChlTypeRrcEffectFlag
PRIORITYSERVICEFORR99NRT
PRIORITYSERVICEFORR99RT
PRIORITYSERVICEFORHSDPA
PRIORITYSERVICEFORHSUPA
EDCHRATEADJUSTSET
CQIFbCk
CQIFbCkforSHO
CONSTANTVALUE
PREAMBLERETRANSMAX
NBMLdcAlgoSwitch
UlLdrTrigThd
UlLdrRelThd
UlLdrFirstAction
ULCELLTOTALTHD
EAGCHCODENUM

ERGCHEHICHCODENUM
MAXTARGETULLOADFACTOR
resource
for HS
Service to
DraSwitch
improve
RetryCapability
ReservedSwitch0:RESERVED_S
WITCH_0_BIT5
ReservedSwitch0:RESERVED_S
WITCH_0_BIT7
Maintain
ReservedSwitch0:RESERVED_S
KPI
WITCH_0_BIT3
ReservedSwitch0:RESERVED_S
WITCH_0_BIT23
RsvdPara1
PcSwitch

Adoption of New Features[1],[2],[3]

E2D is applied in the current network and produces slightly negative impact to
throughput. After activates TTI Switch for BE Services Based on Coverage License,
we can deactivate E2D solution because the two solutions cannot co-exist in an RNC
and the gains of E2D can be achieved by the previous feature:
SET UFRC: RetryCapability=TTI_2MS-0;
SET UCORRMALGOSWITCH: ReservedSwitch0=RESERVED_SWITCH_0_BIT5-0;
SET UCORRMALGOSWITCH: ReservedSwitch0=RESERVED_SWITCH_0_BIT7-0;
The detailed configuration of these features are documented in [3] SingleRAN
Features Activation Guideline (V900R013C00_09)(PDF)-EN, [4] SingleRAN
Configuration Guideline(V900R013C00_04)(PDF)-EN

32 Impact upon Network

During implementation of the solution, KPI doesnt degrade that is worried by
team previously because usually throughput increment will produce negative
impacts to KPI. It shows the adoption of RTWP and other KPI optimization methods is
profitable in the solution. CS Call Drop Rate evolution can partially explain it that is
given below:

Unfortunately some cells emerges high UL power congestion appears in hot spot.
After compares the parameter settings, an RNC-level parameter differs from the
settings of normal functioned RNC: BEHSUPA2MSTTIRATETHS.

After unified it (SET UFRC: BEHSUPA2MSTTIRATETHS=D1280 ), UL power

congestion recovers to normal case. As for the slight UL power congestion, CE
congestion and Code congestion in few cells in hot spot, we can take it for granted
considers the HSPA+ throughput improves tremendously. Some other actions can be
applied to relieve the congestion issue such as adding a new micro site, decreasing
the power of PCPICH, CE expansion, etc.