Self-Optimizing Networks

The Benefits of SON in LTE

Kamakshi Sridhar, PhD
Wireless CTO organization
Alcatel-Lucent
April 2014
Contributors
• Alcatel-Lucent - Pantelis Monogioudis, colead
• AT&T – Arun Ghosh, Tom Henderson
• Blackberry – Sophie Vrzic
• Cisco – Jim Seymour, Vladimir Yanover
• CommScope – Tomas Lagerqvist
• Ericsson – Kejia Shi
• NSN – Ejaz Shah
• Qualcomm – Rajat Prakash, Kai Tang, Rao
Yallapragada
• T-Mobile – Pablo Tapia
This paper has greatly benefitted from the discussions with
and the contributions from various team members
 Drivers for Self-Organizing Networks
Device Proliferation Heterogeneous networks: Macros, Picos, Femtos
Growing diversity of data apps, devices and Universal broadband life: Always on
usage patterns. Rise of the millenials!
Hot spots-Nomadic Home coverage
Increasing data Mobile BB white zones
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Growing device diversity: iPhone, Blackberry, PC, …

More diverse applications: Data-intensive (Web, P2P, VoD) vs. Signaling-intensive (M2M)
Explosion in wireless data usage: More data @ lower cost/bit

RAN complexity: More basestations, More spatial reuse, Multiple technologies

Growing QoS variance: Packet loss, latency, throughput, …
More complex policy requirements

Increasing complexity throughout the network: Heterogeneous networks with

numerous parameters requiring optimization over a wide range of time scales.

Growing Network Complexity Driven by New Apps & End-User Devices

Network complexity will break the present network management paradigm.

SON is essential for LTE to help operators

realize operational efficiency and improved performance
 SELF ORGANIZING Use Cases (3GPP)
1. Self Configuration: Newly deployed nodes (eNBs) are configured by
automatic installation procedures
2. Automatic Neighbor Relation: Each eNB should automatically be able to
generate and manage its own neighbor relation tables, based on
measurement reports from the UEs.
3. Automatic Configuration of Physical Cell ID: automatically select from one
of 504 PCIDs.
4. Interference Reduction / ICIC: Inter cell interference coordination to improve
throughput at cell edges.
5. Mobility HO Optimization
– Optimization of UE -elated HO parameters
– Detection of problematic cell to cell relationship
– Detection of hot spots leading to ping pong
6. Mobility Load Balancing Optimization
– Intra/Inter carrier load balancing
– Traffic balancing across LTE and 2G/3G
7. Coverage and Capacity Optimization: tilt and power
8. Energy Savings: turn of cells during light loads.
9. RACH (Random Access Channel) Optimization: Random Access
procedure performance influences the call setup delay/success rate,
handover delay/success rate.
10. Cell Outage Detection and Compensation Cell Outage Compensation is
realized through modification of antenna tilt.
SON automation provides operators with a path to
maximize their network performance with minimum effort and cost.
NGMN and 3GPP SON

NGMN SON uses cases are defined at a higher level than 3GPP
specifications, and are introduced ahead of them.
• NGMN recommendations provide guidance to the technical standards
being developed for LTE, indicating the key use cases.
• These use cases have been identified by the operators as the typical tasks
that will be performed in day-to-day operations.
• A better system of integration and automation => more efficient utilization
of the operator resources, both material (spectrum, equipment, etc.) and
human (engineering time).
3GPP focus: Support of SON features in multi-vendor networks.
• Defining the appropriate interfaces to allow exchange of common
information which can then be used by each SON algorithm.
• Specifications built over the existing 3GPP network management
architecture, reusing functionality from Release 8.
• Interfaces are defined in a generic manner to leave room for innovation on
different vendor implementations.
SON in multivendor HetNets
Networks are becoming increasingly heterogeneous, multivendor
• Several parameters need to be tuned over a range of timescales
• Automation of parameters (hence SON) is critical

SON usecase coordination aspects

SON CCO COC ES HOO LBO
Functions

Network Antenna Cell switch Handover

DL Tx Power
Parameters parameters On/Off parameters

• One parameter affecting multiple usecases

• Multiple usecases interacting with each other over same time scale
• Dynamicity of response of various SON algorithms
• Availability of data needed to make a SON decision
• Impact of collecting the data (bandwidth limitations), signaling
impact , transaction rate limitations of physical hardware
• SON algorithms on different nodes reacting differently to parameter
changes -> conflicts, dependency. Hence, coordination is needed.

Complexities of SON are amplified in multivendor HetNets

Goals and Summary of white paper
Paper addresses:
• Rel11 SON and multivendor aspects of SON
– challenges, approaches, solutions and tradeoffs
Paper presents:
• Various architecture options and tradeoffs in the
implementation of SON - MRO/MLB, dynamic-eICIC.
– Distributed, Centralized and Hybrid architectures
• Multivendor SON architecture based on X2
• Multivendor SON architecture based on NB interfaces
– An example SON functional architecture is presented along with data
sources needed for execution of SON.
– Harmonization of data schemas and control primitives is addressed to
reduce the integration complexity of SON in wireless networks.
• In the end, we found no “silver bullet” – an optimal
architecture that can provide the best possible performance
and simplicity for all SON usecases.
Multiple tradeoffs in the choice of architecture and solutions
need to be made for multivendor Het-Net SON
3GPP Rel11 SON updates and NGMN SON
3GPP Rel 11 provides enhancements to:
• Automatic Neighbor Relations (UTRAN and IRAT)
• Mobility Load Balancing Optimization
• Handover Optimization
• Coverage and Capacity Optimization
• Energy Savings
• Coordination between various SON Functions
• Minimization of Drive Tests
Rel 11 enhancements address some multivendor aspects.
Work on 3GPP Rel 12 SON is in progress.

NGMN Project Small Cells (2013) -the “Multi-vendor deployment”

work-stream addresses potential interoperability issues in
multi-vendor HetNets with focus on SON features.

SON is an active area of work in 3GPP and NGMN

SON architecture alternatives

Centralized Distributed Hybrid

• Architecture needs to be decided on a usecase by usecase basis
and could co-exist with each other.
• Architecture choices could be phases over time.
• Practical deployments may require partnerships between the
infrastructure vendor, the operator and a third party tool company.
 Distributed SON, Centralized SON, Hybrid SON
Central OAM
Central OAM
(NMS)
(NMS)
SON

EMS EMS EMS EMS

SON SON KPIs,reports, Commands,
KPIs,reports, Commands, Requests, data streams Requests, Config
data streams Config Parameters
Parameters
eNB1 eNB2 eNB1 eNB2
SON X2 SON X2

Distributed SON Centralized SON

Distributed and Centralized SON could coexist – Hybrid SON

Tradeoffs: data availability and validity, responsiveness,

coordination of an algorithm on multiple nodes,
hardware constraints, signaling impact, failure points.
 Examples of tradeoffs considered
Traffic is dynamic (geographic, temporal) -> need for Dynamic eICIC
Distributed Centralized

Allows joint optimization of

Information is available faster-> MRO/MLB parameters for entire
MRO/MLB Benefits quicker response to congestion network. More robust to instabilities.
Slower responsiveness. Increase in
Drawbacks IOT is needed signaling load.
Network wide optimum solution is
d-eICIC Benefits Faster response possible. Inter-operability is easier.
Slower responsiveness. Certain
degree of IOT is still required in
Optimization is within each multivendor. Complexity over Itf-N
Drawbacks cluster alone needs to be addressed.

Hybrid architecture: some optimization is done at the eNBs/EMS

while other functions are centrally controlled at NMS.
• Centralized control could provide oversight to the distributed
algorithms. It could intervene to provide configuration parameter
adjustments. However, need to maintain different interface
extensions and extra signaling load.
Key data source enablers for SON
• PM measurements and KPIs
• Trace Specifications
• Minimization of Drive Tests
– Rel 11 enhancements

“MDT in 3GPP Rel 11”

IEEE communication Nov 2012
• Multivendor MDT issues
eNB from one vendor, MME from another vendor.
– Important event information about the call may be missed

Multiple sources of data inputs can be leveraged for SON

Multivendor SON architecture based on X2
Distributed X2 based SON algorithms
Decisions made locally at eNBs in consultation with neighbor eNBs.
• SON algorithms scale well with network growth and densification.
• Distributed SON solutions benefit from direct UE feedback to the
eNB for RACH optimization, MRO, MLB, ANR.
• OAM in the X2 based SON model can set performance targets
and configure boundaries within which the distributed SON
functions can operate.
• Several X2 based SON functions are enabled by the standards.

Dependencies in X2 solutions
• The X2 interface plays a vital role in several SON use cases.
Two aspects of multi-vendor interworking over X2:
• Interpretation of X2 messages and fields by the receiving eNB
• Need for inter-vendor alignment of eNB internal algorithms.

Paper describes X2 interworking for PCI, ANR, ESM,

MLB, MRO building on 2011 4G Americas SON paper
Multivendor SON architecture based on Itf-N

Management interfaces
• Type 2 between Element Manager (EM) and the Network Manager (NM)
• Type 1 between Network Elements (NEs) and the Element Manager (EM)
• The 3GPP management specifications focus on Type 2 primarily.

Paper describes SON mechanisms based on Itf-N for

IDLE and CONNECTED state load balancing CCO, MRO
Summary and Conclusions
• This white paper covers
– Release 11 SON enhancements.
– Multivendor aspects of SON
– Multivendor SON architectures based on X2 and Itf-N
• Choice of best architecture involves various tradeoffs
• Data sources- MDT, Call Trace, PM are SON enablers.
• We expect that SON over the next few years will evolve
towards hybridization to manage complexity
– Some SON use cases, fueled by the industry’s IOT
efforts, will be implemented without OSS involvement.
– Some SON use cases will require a supervisory entity at
the OSS, which itself can be multivendor.

SON architecture and solution space continues to evolve.

Market trends could play a role in architectural choices.