KPIs troubleshooting

2G KPIs
DCLR:
➢ Missing neighbor: Run NCS recording at Radio network optimization app (RNO)
at 2G OSS to define the nearest neighbors (both ways). This can be a not
defined neighbor relation, BCCH is missing from BA list or, missing cell external
definition at the case of border BSC cells. This will appear with the reason of
strength of uplink (SUL) or sometimes strength of downlink (SDL).
➢ HO failure: it might be an early or late HO (check HO offsets and adjust to an
appropriate value) or a missing neighbor like the previous case.
➢ 2G-3G HO failure: will appear in the reasons as others. It’s recommended to
disable it if the failures are severe.
➢ High layer threshold value (the parameter that determines the RX level at which
the UE HO from DCS to GSM): retune it to an appropriate value (103-107) to HO
whilst the UE is at decodable signal strength.
➢ Bad quality:
▪ UL quality: Check ICM (idle channel measurement) if it’s high so it’s an
external interference or HW issue (needs connectivity check from the field at
this case), if not, we try to make a frequency retune. This will appear with the
reason of quality of uplink (QUL).
▪ DL quality: We try to make a frequency retune to overcome co-channel or
adjacent channel interference, if nothing happened we check if the cell is
overshooting or undershooting. This will appear with the reason of quality of
downlink (QDL).
➢ Overshooting: It will reduce the quality significantly and may interfere with a
neighboring cell or it might cause SUL (strength of uplink) problem that means
the UE is well served by the site but it can’t reach it at UL due to far distance and
can’t HO to a nearer site because the far one overshoots with a greater RX level.
We need to run an MRR record at Radio network optimization app (RNO) at 2G
OSS to determine the footprint of the cell.
➢ Missing core definition: means that the cell is not defined to one or more MSCs at
the network, this will cause a severe DCLR and it happens most of the time with
newly integrated cells. This will appear with the reason of non-radio drops (TNR).
➢ Faulty equipment (RRU or BB): it causes the TRXs to flap and drop the call due
to loss of signal (LOS).

C2 General
 ➢ TRX elimination: when re-farming some of 2G band to a new 4G carrier (LTE
carving) we eliminate unneeded TRX (based on a careful traffic study) but we
might delete the good frequency and leave the interfered one, it will cause low
quality as the average quality decreases and therefore high DCLR (needs a
frequency re-plan). This mostly, will appear with the reason quality of downlink
(QDL).

CFR:
➢ Up-tilted antenna: if the up-tilt is needed to gain more traffic or to serve a dead
zone we must offload this cell to its co-cell or to add extra TRXs, and if the up-tilt
is not needed we roll back it.
➢ Down neighbor: our cell keeps accommodating extra traffic that isn’t supposed to
be served by it.
➢ High number of SDCCHs: we lower them as less as we can as it consumes 1 TS
per SDCCH.
➢ Inconsistency between GSM and DCS: that means this sector doesn’t have its
co-sector integrated which leads to very large traffic on only one layer (either it’s
GSM or DCS).
➢ Excessive IRAT from 3G: the traffic that is supposed to be carried on 3G is now
carried on 2G due to wrongly tuned IRAT parameters. We adjust them to an
appropriate value to delay IRAT until 3G values aren’t sufficient to continue the
call.
➢ Shutting down a layer: That means for example halting 3G or a specific
frequency at 3G or even 2G (mostly for 4G band re-farming). This leads to
shifting some of the closed layer traffic to our layer, causing CFR if it’s not over
dimensioned. We try balance the traffic between layers, and if all layers are fully
utilized, we expand our 2G layer by extra TRXs.
➢ Late HO: When HO thresholds aren’t tuned with values suitable to the area
nature or when the traffic is aggressively steered towards a layer far more than
the other, unnecessary users stuck at the current cell although they’re out of the
cell needed range and they can be served better by a neighboring cell. This
congest the current cell with no needed and doesn’t empty a room for new users
to access the cell (those new users normally within the cell needed range). We
can reduce the HO margins and decrease layer threshold to make the HO
happen quicker.

C2 General
 Quality:
➢ DL quality: either due to a wrong frequency plan (Co-channel or adjacent channel
interference) or TRX elimination. We need to make an AFP (automatic frequency
plan) using a reliable tool. Sometimes this can be caused by undershooting and
we needed to up-tilt the cell at this case.
➢ UL quality: due to overshooting (down-tilt), high half rate percentage (lower it if
the cell doesn’t have CFR) or external interference (remove nearby repeaters). At
some cases it’s solved by doing an AFP.

C2 General
 3G KPIs
DCLR:
➢ Missing neighbor: (like 2G) plus we activate the feature of automatic neighbor
relations (ANR) to define them automatically.
➢ Missing frequency relation: We need to define all layers that we have at our
network.
➢ High RTWP (UL interference): check overshooting and nearby repeaters and
make connectivity check.
➢ Overshooting: like 2G.
➢ HO failure: like 2G.
➢ Bad EcNo: it happens because of 2 reasons:
▪ Too many users: as 3G is a self-interfered system and it can be solved by
load balancing between carriers, offloading 3G to other technologies or check
for overshooting.
▪ High RTWP: remove nearby repeaters and check overshooting.
➢ Faulty equipment (RRU or BB): like 2G.
➢ Ping-pong HO: the HO offsets aren’t well tuned and the call will be more
vulnerable with more HOs.

CFR (Low RRC SR):

➢ Power congestion: we increase cell power – swap RRU with a one with more PA
capabilities – offload this carrier to another carrier that isn’t utilized – offload to
another neighbor – down-tilting – minimizing CPICH (common pilot channel
which determines cell footprint) – cell splitting.
➢ Code congestion: offloading to another carrier – expanding DU (for example
adding a new DUW to offload BB) – down-tilting – cell splitting - lowering HS
reserved codes - changing EUL power & EcNo levels.
➢ CE (channel elements) congestion: expand DU license if its capabilities permit
more CEs – down-tilting – re-dividing license fractions (DUW only) – cell splitting.
➢ Iub congestion: request BW expansion from transmission
➢ Inconsistency between carriers: like 2G.

Low RAB SR:

➢ Bad radio conditions: all of the above solutions for DCLR.

C2 General
 Low throughput:
➢ Bad EcNo: offloading this cell or external interference.
➢ Bad CQI (channel quality indicator): bad radio conditions.
➢ Multiple codes feature is disabled.
➢ 64 QAM feature is disabled.
➢ Dual carrier feature is disabled (the 2 carriers must be contiguous to enable the
feature).
➢ Lowered CPICH.
➢ High utilization: can be solved by cell splitting or load balancing between layers.
➢ The number of cell allowed for soft HO is big: This is considered as waste of
resources and we need to lower this number (3 cells is the recommended
number by 3GPP).

Low traffic:
➢ The cell is undershooting: Up-tilting
➢ SIB (system information block) messages are disabled: that means all the cell
traffic is coming from HO and no initiated traffic at the cell.
➢ High DCLR: as above.
➢ A neighboring cell is overshooting: Down-tilting this neighbor as the users near
cell edge observes the neighbor cell power stronger than the serving cell.
➢ Low throughput: as above.
➢ Low transmitted power: Increasing cell power from node-B and RNC sides to
match the strategy.
➢ Low CPICH power.

C2 General
 4G KPIs
No CSFB attempts:
➢ TAC-LAC mapping is wrong: (means the cell’s TAC (or its 3G c-cell LAC) is
integrated wrongly)
➢ SIB 19 is disabled: this contains all the information needed to do a CSFB
➢ No 3G carriers are defined: this would lead to the absence of a carrier to camp
on.

Low CSFB SR:

➢ Bad radio conditions: either at 3G or 4G
➢ Not all 3G carriers are defined.
➢ 3G sync failure: increase PSS & SSS power at 3G

Low RRC SR:

➢ H/W issue: make connectivity check and re-place faulty elements.
➢ External interference: Remove nearby repeaters.
➢ Overshooting: UE can’t reach the cell due to far distance.
➢ Other: increase RACH power (Pzeronominal) & check mobility settings.

Low throughput:
➢ Bad SINR: due to the above radio conditions at 2G & 3G + high overlapping
between neighboring cells.
➢ Bad CQI: Also bad radio conditions, high overlapping or undershooting.
➢ CA (Carrier aggregation) disabled: we enable the feature or check scellcandidate
parameter if it’s already enabled.
➢ 256 QAM feature is disabled
➢ High PRBs (physical resource blocks) utilization: solved by cell splitting or
implementing any missing Layer. Also we can enable the feature of inter-
frequency load balancing (IFLB) to HO the UEs to a lightly loaded carrier with
acceptable received power.

C2 General
 Low RACH SR:
➢ PCI clash: needed PCI re-plan (contention free at HO)
➢ RSI (root sequence number) clash: needed RSI re-plan (contention based at idle
mode RACH).
➢ Bad radio conditions: as above
➢ Overshooting
➢ Other: increase initial RACH power (Pzeronominal)

High ERAB drops:

➢ External interference: Adding a fake attenuation (not recommended by vendor)
➢ High overlapping: We need to adjust the footprint of this cell and the neighboring
cells to minimize cell overlapping and enhance SINR.
➢ Missing PS HO relations with 3G carrier: which leads to the absence of the
backup technology that saves the session from being dropped.
➢ Wrong intra and inter HO offsets: HO failure like 2G.
➢ Mobility control at poor coverage (MCPC) feature offsets contradict with inter-
frequency load balancing (IFLB) feature offsets: which leads to ping-pong HO
when the UE is HO to a lightly-loaded cell with poor coverage.
➢ Faulty equipment (RRU or BB): like 2G.

C2 General