CMC ICT3207 Call Flow

Associate Professor

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

University of Dhaka

Dr.

Mohammad

J

unaebur

R

ashid (

JR

)

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ICT3207: Cellular and Mobile Communication (3.0 Cr)

Course Teacher

Bangladesh University of Professionals

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Lecture 20

Set-up channels

• In a cellular system, we are implementing frequency-reuse concepts. In this case the set-up channels are acting as control channels.

• The 21 set-up channels are taken out from the total number of channels. The number 21 is derived from a seven-cell frequency-reuse pattern with three 120° sectors per cell, or a total of

21 sectors, which require 21 set-up channels.

• However, now only a few of the 21 set-up channels are being used in each system. Theoretically, when cell size decreases, the use of set-up channels should increase.

• Set-up channels can be classified by usage into two types: access channels and paging channels. An access channel is used for the mobile-originating calls and paging channels for

the land-originating calls.

• In cellular systems, one up channel is used for both paging and access. The forward set-up channel functions: paging channel for responding to the mobile-originating calls. The

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Lecture 20

Set-up channels

• In mobile-originating calls, the mobile unit scans its 21 set-up channels and chooses the strongest one.

• Because each set-up channel is associated with one cell, the strongest set-up channel indicates which cell is to serve the mobile-originating calls.

• The mobile unit detects the system information transmitted from the cell site.

• Also, the mobile unit monitors the Busy/Idle status bits over the desired forward setup channel. When the Idle bits are received, the mobile unit can use the corresponding reverse

set-up channel to initiate a call.

• Frequently only one system operates in a given city; for instance, block B system might be operating and the mobile unit could be set to "preferable A system“.

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Lecture 20

Set-up channels

• When the mobile unit first scans the 21 setup channels in block A, two conditions can occur-1. If no set-up channels of block A are operational, the mobile unit automatically switches to

block B.

2. If a strong set-up signal strength is received but no message can be detected, then the

scanner chooses the second strongest set-up channel of block A. If the message still cannot be detected, the mobile unit switches to block B and scans to block B set-up channels.

Paging channels

• Each cell site has been allocated its own set-up channel (control channel). The assigned forward set-up channel (FOCC) of each cell site is used to page the mobile unit.

• The algorithm for paging a mobile unit can be performed in different ways. The simplest way is to page from all the cell sites. This can occupy a large amount of the traffic load.

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Lecture 20

Set-up channels

• In the cellular system, 80 percent of calls originate from the mobile unit but only 20 percent originate from the land line. Thus, it is necessary to keep the reverse set-up channels as open

as possible. For this reason, the self-location scheme at the mobile unit is adapted.

• The mobile unit selects a set-up channel of one cell site and makes a mobile-originating call. It is called a self-location scheme. However, the self-location scheme at the mobile unit

prevents the mobile unit from sending the necessary information regarding its location to the cell site.

• Therefore, the MTSO does not know where the mobile is. When a land-line call is originated, the MTSO must page all the cell sites in order to search for the mobile unit.

• Fortunately, land-line calls constitute only 20 percent of land-line originating calls, so the cellular system has no problem in handling them. Besides, more than 50 percent of land-line originating calls are no response.

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Lecture 20

Set-up channels

• All 21 set-up channels are actually paging channels. The access channel can be assigned by the MTSO as a channel other than the 21 setup channels in a cell.

• The mobile unit receives the access channel information from the forward paging channels.

• In certain cases, as land-originating calls increase, one up channel cannot handle all set-up traffic in a cell. In such cases another channel in a groset-up of voice channels is used as an

access channel.

• Now the land-originating calls are using paging channels and the mobile-originating calls are using access channels.

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Lecture 20

Set-up channels

• Assume that a mobile unit calls or responds to a call through a reverse set-up channel which is received from an onmidirectional antenna and the voice channels are assigned from a

forward set-up channel at one of three 120°-sector directional antennas.

-For mobile-originating calls: The mobile unit selects a cell site based on its received signal-strength indicator (RSSI) reading. When a call of a mobile unit is received by the cell site, the

set-up channel receives it through an omnidirectional antenna.

• The cell-site RSSI scans the incoming signals through three directional antennas and determines which sector is the strongest one.

• The MTSO then assigns a channel from among those channels designated in that sector. In some systems, a set-up channel is assigned to each sector of a cell.

-For paging calls: When any call responds to the cell site, the cell-site RSSI will measure the incoming signal from the three directional antennas and find the strongest sector in which the

channel can be assigned to the mobile unit.

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Lecture 20

Channel assignment

• In a fixed channel assignment, the channels are usually assigned to the cell site for relatively long periods. Two types of channels are assigned: set-up channels and voice channels.

-Set-up channels: There are 21 set-up channels assigned each cell in a K = 4, K = 7, or K = 12

frequency-reuse pattern. If the set-up channel antennas are omnidirectional, then each cell only needs one set-up channel. This leaves many unused set-up channels.

• However, the setup channels of blocks A and B are adjacent to each other. In order to avoid interference between two systems, the set-up channels in the neighborhood of Channel 333

(block A) and Channel 334 (block B) are preferably unused.

-Voice channels: One way of dividing the total voice channels into 21 sets is exemplified earlier. The assignment of certain sets of voice channels in each cell site is based on causing

minimum cochannel and adjacent-channel interference

-Supervisory audio tone (SAT): This consists of three SATs

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Lecture 20

Channel assignment

• When the traffic becomes heavier as more cars approach the city, the traffic pattern becomes nonuniform and the sites closest to the city, or in the city, cannot receive the expected number

of calls or handoffs.

• To solve these problems, we have to - use less transmitted power for both set-up and voice channels for certain cell sites. We also have to raise the threshold level for reverse set-up

channels and voice channels at certain cell sites in order to control the acceptance of incoming

calls and handoff calls.

• Three methods can be used: - Underlay-overlay

- Frequency assignment - Tilted antenna

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Lecture 20

Channel assignment

Underlay-overlay

• The traffic capacity at an omnidirectional cell or a directional cell (Fig. 8.3) can be increased by using the underlay-overlay arrangement. The underlay is the inner circle, and the overlay is the outer ring.

• The transmitted powers of the voice channels at the site are adjusted for these two areas. Then different voice frequencies are assigned to each area.

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Lecture 20

Channel assignment

Frequency assignment

• We assign the frequencies by a set of channels or any part of a set or more than one set of the total 21 sets. Borrowed frequency sets are used when needed.

• On the basis of coverage prediction, we can assign frequencies intelligently at one site or at one sector without interfering with adjacent cochannel sectors or cochannel cells.

Tilted antenna

• The tilted directional antenna arrangement can eliminate interference. Sometimes antenna tilting is more effective than decreasing antenna height, especially in areas of tall trees or at high sites.

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Lecture 20

Channel assignment

Adjacent channel assignment

• Adjacent-channel assignment includes neighboring-channel assignment and next-channel assignment. The near-end—far-end (ratio) interference, can occur among the neighboring channels (four channels on each side of the desired channel).

• Therefore, within a cell we have to be sure to assign

neighboring channels, in an omnidirectional-cell system and

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Lecture 20

Channel assignment

• In an omnidirectional-cell system, if one channel is assigned to the middle cell of seven cells, next channels cannot be assigned in the same cell.

• Also, no next channel (preferably including neighboring channels) should be assigned in the six neighboring sites in the same cell system area (Fig. 8.4a).

• In a directional-antenna-cell system, if one channel is assigned to a face, next channels cannot be assigned to the same face or to the other two faces in the same cell.

• Also, next channels cannot be assigned to the other two faces at the same cell site (Fig. 8.4b).

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Lecture 20

Channel assignment

• Channel sharing is a short-term traffic-relief scheme.

• A scheme used for a seven-cell three-face system (Fig. 8.5). There are 21 channel sets, with each set

consisting of about 16 channels. Figure 8.5 shows the channel set numbers.

• When a cell needs more channels, the channels of another face at the same cell site can be shared to handle the short-term overload.

• To obey the adjacent- channel assignment algorithm, the sharing is always cyclic.

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Lecture 20

Channel assignment

• Sharing always increases the trunking efficiency of channels.

• Since we cannot allow adjacent channels to share with the nominal channels in the same cell, channel sets 4 and 5 cannot both be shared with channel sets 12 and 18, as indicated by

the grid mark. Many grid marks are indicated in Fig. 8.5 for the same reason.

• However, the upper subset of set 4 can be shared with the lower subset of set 5 with no interference.

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Lecture 20

Channel assignment

• Channel borrowing is usually handled on a long term basis. The extent of borrowing more available channels from other cells depends on the traffic density in the area.

• Channel borrowing can be implemented from one cell-site face to another face at the same cell site.

• In addition, the central cell site can borrow channels from neighboring cells.

• The channel-borrowing scheme is used primarily for slowly-growing systems. It is often helpful in delaying cell splitting in peak traffic areas. Since cell splitting is costly, it should be

implemented only as a last resource.