HANDOVER TYPES

IN ALCATEL
(HANDOVER DETECTION /
HANDOVER THRESHOLD COMPARISON)

FIRST OF ALL

WHAT IS HANDOVER?
Moving from one channel/cell to other channel/cell.
WHY CALLS NEED TO BE HANDED OVER?
Due to mobility level or quality of serving cell degraded OR neighbor
cell(s) having better path loss.
Due to interference move to better channel/cell
Due to traffic move to the unloaded cell(s).
Change the channel OR cell to which is in better condition.
HOW MANY TYPES OF HO IN ALCATEL?
Two main basics of HO types:
Experiencing bad level/quality (emergency) 12
Neighbor cells having better condition (better cell ho) 11

IN WHICH PART OF THE PROCESS?
The need for handovers often comes to compare a predefined
threshold with a radio measurement. That is why this process is
sometimes called HO threshold comparison.
EMERGENCY HO (sorted by priority)

Cause 7 Bad SACCH frames Microcell
Cause 17 too low level UL Microcell
Cause 18 too low level DL Microcell
Cause 2 too low quality UL
Cause 4 too low quality DL
Cause 3 too low level UL
Cause 5 too low level DL
Cause 6 too long distance MS-BS
Cause 10 inner to outer UL
Cause 11 inner to outer DL
Cause 15 interference UL
Cause 16 interference DL

EMERGENCY HO Causes 7, 17, 18 Microcells
Parameters:
EN_MCHO_RESCUE flag for enabling cause 7 ho

U_RXLEV_DL_MCHO Downlink level threshold for Microcell to Macrocell handover
U_RXLEV_UL_MCHO Uplink level threshold for Microcell to Macrocell handover.

EN_MCHO_H_UL flag for enabling level-ul-microcell ho cause 17
EN_MCHO_D_DL flag for enabling level-dl-microcell ho cause 18

A_LEV_MCHO Window size for level averages for microcell handover.
W_LEV_MCHO Weight applicable to level samples for microcell handover when no DTX is applied.

Parameters:
L_RXQUAL_UL_H lower threshold on UL quality
L_RXQUAL_DL_H lower threshold on DL quality

RXLEV_UL_IH UL-lev thres. for decision b/w intra or inter cell HO of bad UL qual case.
RXLEV_DL_IH DL-lev thres. for decision b/w intra or inter cell HO of bad DL qual case.

OFFSET_RXQUAL_FH=OFFSET_HOPPING_PC offset for hopping channels

EN_RXQUAL_DL flag enabling the dl quality ho
EN_RXQUAL_UL flag enabling the ul quality ho

MS_TXPWR_MAX max power permitted for the mobiles
BS_TXPWR_MAX max power permitted for the bts

A_QUAL_HO Window size for quality averages for handover
EMERGENCY HO Causes 2 and 4 too low quality UL/DL
Parameters:
L_RXQUAL_UL_H lower threshold on UL quality
L_RXQUAL_DL_H lower threshold on DL quality

L_RXLEV_UL_H UL lower threshold for HO.
L_RXLEV_DL_H DL lower threshold for HO.

OFFSET_RXQUAL_FH=OFFSET_HOPPING_PC offset for hopping channels

EN_RXLEV_DL flag enabling the dl lev ho
EN_RXLEV_UL flag enabling the ul lev ho

MS_TXPWR_MAX max power permitted for the mobiles
BS_TXPWR_MAX max power permitted for the bts

A_LEV_HO Window size for level averages for handover
EMERGENCY HO Causes 3 and 5 too low level UL/DL
Parameters:

U_TIME_ADVANCE -> upper threshold for TA limit

EN_DIST_HO flag to enable the Distance HO

A_RANGE_HO windows size for Distance HO
EMERGENCY HO Cause 6 Too Long distance MS-BS
The above two handover causes are specific to concentric or multiband cell
configurations.
checked only if CELL_PARTITION_TYPE = CONCENTRIC, and
the active channel is a TCH, and
the ZONE_TYPE = INNER_ZONE (it means that the channel is in the inner zone
partition).

Parameters:

RXLEV_UL_ZONE -> lower threshold of ul rxlev as a border of UL innerzone
RXLEV_DL_ZONE -> lower threshold of dl rxlev as a border of DL innerzone

MS_TXPWR_MAX_INNER -> max power of ms in inner zone area
BS_TXPWR_MAX_INNER -> max power of bts in inner zone area
EMERGENCY HO Causes 10 and 11 Inner to Outer UL/DL
Parameters:

L_RXQUAL_UL_H lower threshold of UL rxqual
L_RXQUAL_UL_H lower threshold of DL rxqual

OFFSET_RXQUAL_FH=offset_hopping_ho offset given for hopping channels

RXLEV_UL_IH UL-lev thres. for decision b/w intra or inter cell HO of bad UL qual case.
RXLEV_DL_IH DL-lev thres. for decision b/w intra or inter cell HO of bad DL qual case.

EN_INTRA_UL flag to enable UL intra cell ho
EN_INTRA_DL flag to enable DL intra cell ho

EN_INTRACELL_REPEATED flag to enable repeating the intracell ho
EMERGENCY HO Causes 15 and 16 Interference UL/DL
BETTER CELL HO (sorted by priority)

Cause 21 preferred band ho
Cause 14 speed discrimination
Cause 12 power budget ho
Cause 13 outer to inner ho
Cause 20 forced directed retry
Cause 25 GPRS redirection
Cause 23 traffic ho
Cause 24 general capture ho
Cause 26 hr to fr due to bad quality
Cause 27 fr to hr due to good quality
Cause 28 fast traffic ho
BETTER CELL HO Cause 21 preferred band ho
Parameters:
MULTIBAND_TRAFFIC_CONDITION values of ANYLOAD, LOW or HIGH
L_RXLEV_CPT_HO (0,n) min rxlev from neighbor-cells for this capture HO
MS_TXPWR_MAX permitted maximun power of mobiles
EN_PREFERRED_BAND_HO flag for enabling preferred band HO

BETTER CELL HO Causes 14 speed discrimination
Parameters:
L_RXLEV_CPT_HO(0,n) min rxlev from neighbor-cells for this capture HO
EN_MCHO_NCELL flag enabling this HO
BETTER CELL HO Cause 12 (1) power budget ho TCH to TCH
Parameters:
HO_MARGIN(0,n) different pbgt b/w serving and neighbor-cells
OFFSET_HO_MARGIN_INNER offset given to inner zone

DELTA_HO_MARGIN(0,n)
DELTA_DEC_HO_MARGIN correction factor for condition high load in serving cell and less
load in neighbor cell(s)
DELTA_INC_HO_MARGIN correction factor for condition less load in serving cell and high
load in neighbor cell(s)

RXLEV_LIMIT_PBGT_HO limit of rxlev above which no need for pbgt ho

EN_PBGT_HO flag enabling this pbgt-HO
BETTER CELL HO Cause 12 (2) power budget ho SDCCH to SDCCH
Parameters:

HO_MARGIN(0,n) different pbgt b/w serving and neighbor cells

RXLEV_LIMIT_PBGT_HO limit of rxlev above which no need for pbgt ho

EN_PBGT_HO flag for enabling this HO
BETTER CELL HO Cause 13 outer to inner ho
Parameters:

RXLEV_UL_ZONE Uplink level threshold for inner to outer zone handover.
RXLEV_DL_ZONE Downlink level threshold for inner to outer zone handover.

ZONE_HO_HYST_UL Hysteresis applied to RXLEV_UL_ZONE for outer to inner zone
handover.
ZONE_HO_HYST_DL Hysteresis applied to RXLEV_DL_ZONE for outer to inner zone
handover.

MS_TXPWR_MAX_INNER maximum mobile power permitted in inner zone
BS_TXPWR_MAX_INNER maximum bts power permitted in inner zone

NEIGHBOR_RXLEV(0,n) Threshold of maximum received level from the neighbour cells for
cause 13.

EN_BETTER_ZONE_HO flag for enabling this HO
BETTER CELL HO Cause 20 forced directed retry
Parameters:

L_RXLEV_NCELL_DR(n) Minimum level received from neighbour cell n to allow forced
directed retry to cell n.

EN_FORCED_DR flag for enabling force directed retry

A_PBGT_DR Window size for neighbour cell level averages for forced directed retry.
BETTER CELL HO Cause 25 GPRS redirection
Parameters:

L_RXLEV_NCELL_DR(n) Minimum level received from neighbour cell n to allow forced
directed retry to cell n.
BETTER CELL HO Cause 23 traffic ho
Parameters:

HO_MARGIN(0,n) different in PBGT b/w serving and neighbor cell(s)
OFFSET_HO_MARGIN_INNER offset given to inner zone

DELTA_HO_MARGIN(0,n)
DELTA_DEC_HO_MARGIN correction factor for condition high load in serving cell and less
load in neighbor cell(s)
DELTA_INC_HO_MARGIN correction factor for condition less load in serving cell and high
load in neighbor cell(s)

EN_TRAFFIC_HO(0,n) flag for enabling this HO
BETTER CELL HO Cause 23 general capture ho
Parameters:

CAPTURE_TRAFFIC_CONDITION values of ANYLOAD, LOW or HIGH

L_RXLEV_CPT_HO(0,n) min rxlev from neighbor-cells for this capture HO

MS_TXPWR_MAX maximum mobile power permitted

EN_GENERAL_CAPTURE_HO flag for enabling this HO
BETTER CELL HO Cause 26 hr to fr due to bad quality
Parameters:

THR_RXQUAL_CA_NORMAL Threshold for channel adaptation under normal load.
THR_RXQUAL_CA_HIGH Threshold for channel adaptation under high load.
OFFSET_RXQUAL_FH offset given for hopping channels/cells
OFFSET_CA_NORMAL/HIGH Offset for AMR channel adaptation hysteresis under normal/high
load.
RXLEV_UL_IH UL-lev thres. for decision b/w intra or inter cell HO of bad UL qual case
RXLEV_DL_IH UL-lev thres. for decision b/w intra or inter cell HO of bad UL qual case
EN_AMR_CA flag for enabling this HO
BETTER CELL HO Cause 27 fr to hr due to good quality
Parameters:

THR_RXQUAL_CA_NORMAL Threshold for channel adaptation under normal load.
THR_RXQUAL_CA_HIGH Threshold for channel adaptation under high load.

OFFSET_RXQUAL_FH offset given to hopping channel

EN_AMR_CA flag for enabling this HO
EN_AMR_HR flag for enabling this HO
BETTER CELL HO Cause 28 fast traffic HO
Parameters:

L_RXLEV_NCELL_DR(n) Minimum level received from neighbour cell n to allow forced
directed retry to cell n.

FREElevel_DR(n) Minimum number of free TCHs in neighbour cell n to allow forced
directed retry to cell n.

EN_CAUSE_28 flag for enabling fast traffic HO