2013/10/2

LTE Cell Planning

LTE RNP
Content
Process for Planning the LTE Network

Frequency Planning

Cell ID Planning

TA Planning

PCI Planning

Neighboring Cell Planning

X2 Planning

PRACH Planning

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Process for Planning the LTE Network

The general process includes Information

information collection, pre-planning, Collection
detailed planning, and cell planning.
Pre-
In the cell planning, main concerns are planning
frequency planning, cell ID planning,
TA planning, PCI planning, Detailed
neighboring cell planning, X2 interface Planning
planning, and PRACH planning.
Cell
Planning

Frequency Cell ID TA PCI NB Cell X2 PRACH

Planning Planning Planning Planning Planning Planning Planning

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Content
Process for Planning the LTE Network

Frequency Planning

Cell ID Planning

TA Planning

PCI Planning

Neighboring Cell Planning

X2 Planning

PRACH Planning

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Frequency Planning

Why and when perform frequency planning?

When the LTE system works on the same frequency band, serious
interference occurs between the UEs on the edge of a cell because they are
close to each other and use the same resources.

The inter-cell interference coordination (ICIC) technology can be used to

change interference distribution, thus improving the throughput of the UEs on
the edge of a cell.

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Frequency Planning

When static DL ICIC is used, the entire bandwidth is divided into three
parts, each of which serves as the edge band of a cell for reuse. In this
case, network planning engineers need to perform frequency planning.

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Notes for Frequency Planning

Inactual applications, the network structure is quite complex, therefore

1x3 frequency reuse can mitigate interference only to a certain way.

For expansion, frequent planning adjustments need to be performed. In

this case, network performance may deteriorate.

Inscenarios where indoor coverage and outdoor coverage require

coordination, frequency reuse cannot be ensured.

If the DL ICIC function is required, dynamic ICIC is recommended.

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Dynamic ICIC

Serving cell communicate through X2 interface which PRBs are

interfered or with poor quality to its neighbors.

Neighbor cells do interference-aware scheduling of PRBs to lower or

avoid interference

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Content
Process for Planning the LTE Network

Frequency Planning

Cell ID Planning

TA Planning

PCI Planning

Neighboring Cell Planning

X2 Planning

PRACH Planning

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Cell ID Planning

Differentfrom a WCDMA cell ID, LTE cell ID consists of 20-bit eNB ID and
8-bit cell ID, which ensures that the LTE cell ID is unique in the entire
network. If the PLMN (MCC + MNC) is used, the LTE cell ID is unique
worldwide.

Usually
is recommended to keep a relationship between eNB ID, the cell
name and cellID and ensures that they are consistent.

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Considerations for Actual Planning

In practice, customers may provide numbering rules for different areas and
cities.

If customers have no additional requirements, consistency check of cellID

planning should be taken into account.

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Content
Process for Planning the LTE Network

Frequency Planning

Cell ID Planning

TA Planning

PCI Planning

Neighboring Cell Planning

X2 Planning

PRACH Planning

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 TA Planning
TA Concept

Similar to the location area and routing area in 2G/3G networks, the tracking area
(TA) is used for paging.

TA planning aims to reduce location update signaling caused by location changes in

the LTE system.

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TA Planning Principles

A TA should be medium. The limitations by the EPC must be considered. (For example
the maximum number of eNBs in the EPC that can handle i.e 30avg ).

Take into account the more paging messages the less resources for data, and less
throughput due to the paging messages are mapped into the PDSCH.

A TA should be planned for a continuous geographical area to prevent segmental

network of eNBs in each TA.

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TA Planning Principles

Mountains or rivers in the planned area can be used as border of a TA to reduce the
overlapping of different cells in two TAs. In this way, fewer location updates are
performed on the edge of a TA.

The LAC planning in the existing 2G/3G networks can serve as a reference for planning
TAs.

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Content
Process for Planning the LTE Network

Frequency Planning

Cell ID Planning

TA Planning

PCI Planning

Neighboring Cell Planning

X2 Planning

PRACH Planning

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 PCI Planning
In LTE system, the physical cell identifier (PCI) is used to differentiate radio signals of
different cells. That is, the PCI is unique in the coverage of cells.

Cell IDs are grouped in the cell search procedure. The ID of a cell group is determined
through the SSCH, and then a specific cell ID is determined through the PSCH.

The function of PCIs in the LTE system is similar of scrambling codes in the WCDMA
system. PCI planning also aims to ensure the reuse distance.

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 PCI Planning
Differences between a scrambling code and a PCI: The scrambling code ranges from 0
to 511 whereas the PCI ranges from 0 to 503.

Note: Physical Cell id can be any from the range 0-503. In order to manage this huge
amount of cells, LTE has divided them in to 168 groups and in each group there can be 3
cells.
So Physical Cell ID = Cell Group ID * 3 + Cell ID

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Actual Considerations

PCIs need to be reserved for indoor coverage.

For multiple cities, PCIs need to be reserved for border coverage.

For a high site that may lead to cross-cell coverage, a large reuse
distance needs to be set independently.

For PCI planning, however, 3GPP protocols require that the value of
PCI/3 should be 0, 1, or 2 in each eNB

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Content
Process for Planning the LTE Network

Frequency Planning

Cell ID Planning

TA Planning

PCI Planning

Neighboring Cell Planning

X2 Planning

PRACH Planning

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Neighboring Cell Planning

The
method or criteria of planning LTE neighboring cells is similar to that of planning
GSM/WCDMA/CDMA.

The actual configuration is different. There is no BSC or RNC in the LTE system.
When an eNB cell is configured as neighboring cells of other eNBs, external cells
must be added first, which is similar to the scenario where inter-BSC neighboring
cells are configured on the BSC.

Neighboring cells can be configured only after the corresponding cell information is
added.

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 ANR and Neighboring Cell Planning

Automatic Neighbor Relation (ANR) can automatically add and maintain

neighbor relations.

The initial network construction, however, should not fully depend on ANR for
the following considerations:
a. ANR is closely related to traffic in the entire network.
b. ANR is based on UE measurements but the delay is introduced in measurements.

After initial neighbor relations configured and the number of UEs increasing,
some neighboring relations may be missing. In this case, ANR can be used to
detect missing neighboring cells and add neighbor relations, thus network
performance improved.

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Content
Process for Planning the LTE Network

Frequency Planning

Cell ID Planning

TA Planning

PCI Planning

Neighboring Cell Planning

X2 Planning

PRACH Planning

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X2 Interface Planning

X2 interface planning is based on neighbor relations, but this time the eNB
relations are the input.

Some vendor releases support a maximum of 16 X2 interfaces and some

others can support 32 X2 interfaces.

The latest version of the ANR can automatically maintain X2 interfaces to

solve the problems with missing X2 interfaces or configuration errors.

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Content
Process for Planning the LTE Network

Frequency Planning

Cell ID Planning

TA Planning

PCI Planning

Neighboring Cell Planning

X2 Planning

PRACH Planning

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PRACH Planning

Sequence Root Index

Cyclic Shift

Preamble format

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PRACH Planning

The random access preambles are generated from Zadoff-Chu

sequences with zero correlation zone.

There are 64 available preamble sequences in each cell. The 64

preamble sequences are first generated from a root Zadoff-Chu
sequence using cyclic shift.

The previously mentioned root corresponds to the logical root sequence

index, which is sent to the UE through the SIB2 in DL SCH.

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PRACH Planning

The PRACH Bandwitdh is 6 PRBs (1.08Mhz). 72 subcarriers at 15Khz

each.

RA use 864 at 1.25Khz subcarriers within this Bandwidth , 26subcarriers

as a guard to avoid interference with PUCCH/PUSCH

The remaining 838 are root Zadoff-Chu sequences available for

preamble construction( its is needed the cyclic shift also to generate
them).

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Causes for Planning the Root Sequence
Index

There are 64 preamble sequences in each cell. The preamble sequence is

assigned by the eNB. To reduce interference of preamble sequences
between neighboring cells, the root Zadoff-Chu sequence index need to be
planned properly.

The planning aims to assign the root sequence index for cells to ensure that
different preamble sequences are generated from neighboring cells through
this index. In this way, interference of preamble sequences between
neighboring cells can be reduced.

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 Cyclic Shift

Ncs is related to the cell size, the smaller the Ncs the smaller the cell size.

R <= c/2[(Ncs -1)(800us/839)-Delay spread]

Assuming Ncs=13 and Delay Spread 5.2us the obtained cell radius is 1.08

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PRACH Planning

Preamble Format

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