PCI Planning

Motivation
Inappropriate PCI Planning, result in significant KPI degradation

16

14

12

10
tput, Mbps

no PCImod3 collision
8 PCImod3 collision
6

0
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53
seconds
Motivation: PCI Planning in nutshell

1. Avoid assigning the same PCI to neighbour cells

Id = 0 Id = 6
2. Avoid assigning the same mod3 (PCI) to neighbour cells Id = 2 Id = 8

3. Avoid assigning the same mod6(PCI) to neighbour cells Id = 1 Id = 7

Id = 3 Id = 9
Id = 5 Id = 11
4. Avoid assigning the same mod30 (PCI) to neighbour cells
Id = 4 Id = 10

Why? What are the reasons behind these?

What is PCI at all?
So, we need to explain some related basic concepts
 LTE Multiple Access Technology

In OFDM:
Overlapping carriers increases special
efficiency compared to conventional FDM
Orthogonality between carriers
Parallel transmission of payload across
multiple
Simple rectangular pulse during
modulation period
LTE Multiple Access Technology
Flexibility to assign resource more efficient
LTE Frame Structure: FDD
LTE Frame Structure: TDD
Normal and Extended CP in LTE
LTE Resource Structure
 LTE Resource Structure
The cell-specific RSs enable the UE to determine the phase reference for demodulating the downlink
control channels and the downlink data in most transmission modes1 of the Physical Downlink Shared
Channel.
RSRP is measured by the UE over the cell-specific Reference Signals (RSs) within the
measurement bandwidth over a measurement period. RSRP is a type of signal strength
measurement and is indicative of the cell coverage.
RSRP is the most important criteria for cell selection/reselection and handover decisions, coverage
analysis

Single Antenna Two Antenna

LTE Bandwidth
In contrast to GSM and UMTS which use fixed bandwidth, LTE use different bandwidths.
PCI

Ok, Then I have more questions?

1- How does UE know these information? How

UE detect the FDD and TDD? How Does UE know
that CP is normal or extended?

2- where UE Find this basic information, where

it does not know the bandwidth before?

3- Again! What is PCI? What is it used for?

PSS and SSS
At first, UE need to synchronize with Downlink radio symbols and frame in order to get
information.
To achieve that, two synchronization signals are broadcasted by the eNodeB:

Primary Synchronization Signal, PCI- ID (PSS)

It is present in subframes 0 and 5 (OFDM symbol 6) and is mapped on 72 subcarriers in the
middle of the band. From PSS, the UE is also able to obtain physical layer identity (0 to 2).

It is used to detect the carrier frequency and the SCH symbol timing.

Secondary Synchronization Signal, PCI- group (SSS)

It is present in subframe 0 and 5 (OFDM symbol 5), and is also mapped on 72 subcarriers in
the middle of the band. The SSS is 168 sequence number (0 to 167).
It is used to synchronize the UE to the frame timing.

The good news is that, these basic information are independent of system
bandwidth.
LTI Resource Grid

Visit http://niviuk.free.fr/lte_resource_grid.html
PSS and SSS position in LTE FDD mode
PSS and SSS position in LTE TDD mode
Primary Synchronization Signal
Secondary Synchronization Signal
All Combination of PSS and SSS
PCI

Note : Do not confuse physical cell identity with cell ID

PCI Planning

1. Avoid assigning the same PCI to neighbour cells

2. Avoid assigning the same mod3 (PCI) to neighbour cells

3. Avoid assigning the same mod6(PCI) to neighbour cells

4. Avoid assigning the same mod30 (PCI) to neighbour cells

PCI Conflict: Collision

A PCI collision occurs between two intra-frequency cells that use an identical PCI but are insufficiently
isolated. In this case, UEs in the overlapping area of the two cells cannot implement signal
synchronization or decoding.

NOTE: An LTE cell is not allowed to have the same frequency and PCI as its neighboring cell. However, an LTE cell
can have the same frequency and PCI as its external cell or multiple local cells under an eNodeB can have the
same frequency and PCI.
Each cell has a unique center frequency but may have multiple E-UTRA Absolute Radio Frequency Channel
Numbers (EARFCNs). For example, the frequency 2110 MHz corresponds to EARFCN 1950 at band 4 and EARFCN
4150 at band 10. Intra-frequency cells described in this document are the cells with the same center frequency.
 PCI Conflict: Confusion
A PCI confusion occurs between a detected cell and a neighboring cell if the two cells have the same frequency
and PCI and if the reference signal received power (RSRP) of the two cells reaches the handover threshold. The
PCI confusion may lead to UE handover failures or service drops.

PCI Confusion when the Detected Cell is a Configured Neighboring Cell

If the UE does not support ANR, the eNodeB cannot

determine whether the detected cell is cell B or C
based on the report by the UE. In this case, cell A
cannot initiate a handover.
If intra-RAT event-triggered ANR is enabled and the
UE supports ANR, the eNodeB can identify cell B
based on the E-UTRAN cell global identifier (ECGI)
reported by the UE. Then, a handover to cell B can
be performed if necessary.
 PCI Conflict: Confusion
PCI Confusion when the Detected Cell Is Not a Configured Neighboring Cell

In the eNodeB incorrectly considers the detected

cell to be cell C and then initiates a handover to cell
C. If the UE is covered by cell B instead of cell C, a
handover failure may occur.
Effect of PCI correction on LTE KPI

16

14

12

10
tput, Mbps

no PCImod3 collision
8 PCImod3 collision
6

0
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53
seconds
PCI Planning

1. Avoid assigning the same PCI to neighbour cells

2. Avoid assigning the same mod3 (PCI) to neighbour cells

3. Avoid assigning the same mod6(PCI) to neighbour cells

4. Avoid assigning the same mod30 (PCI) to neighbour cells

PCI Planning modulo3 (PCI) Rule

Id = 0 Id = 6
Id = 2 Id = 8
Rule:
Id = 1 Id = 7
Avoid assigning to the cells of one eNB PCIs with the same modulo 3 Id = 3 Id = 9
Id = 5 Id = 11
Reason:
Id = 4 Id = 10
PSS defines NID2. There are 3 NID2 in a group so PSS is generated using 1 of 3
different sequences
If two cells of the same eNB have the same mod3(PCI) it means they have the
same NID2 (i.e. 0, 1 or 2) and the same PSS sequence
PSS is used in cell search and synchronization procedures: Different PSS
sequences facilitate cell search and synch procedures
PCI Planning modulo6 (PCI) Rule

Avoid assigning to the cells of one eNB PCIs

with the same modulo 6 , in the case of
single antenna.

Reason: to reduce inter cell interference

between RSs
PCI Planning modulo 3 and modulo6 (PCI) Rule

For 2Tx case the cells of the same site should

have different mod3 (PCI). For 1Tx case the
mod6(PCI) should be different

Reason: To have frequency shifts for RS of

different cells as they are frame-synchronized
(cells of the same site) and avoid RS interference
in DL.

Id = 0 Id = 6
Id = 2 Id = 8

Id = 1 Id = 7
Id = 3 Id = 9
Id = 5 Id = 11

Id = 4 Id = 10
PCI Planning

1. Avoid assigning the same PCI to neighbour cells

2. Avoid assigning the same mod3 (PCI) to neighbour cells

3. Avoid assigning the same mod6(PCI) to neighbour cells

4. Avoid assigning the same mod30 (PCI) to neighbour cells

PCI Planning modulo30 (PCI) Rule

Types of UL Reference Signals

Demodulation Reference Signals (DM RS)
PUSCH/PUCCH data estimation
Sounding Reference Signals (SRS)
Mainly UL channel estimation UL

DM RS is characterised by:
Sequence (Zadoff Chu codes)
Sequence length: equal to the # of subcarriers
used for PUSCH transmission
Sequence group:
30 options
Cell specific parameter

Cyclic Shift: UE and cell specific parameter

 PCI Planning modulo30 (PCI) Rule

All uplink Reference Signals are generated from the same set of base
sequences

Up to 30 cell-IDs can have the same sequence-group hopping pattern

(e.g. part of a planned coordinated cell cluster), with different
sequence-group shift offsets being used to minimize RS collisions and
inter-cell interference.

Each group includes multiple sequences

u f gh (ns ) f ss mod 30

0 if group hopping is disabled
fgh (ns ) 7
c(8ns i ) 2i mod 30 if group hopping is enabled

i 0
Thank you