Useful Hints & Trace Analysis

Jamshed Nazar
NWS PM RA TS LTE

1 © Nokia Siemens Networks

Useful Hints

• Key useful measurements are RS_SINR, RSRP and to a lesser extent RSRQ, RSSI

• Key resources for transmission are number of PRB (primary resource blocks) allocated by
scheduler, MCS (modulation and coding scheme index), transport block size

• LTE design allows radio link with one cell only, unlike UMTS where multiple cells can have
radio links with the UE during a call. LTE design requires minimization of overlapping cells in
order to decrease inter cell interference. However, some overlapping is required for smooth
handover and to avoid holes in coverage. Tilt adjustment can decrease interference effects

• Initial UE and network design is specific for data serves so test focus is on data throughput.
Detailed VoIP testing with MOS is not required in most projects. However, trial customers are
keen to subjectively analyze voice and video calls on IP

• DL Interference is produced by traffic on neighboring eNBs / neighbor cells. UL Interference

is produced by UEs which are camped on neighbor cells and lie close to the edge of the
serving cell
• Load is the traffic in the serving cell controlled by the Scheduler in UL and DL with PRB
allocations and power levels

Customer confidential, commercially non binding

2 © Nokia Siemens Networks
RSRP

Pathloss measurement by RSRP:

• Example: 20 + 20 watt cell in MIMO mode operating at 20 MHz

• Note: for DL, NSN LTE design divides the total available power equally over the Bandwidth

• Total cell power = 46 dBm / 20 + 20 watt for each transmitter

• The total power of 20 watts per transmitter is divided over 1200 sub carriers
• Power per sub carrier is 12.2 dBm / 16.6 mWatt

• With typical site Antenna gain of 18 dBi and cable loss of 2 db, power transmitted from the
main lobe per sub carrier, for example for the Reference Signal, is 12.2 + 18 – 2 = 28.2 dBm

• The Reference Signal is measured by the UE for Received Signal Received Power
• The RSRP is an indication of the path loss. For example, an RSRP measured = -85 dBm by
UE implies pathloss of 28.2 – (-85) = 113.2 dB

• Compare this to a 40 watt / 46 dBm cell in UMTS that operates on 5 MHz where its Pilot
CPICH is set at 36dBm and a measured value of RSRP = -85 dBm indicates a pathloss of 36
+ 18 – 2 – (-85) = 137 dB

• Note that LTE can operate on different bandwidths and the footprint of the LTE Cell depends
on cell
Customer
3
power,
confidential, number
commercially
© Nokia Siemens Networks
non of transmitters
binding and operating bandwidth of the cell
Useful Tools

Note: Below Tools are examples only. Regional test teams can use tools of their choice

A) Video Conferencing:
• Soft phone: http://www.mirial.com/products/Mirial_Softphone_HD.html
- can be used for IP to IP video calls (need the IP address only of the other party)
- can also be used with a SIP server

B) Video streaming
• VLC media player and stream: http://www.videolan.org/
• Multi-video screen from NSN that can be used to display 4 HDTV videos at the same time

C) FTP
• http://filezilla-project.org/

D) Ping and FTP test using Internet

• http://www.speedtest.net/

E) SIP server and PSTN / mobile call solution

• http://www.2n.cz/products/umts/voice-data/wireless-hspa-router.html
- simple to setup SIP server which can be configured to make and receive calls tp PSTN / Mobile via 1-2
UMTS local SIM cards. Call on the LTE SIP session - soft phone goes out into the MME-SGW and then to
SIP server which then routes to local mobile / fixed network via a umts phone. Solution is great for quick
connectivity to local networks and to showcase that voice works over LTE.

Customer confidential, commercially non binding

4 © Nokia Siemens Networks
LG Tracer – LLDM
Signaling + L1, MAC, Key information is
RLC, RRC, PDCP RSRP, CQI, UE Tx
layer details power and throughput

Neighbor cell
measurements

Benefit: LG Tracer
does not require a
license to replay files
Customer confidential, commercially non binding
5 © Nokia Siemens Networks
LG Tracer Example: DL transmission per TTI
2 New Transport blocks sent
on SM MIMO for a HARQ
process in one TTI

Transport blocks not

acknowledged by UE and
are resent by the DL
Scheduler again using the
same MCS and bloc size
after 8 TTI

Transport block size *

HARQ retransmissions as
8 = raw bit rate per
well as low CQI reported by
transmission
UE will decrease throughput
Customer confidential, commercially non binding
6 © Nokia Siemens Networks
LG Tracer Example: UL transmission per TTI

UL transport block size,

MCS and PRB are given to
the UE by the UL
Scheduler in the eNB

UL transmission is for
single code word only
Customer confidential, commercially non binding
7 © Nokia Siemens Networks
LG Tracer Example: Handover testing

Handover success rate

and handover delay can
be measured with LLDM

Customer confidential, commercially non binding

8 © Nokia Siemens Networks
LG Tracer Example: LLCAT Parser tool
LLCAT is parser tool for LG
that allows filtering and
export of L1, L2, L3
messages and contents

Similar to LLDM,
LLCAT does not
require a license key
Customer confidential, commercially non binding
9 © Nokia Siemens Networks
XCAL Driver test tool with Samsung UE
Basic measurements

Serving and Neighbor cell

information with SINR,
RSRP, Cell ID and RSSI

Graphs can be created

for Throughput, PRB,
RSRP, SINR, BLER etc

XCAL requires license key

at all times – for drive
testing and replay
Customer confidential, commercially non binding
10 © Nokia Siemens Networks
XCAL Driver test tool with Samsung UE
Detailed Analysis
Signaling messages

BLER, RSRP, Resource XCAL measurements can be

Blocks assigned, MCS exported in a single Excel file
Customer confidential, commercially non binding with selected parameters
11 © Nokia Siemens Networks
XCAL Driver test tool with Samsung UE
Example: Handover toggling analysis

Handover threshold with

a3offset too short resulting
in handover toggling

Customer confidential, commercially non binding

12 © Nokia Siemens Networks
TTI Trace: introduction

Basic useful information is UE

Rnti, MCS, transport block size,
“LTE Bowser” tool can be PRB available, PRB allocation
used for simple UL SINR and SINR for the Uplink TTI
measurements if detailed TTI trace
tracing is not required
Lot of detailed information is
available. However, TTI can be
used for only short duration due
Customer confidential, commercially non binding to large data contents
13 © Nokia Siemens Networks
Parameter Settings

Parameters are defined in the eNB

in SCF and vendor specific files.
These should be in line with
“Golden” parameter
recommendations from TS / R&D

Customer confidential, commercially non binding

14 © Nokia Siemens Networks
Parameter Details in Dictionary

Parameter Dictionary is available in

RL10 CD1 Release Documentation

RL 10 Release documentation is a
good first source for feature
descriptions, release content,
functionality and parameter sets
For more information use
Customer confidential, commercially non binding “Resolve” tool or contact TS team
15 © Nokia Siemens Networks
Happy testing

16 © Nokia Siemens Networks

Contact information / download location

• If you have any questions, please contact presenter:

Jamshed Nazar
[email protected]
phone: +49 89 515939409
NWS LTE Radio Access

• Slides will be available in IMS/Sharenet

– https://sharenet-ims.inside.nokiasiemensnetworks.com/Open/419973903

Customer confidential, commercially non binding

17 © Nokia Siemens Networks