Frequency Hopping
Frequency Hopping
GBSS12.0
Feature Parameter Description
Issue 01
Date 2010-06-30
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GSM BSS
Frequency Hopping Contents
Contents
1 Introduction to This Document .............................................................................................1-1
1.1 Scope ............................................................................................................................................ 1-1
1.2 Intended Audience......................................................................................................................... 1-1
1.3 Change History.............................................................................................................................. 1-1
2 Overview......................................................................................................................................2-1
3 Technical Description ..............................................................................................................3-1
3.1 Baseband FH ................................................................................................................................ 3-1
3.2 RF FH ............................................................................................................................................ 3-2
3.3 Hybrid FH ...................................................................................................................................... 3-2
5 Parameters..................................................................................................................................5-1
6 Counters ......................................................................................................................................6-1
7 Glossary ......................................................................................................................................7-1
8 Reference Documents .............................................................................................................8-1
Document Issues
The document issues are as follows:
01 (2010-06-30)
Draft (2010-03-30)
01 (2010-06-30)
This is the first release of GBSS12.0.
Compared with issue draft (2010-03-30) of GBSS12.0, issue 01 (2010-06-30) of GBSS12.0 incorporates
the changes described in the following table.
Draft (2010-03-30)
This is the draft release of GBSS12.0.
2 Overview
During a call, signals may be interfered when being transmitted over the air interface. Thus, some
information may be lost and the transmission quality may deteriorate. To solve this problem, frequency
hopping (FH) is introduced into the GSM network. With FH, different bursts are transmitted on different
frequencies, but the frequency remains unchanged for each burst. The MS changes frequencies once
every TDMA frame, that is, 217 times per second. Figure 2-1 shows the schematic drawing of FH. In the
figure, f0, f1, f2, f3, and f4 indicate different frequencies; the shadowed blocks in different colors indicate
the speech signals of different calls.
Figure 2-1 Schematic drawing of FH
FH is applicable to the TCH, SDCCH, and PDCH. It is not applicable to the BCCH and other common
control channels.
In FH, a set of frequencies used on a specific timeslot is called an MA list. A maximum of 64 MA lists are
allowed in each cell, and one MA list contains a maximum of 64 frequencies. Different timeslots on the
same transceiver (TRX) can use the same or different MA lists. The BSC6900 supports three FH modes:
baseband FH, radio frequency (RF) FH, and hybrid FH. The parameter FHMODE specifies the FH mode
to be used.
In baseband FH, each TRX is assigned a fixed frequency. During transmission, bursts are routed to the
TRXs of the corresponding frequencies through the bus. In this manner, FH requires the cooperation of
multiple TRXs. A single TRX cannot implement baseband FH. The number of frequencies available for
FH depends on the number of hopping TRXs. The non-BCCH timeslots on the BCCH TRX can
participate in FH to achieve FH gains. If any TRX is faulty, all the calls that use the MA lists containing the
faulty TRX are affected.
In RF FH, all the bursts of a call are transmitted on the same TRX, and the TRX determines the
frequency to transmit a specific burst according to the hopping sequence number (HSN). Only one TRX
is required to implement FH. In addition, the number of frequencies participating in FH is not dependent
on the number of TRXs, and it can be greater than the number of TRXs. Each TRX can be configured to
hop over a large number of frequencies to obtain the maximum FH gain. The BCCH TRX, however,
cannot participate in FH.
If some TRXs adopt RF FH and other TRXs adopt baseband FH in a cell, the FH mode in this cell is
called hybrid FH. In general, the underlaid subcell of a co-BCCH cell operates on a low frequency band
(for example, the GSM900 band or GSM850 band) and it is assigned a small number of frequencies; the
overlaid subcell of a co-BCCH cell operates on a high frequency band (for example, the DCS1800 band
or PCS1900 band) and it is assigned a large number of frequencies. In addition, a tight frequency reuse
pattern is generally applied in the overlaid subcell, and thus the interference is strong. In a co-BCCH cell,
the TRXs in the overlaid subcell adopt RF FH, and a large number of frequencies participate in FH to
obtain a great FH gain; the TRXs in the underlaid subcell adopt baseband FH so that a small number of
frequencies can also implement FH.
FH achieves the same effects as frequency diversity and interference diversity.
Frequency diversity helps improve the anti-attenuation capability and speech quality of the system.
Interference diversity helps overcome co-channel and adjacent-channel interference. Therefore, when
FH is enabled, a tighter frequency reuse pattern can be adopted to increase the system capacity.
FH Functions in Terms of Frequency Diversity
In mobile telecommunications, the radio signals during transmission may vary greatly in a short period
due to the impact of Rayleigh fading. This variation is frequency dependent. If the spacing between two
frequencies increases, the correlation between the frequencies decreases, and thus the attenuation
properties become more independent. In a mobile telecommunications system, the frequency spacing of
200 kHz ensures that the attenuation properties of different frequencies are uncorrelated, and the
frequency spacing of 1 MHz completely ensures that the attenuation properties of different frequencies
are uncorrelated. With FH, the frequencies for transmitting bursts vary from time to time. This prevents
Rayleigh fading from damaging all the bursts of the same MS in the same manner and thus improves the
anti-attenuation capability of radio signals. In this sense, FH provides the same functions as frequency
diversity.
When a fast-moving MS receives two consecutive bursts on the same channel, the location change of
the MS is enough to eliminate the correlation of Rayleigh fading. In this case, FH does not bring great
gains. For the non-moving or slow-moving MSs in the mobile network, FH is necessary and it brings
about a 6.5 dB gain.
FH Functions in Terms of Interference Diversity
GSM is a frequency-limited system. In an area with heavy traffic, the network capacity is limited because
of the interference caused by frequency reuse. In GSM, the carrier-to-interference (C/I) ratio may vary
greatly from call to call in different frequency reuse patterns. The wanted signal level varies with the
distance and obstacle factors between the MS and the base station. The interference level depends to a
great extent on the co-channel and adjacent-channel interference in neighboring cells.
The system aims to allow as many MSs as possible to gain access. Without FH, if interference occurs on
a frequency, the speech quality of the MSs occupying the channels on the frequency may deteriorate.
With FH, interference on the frequency is spread across many MSs, that is, the interference is averaged.
This improves the network performance. If the number of frequencies participating in FH is great, the
impact of interference on a specific call is small, and the anti-interference capability of the network is
strong. Interference diversity helps overcome co-channel and adjacent-channel interference. Therefore,
when FH is enabled, a tighter frequency reuse pattern can be adopted to increase the system capacity.
3 Technical Description
3.1 Baseband FH
In baseband FH, each TRX is assigned a fixed frequency. After a burst is processed by the baseband
processing unit, the system determines the frequency to transmit the burst according to the HSN. Then,
the burst is routed to the transmitter of the proper frequency through the bus. Different timeslots on a
TRX can use different MA lists, but the frequencies in an MA list must be a subset of the fixed
frequencies assigned to all the hopping TRXs. Figure 3-1 shows the working principle of baseband FH.
Figure 3-1 Working principle of baseband FH
In baseband FH, all the bursts of one call may be transmitted through multiple TRXs, and each TRX
uses a fixed frequency to transmit bursts. FH is implemented by routing a burst to the transmitter of a
proper frequency through the bus. For example, a call adopts the hopping sequence f0, f1, and f2.
During transmission, the bursts adopting f0, f1, and f2 are routed from the baseband processing units to
the transmitters of TRX1, TRX2, and TRX3 respectively.
In GSM, the frequency of the BCCH must remain unchanged, that is, the BCCH cannot participate in FH.
In baseband FH, other channels on the BCCH TRX except the BCCH can participate in FH to obtain FH
gains. If other channels on the BCCH TRX participate in FH, it indicates that the BCCH TRX participates
in FH. If other channels on the BCCH TRX do not participate in FH, it indicates that the BCCH TRX does
not participate in FH. The parameter BCCHTRXHP specifies whether the BCCH TRX participates in FH.
(GBFD-113702 BCCH Carrier Frequency Hopping)
When the BCCH TRX participates in FH, the MA list for the BCCH timeslot (generally, the BCCH timeslot
is timeslot 0 of the BCCH TRX) is different from the MA lists for other timeslots. The MA list for the BCCH
timeslot does not contain the frequency assigned to the BCCH TRX. The MA lists for other timeslots can
contain the frequency assigned to the BCCH TRX.
According to the implementation method of baseband FH, the maximum number of frequencies in an MA
list equals the number of hopping TRXs. That is, if the number of hopping TRXs is large, the number of
frequencies available for FH is large, and the effect of interference suppression is great. If the BCCH
TRX participates in FH, the number of frequencies available for FH increases. This helps to improve the
system performance.
In baseband FH, all the bursts of one call may be transmitted through multiple TRXs. If any TRX is faulty,
FH fails and call drops may occur.
The combiner used for baseband FH produces low signal attenuation, and thus the coverage area is
large. The number of frequencies available for FH, however, is dependent on the number of TRXs, and
accordingly the FH gain is small. Therefore, baseband FH is applicable to the areas where loose
frequency reuse patterns are adopted. The purpose of FH is to improve the performance and
anti-interference capability of the system.
3.2 RF FH
In RF FH, each TRX is not assigned a fixed frequency, and different timeslots on one TRX and different
TRXs can use different MA lists. The number of frequencies in different MA lists can be different. The
number of frequencies in an MA list is not dependent on the number of hopping TRXs. It can exceed the
number of hopping TRXs. During transmission, the TRX determines the frequency used to transmit a
burst according to the HSN. Then, the burst is transmitted on the frequency. Figure 3-2 shows the
working principle of RF FH. In the figure, f0 to fn indicate all the frequencies in an MA list. (GBFD-113701
Frequency Hopping (RF hopping, baseband hopping))
Figure 3-2 Working principle of RF FH
In comparison to baseband FH, more frequencies can be used in RF FH to obtain greater FH gains.
Generally, RF FH improves the performance and anti-interference capability of the system much more
than baseband FH.
In general, the hybrid combiner is used for RF FH and it produces high signal attenuation. Thus, the
coverage area is small. RF FH is applicable to the cells where tight frequency reuse patterns are
adopted. In these cells, co-channel and adjacent-channel interference is strong. Therefore, more
frequencies are used in an MA list. The purpose is to obtain great FH gains and to improve the
anti-attenuation capability of the system. If the number of frequencies participating in RF FH is greater
than four, the system performance is improved significantly.
The BCCH frequency must remain unchanged. In RF FH, the transmit frequency of each TRX changes.
Therefore, the BCCH TRX cannot participate in RF FH.
3.3 Hybrid FH
In hybrid FH, some TRXs adopt RF FH and other TRXs adopt baseband FH in a cell. One TRX, however,
can adopt either RF FH or baseband FH.
For baseband FH, only the frequency assigned to each TRX participates in FH. For RF FH, one TRX can
use multiple frequencies. Generally, the number of hopping frequencies is greater than the number of
TRXs to obtain sufficient FH gains. If the number of TRXs in a cell is small but the frequencies are
sufficient, RF FH can be adopted to improve the system performance. If the number of TRXs in a cell is
large but the frequencies are insufficient, baseband FH can be adopted to improve the system
performance.
In general, hybrid FH is applicable to co-BCCH cells. In the overlaid subcell of a co-BCCH cell, a tight
frequency reuse pattern is adopted, and thus the co-channel and adjacent-channel interference is strong.
In addition, the overlaid subcell generally operates on the 1800/1900 MHz band, and the frequencies are
sufficient. The underlaid subcell of a co-BCCH cell generally operates on the 900/850 MHz band, a loose
frequency reuse pattern is adopted, and the frequencies are insufficient. In general, the BCCH is
configured in the underlaid subcell. To adapt to these characteristics of the co-BCCH cell, hybrid FH can
be adopted. In the overlaid subcell, the TRXs use RF FH and more frequencies are used to improve the
anti-interference capability of the system. In the underlaid subcell, the TRXs use baseband FH to
improve the system interference, and no additional frequency is required.
4 Engineering Guidelines
4.1 Limitation of the CA List on FH
An MS learns the information about the frequencies used in a cell according to the cell allocation (CA)
list carried in the system information. The frequency information is used during immediate assignment
and packet assignment. If FH is enabled in a cell, the BSC informs the MS of the hopping frequencies to
be used during immediate assignment through the CA list, that is, these frequencies are to be used on
the dedicated signaling channels. This enables the normal processing of immediate assignment.
According to the 3GPP protocols, the number of frequencies in a CA list cannot exceed 64. Therefore,
during data configuration, ensure that the number of frequencies used on the dedicated signaling
channels does not exceed 64. Otherwise, immediate assignment may fail. If the CBCH is configured, the
number of frequencies used on the dedicated signaling channels cannot exceed 32.
If a large number of frequencies are used in a cell, they can be classified into two types. One type of
frequencies is used by the dedicated signaling channels during immediate assignment, and the other
type of frequencies is used by traffic channels. These two types of frequencies should be configured
separately. The frequencies used by the dedicated signaling channels should be contained in the CA list
of the system information. The frequencies used by traffic channels are not necessarily contained in the
CA list.
When ARFCNs are encoded in a CA list, there is a limitation on the frequency range, that is, frequency
spacing should not be too large. If all the frequencies are on the same frequency band, the frequency
spacing is equal to the maximum ARFCN minus the minimum ARFCN. For example, the frequency
spacing between ARFCN 1 and ARFCN 15 is 14. If the frequencies are on different frequency bands, the
frequency spacing is equal to the minimum ARFCN minus the maximum ARFCN plus 1024. For example,
the frequency spacing between ARFCN 0 and ARFCN 10 is 1014.
The number of frequencies in a CA list is dependent on the frequency spacing. Due to the limitation of
coding schemes, if the frequency spacing is large, the number of frequencies that can be contained in a
CA list is small.
If all the hopping frequencies are on the GSM900 (P-GSM) band, a maximum of 64 frequencies can be
configured in a CA list, and the number of frequencies in the CA list is not dependent on the frequency
spacing.
If the hopping frequencies are on a frequency band rather than the GSM900 (P-GSM) band or are on
multiple frequency bands (for example, frequencies in the GSM900/GSM1800 cells), the frequency
spacing and the number of frequencies in a cell should meet any of the following requirements.
Otherwise, the CA list will not be decoded successfully.
The frequency spacing is less than 111.
The frequency spacing between any two frequencies is greater than 913.
The total number of frequencies is smaller than or equal to 16.
The total number of frequencies is 17, and ARFCN 0 is to be encoded in the CA list.
The total number of frequencies is smaller than or equal to 18, and the frequency spacing is greater
than 512.
The total number of frequencies is smaller than or equal to 22, and the frequency spacing is greater
than 768.
The total number of frequencies is smaller than or equal to 29, and the frequency spacing is greater
than 896.
When configuring hopping frequencies in a cell, pay special attention to the frequency spacing and the
number of frequencies. The frequencies used by the dedicated signaling channels during immediate
assignment must meet the preceding requirements. Otherwise, the CA list cannot be decoded, and the
immediate assignment cannot be performed properly.
5 Parameters
Table 5-1 Parameters Description
Parameter ID NE MML Command Description
FHMODE BSC6900 SET Meaning: This parameter specifies the
GCELLHOPQUICKSETUP(Mandatory) frequency hopping mode of a cell. When
this parameter is set to "NO_FH", all the
TRXs of the cell do not join in frequency
hopping. When this parameter is set to
"BaseBand_FH", the cell is in baseband
frequency hopping mode. In this case,
there can be TRXs that do not join in
frequency hopping on the cell. When this
parameter is set to "RF_FH", the cell is
in RF frequency hopping mode. In this
case, there can be TRXs that do not join
in frequency hopping on the cell. When
this parameter is set to "Hybrid_FH", the
cell is in hybrid frequency hopping. In
this case, some TRXs on the cell must
join in baseband frequency hopping,
some cells on the cell must join in RF
frequency hopping, and some cells on
the cell must not join in frequency
hopping.
6 Counters
None.
7 Glossary
For the acronyms, abbreviations, terms, and definitions, see the Glossary.
8 Reference Documents
[1] 3GPP TS 45.002 Multiplexing and multiple access on the radio path
[2] 3GPP TS 44.018 Mobile radio interface layer 3 specification; Radio Resource Control (RRC)
protocol
[3] BSC6900 Feature List
[4] BSC6900 Optional Feature Description
[5] BSC6900 GSM Parameter Reference
[6] BSC6900 GSM MML Command Reference