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Feature Description 496/221 04-LZA 701 6014/1 Uen AA30A

Minimum Interference Scheduling

Contents
M i n i m u m I nte r fe re n c e S c h e d u l i n g O ve r v i e w
Dependencies
Interoperability with Other Features in Special Cases
Fe a t u re O p e ra t i o n
N e t wo r k I m p a c t
P a ra m e te r s
Performance
Ac t i va te B a s i c Fe a t u re
Engineering Guidelines
Enable Minimum Interference Scheduling

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1 Minimum Interference Scheduling Overview

The feature allows the random selection of the starting position for uplink PRB allocation in the band. This can
reduce cell interference for uplink traffic at the edges of the band.

Fe a t u re N a m e Minimum Interference Scheduling

Fe a t u re I d e nt i t y FAJ 121 5222
Va l u e P a c k a g e N a m e LTE Base Package
Value Pa ckage I dentity FAJ 801 0400
Node Type Baseband Radio Node
Access Type LTE
Licensing Non-license-controlled feature. No license is required.

Summary
It is possible to use the resource fair allocation strategy without many PRBs allocated to uplink traffic. In such cases,
high interference occurs between intra-frequency cells on the band edges.
The Minimum Interference Scheduling feature allows a more even distribution of uplink PRBs. It uses a random
starting point in the band for PRB allocation when uplink PRB use is low. This can spread uplink interference evenly
across the whole spectrum. As a result, uplink performance can increase. The gain is dependent on the load and traffic
characteristics.
The feature also allows to configure two reserved regions next to PUCCH. These regions are between each PUCCH and
the band center. New transmissions try to avoid using these PRBs to reduce uplink interference in these regions.
The Minimum Interference Scheduling feature is supported for both in FDD and TDD cells.

Ad dit i onal Info rm ati o n

For more information about scheduling, see the following documentation:

– Scheduler

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2 Dependencies of Minimum Interference Scheduling

The feature is associated with other features related to scheduling.

Table 1 Feature Dependencies

Fe a t u re Re l a t i o n s h i p Description
Uplink cell and UE throughput can decrease as
Data Aware Uplink Scheduling (FAJ 121 4757) Related
the available spectrum becomes more
fragmented. This can occur when selecting a
Dynamic Uplink Resource Allocation (FAJ 121 new starting position for new transmissions
Related with the resource fair resource allocation
4619)
strategy.
The uplink ICIC can block PUSCH PRBs, which
limits resources allocated by the uplink
scheduler. Blocked PRBs between two PUCCH
regions can lead to inaccurate PRB use
calculations. In addition, they affect the
randomized start position function of the
ICIC - Autonomous Resource Allocation (FAJ
Related Minimum Interference Scheduling feature.
121 1074)
Blocked PRBs can also move to the reserved
region if an uplink reserved region is
configured. Using the default configuration for
the ICIC - Autonomous Resource Allocation
feature is recommended for the best uplink
interference management results.
The Minimum Interference Scheduling feature
does not take effect if the total number of
available PUSCH PRBs between PUCCH
regions and band edges is greater than one
and NB-IoT is active in the in-band
NB-IoT Access (FAJ 121 4657) Related
deployment mode.
For more information on the relationship with
this feature, see Interoperability with Other
Features in Special Cases in Minimum
Interference Scheduling.
The Multi-Clustered PUSCH feature allows to
Multi-Clustered PUSCH (FAJ 121 4468) Related select a new starting position for Multi-
Clustered PUSCH UEs.
When co-scheduled MU-MIMO UEs use the
Multi-User MIMO Uplink Layers Extension
Related same uplink PRBs, the number of PRBs in
(FAJ 121 4878)
uplink PRB use calculations is added only once
for the Minimum Interference Scheduling
Uplink Multiuser MIMO (FAJ 121 4330) Related feature.
Uplink Frequency-Selective Scheduling (FAJ The Minimum Interference Scheduling feature
121 1799) does not take effect if an Uplink Frequency-
Conflicting Selective Scheduling or an Evolved Uplink
Evolved Uplink Frequency-Selective Frequency-Selective Scheduling feature
Scheduling (FAJ 121 4966) license is active.
The Minimum Interference Scheduling feature
does not operate by default if the PUCCH
Overdimensioning feature is activated.
PUCCH Overdimensioning (FAJ 121 0883) Conflicting For more information on the relationship with
this feature, see Interoperability with Other
Features in Special Cases in Minimum
Interference Scheduling.

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H a rd wa re
No specific hardware requirement.

L im i tat io ns
No known limitations.

Ne twork Requ i reme nts

ENM version 20.4 or later is required for the feature.

Re l a te d c o n c e p t s
Interoperability with Other Features in Special Cases

2.1 Interoperability with Other Features in Special Cases

The Minimum Interference Scheduling feature has a more complex relationship with certain features.

The Minimum Interference Scheduling feature has different interoperability cases with the PUCCH Overdimensioning
feature and the NB-IoT Access feature.

P U CC H O v e r d i m e n s i o n i n g
The Minimum Interference Scheduling feature does not operate if the PUCCH Overdimensioning feature is activated
with its default configuration. In this case, outer unused resource blocks in the PUCCH regions are used for PUSCH data.

Figure 1 Uplink Band Configuration with PUCCH Overdimensioning

If the ICIC - Autonomous Resource Allocation feature is active and it blocks outer unused resource blocks in the PUCCH
regions, the Minimum Interference Scheduling feature can operate.

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Figure 2 Uplink Band Configuration with PUCCH Overdimensioning and ICIC

NB -Io T Acce s s
The Minimum Interference Scheduling feature does not operate in the following conditions:

– NB-IoT is active in the in-band deployment mode.

– The total number of available PUSCH PRBs between PUCCH regions and band edges is greater than one.

This can occur in specific configuration cases or if the in-band NB-IoT cell is locked.

Figure 3 NB-IoT in the In-Band Deployment Mode and an Increased Number of PUSCH PRBs

The Minimum Interference Scheduling feature is supported with NB-IoT in the following deployment modes and
configurations:

– Guard band deployment mode

– Standalone deployment mode

– In-band deployment mode with default configuration

– In-band deployment mode with a custom configuration, if there is a maximum of one PUSCH PRB between

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PUCCH regions and the band edges

Figure 4 NB-IoT in In-Band Deployment Mode and a Supported Number of PUSCH PRBs

If an uplink reserved region is configured, an in-band NB-IoT cell with a custom configuration located in the reserved
region can benefit from lower interference.

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3 Feature Operation of Minimum Interference Scheduling

The feature operates in each TTI in a new transmission phase. A random configurable starting point is determined
for uplink PRB allocation when the estimated PRB use in the given TTI is low.

In a new transmission phase, the estimated PRB use in the current TTI can be low. In such cases, a new uplink starting
position is determined for resource fair resource allocation transmissions. This process is affected by the Minimum
Interference Scheduling feature.

Ope rati o nal P roce ss

1. The EUtranCellFDD.minInterfUlRegionSize or the EUtranCellTDD.minInterfUlRegionSize attribute

is examined to determine reserved uplink regions. If the attribute is set to zero, there are no reserved regions.

2. The available PUSCH is calculated within two PUCCH regions. This gives the number of the first available PRB from
the low edge of the band and the high edge of the band. High priority transmissions are not considered here.

3. An estimate of the number of required PRBs for the new transmission is calculated. The estimate is calculated as a
sum of PRBs required by all new transmissions in the current TTI.

4. The uplink start position is set in a certain distance from the PUCCH region if possible. The distance is determined by
the required number of positions. The region set by the EUtranCellFDD.minInterfUlRegionSize or the
EUtranCellTDD.minInterfUlRegionSize attribute is represented by k. This uplink reserved region exists if the
attribute is greater than zero.
The value represented by r is a random value. The r value is created if the estimated number of required PRBs is
low enough.
There are three possible modification possibilities for the start position.

–
Middle of the uplink spectrum

Low edge of High edge of

the spectrum the spectrum

k k

Estimated number of required PRBs

in the given TTI

L0002780A

Figure 5 Starting Position Modified by k

Figure 6 Starting Position Modified by k+r

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Regions in the two band edges are not used by new transmissions on the following conditions:

• The uplink region size is greater than zero.

• The estimated number of uplink PRBs is low.

The r value is created and added to k to determine the starting position if the estimated PRB number is low
enough. The starting position is determined at a distance of k or k+r positions from the PUCCH region.

–
Middle of the uplink spectrum

Low edge of High edge of

the spectrum the spectrum

Estimated number of required PRBs

in the given TTI

L0002781A

Figure 7 Starting Position Modified by r

The r value is created and added to the starting position on the following conditions:

• The uplink region size is zero.

• The estimated PRB number is sufficiently low.

The starting position is determined at a distance of r positions from the PUCCH region.

Middle of the uplink spectrum

Low edge of High edge of

the spectrum the spectrum

Estimated number of required PRBs

in the given TTI

L0002782A

Figure 8 Unmodified Starting Position

If the estimated required uplink PRB number is too high, the starting position is not changed.

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4 Network Impact of Minimum Interference Scheduling

The feature can have a positive impact on uplink interference. It can also improve uplink performance when a low
number of uplink PRBs is used.

C apac it y and P er fo rm ance

The feature has no impact on capacity. Uplink performance is improved by evenly spreading uplink interference across
the spectrum.

I nte r fa c e s
No impact.

Ot her N et wor k El e me nts

No impact.

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5 Parameters for Minimum Interference Scheduling

This feature introduces parameters to configure the uplink PRB region size between a PUCCH region and the band
center.

Table 2 Parameters

P a ra m e te r Type Description
See MOM description.
This feature is not license-
EUtranCellFDD.minInterfSchedEnabled Introduced
controlled, but is enabled and
disabled using this attribute.
EUtranCellFDD.minInterfUlRegionSize Introduced See MOM description.
See MOM description.
This feature is not license-
EUtranCellTDD.minInterfSchedEnabled Introduced
controlled, but is enabled and
disabled using this attribute.
EUtranCellTDD.minInterfUlRegionSize Introduced See MOM description.

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6 Performance of Minimum Interference Scheduling

The feature gains can be observed by KPIs, performance indicators, and PM counters. The observability of the
feature is related to uplink throughput, random access success rate, and PRB interference levels.

KPIs

Table 3 Key Performance Indicators

KPI Description
UE cell throughput is expected to be lowered in some
Average UL MAC Cell Throughput cases, as the available spectrum becomes more
fragmented when a new starting position is selected for
new transmissions. This can happen in cases of high uplink
PRB use and large-buffer UEs. The magnitude of this
Average UL PDCP Cell Throughput impact depends on the exact load and type of traffic in the
cell.
Peak throughput achieved by a single UE can be lowered,
as the available spectrum becomes more fragmented and
Average UL PDCP UE Throughput the largest possible island allocation size is reduced. The
magnitude of this impact depends on the exact load and
type of traffic in the cell.
This KPI is expected to improve when uplink interference
Random Access Success Rate
is lowered on the cell edges.

PIs
The following performance indicators are expected to improve as uplink interference is improved:

– UL PDCP Spectral Efficiency

– UL HARQ BLER

C o u nte r s
The following counters are introduced to observe the operation of the feature:

– EUtranCellFDD.pmPrbStartPosChgUlNewTxResFair

– EUtranCellTDD.pmPrbStartPosChgUlNewTxResFair

The following counters are related to the UL PDCP Spectral Efficiency and UL HARQ BLER performance indicators:

– EUtranCellFDD.pmMacHarqUlFailQpsk

– EUtranCellFDD.pmMacHarqUlFail16qam

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– EUtranCellFDD.pmMacHarqUlFail64Qam

– EUtranCellFDD.pmMacHarqUlFail256Qam

– EUtranCellFDD.pmMacHarqUlSuccQpsk

– EUtranCellFDD.pmMacHarqUlSucc16qam

– EUtranCellFDD.pmMacHarqUlSucc64Qam

– EUtranCellFDD.pmMacHarqUlSucc256Qam

– EUtranCellFDD.pmPdcpVolUlDrb

– EUtranCellFDD.pmPrbUsedUlDtch

– EUtranCellTDD.pmMacHarqUlFailQpsk

– EUtranCellTDD.pmMacHarqUlFail16qam

– EUtranCellTDD.pmMacHarqUlFail64Qam

– EUtranCellTDD.pmMacHarqUlFail256Qam

– EUtranCellTDD.pmMacHarqUlSuccQpsk

– EUtranCellTDD.pmMacHarqUlSucc16qam

– EUtranCellTDD.pmMacHarqUlSucc64Qam

– EUtranCellTDD.pmMacHarqUlSucc256Qam

– EUtranCellTDD.pmPdcpVolUlDrb

– EUtranCellTDD.pmPrbUsedUlDtch

SINR is distributed to higher value bins in cases with limited interference. The following counters are used to observe
this impact:

– EUtranCellFDD.pmSinrPuschDistr

– EUtranCellTDD.pmSinrPuschDistr

The EUtranCellFDD.pmRadioRecInterferencePwrPrbX and the

EUtranCellTDD.pmRadioRecInterferencePwrPrbX PM counters exist for each possible PRB, where X is the
number of the PRB. For example, the following PM counters are related to the first PRB of the band:

– EUtranCellFDD.pmRadioRecInterferencePwrPrb1

– EUtranCellTDD.pmRadioRecInterferencePwrPrb1

For more information about uplink interference PM counters, see Uplink Interference Reporting.

Eve nt s
This feature has no associated events.

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7 Activate Non-License-Controlled Features

Non-license-controlled features do not require manual activation and cannot be deactivated.

While license-controlled features need to be activated, non-license-controlled features are activated automatically
during node integration. They also do not have a software license key associated, which means that they have no
entries in the LKF that is installed on the node.

In some cases, non-license-controlled features need to be configured manually or have some of their subfunctions
enabled to work properly.

Re l a te d c o n c e p t s
Engineering Guidelines for Minimum Interference Scheduling
Re l a te d ta s k s
Enable Minimum Interference Scheduling

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8 Engineering Guidelines for Minimum Interference Scheduling

The feature can be enabled, disabled, and the uplink reserved region size can be controlled by MOM attributes. For
the expected gain, the feature must be enabled in a group of intra-frequency cells. In this case, the uplink
interference can be spread across the entire spectrum.

The feature is not controlled by a license, but it can be enabled and disabled by the
EUtranCellFDD.minInterfSchedEnabled or the EUtranCellTDD.minInterfSchedEnabled attribute.

The EUtranCellFDD.minInterfUlRegionSize or the EUtranCellTDD.minInterfUlRegionSize attribute

can be set to control the uplink region size between each PUCCH region and the band center. The allowed maximum
region size depends on the bandwidth. Two different use case settings can be distinguished:

– The attribute value can be set to zero. New transmissions with the resource fair resource allocation strategy use
the uplink spectrum more evenly between PUCCH regions.

– The attribute value can be set to a non-zero value. New transmissions with the resource fair resource allocation
strategy use the uplink spectrum more evenly between PUCCH regions, except in reserved uplink regions.

While setting a value of zero is recommended, the best value depends on the following network characteristics:

– The desired distribution of uplink interference.

– The amount of tolerable uplink spectrum fragmentation.

8.1 Enable Minimum Interference Scheduling

The feature is not controlled by a license, but it needs to be enabled through MO attribute configuration.

P rere q u i s i tes
Conflicting features and feature licenses are disabled.

Ste p s

1. Check if the following attributes have default values:

– EUtranCellFDD.ulInterferenceManagementActive or
EUtranCellTDD.ulInterferenceManagementActive = true

– EUtranCellFDD.ulInterferenceManagementDuration or
EUtranCellTDD.ulInterferenceManagementDuration = 5000

2. Set the EUtranCellFDD.minInterfSchedEnabled or the EUtranCellTDD.minInterfSchedEnabled

attribute to true.

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