URA stands for UTRAN Registration Area, which is a paging area used to page UEs in URA_PCH state. Implementing URA provides several benefits including reducing signaling load. After implementing URA, the number of connected users increased 9x with 98% camping in URA_PCH. This resulted in an 82% reduction in PS RRC requests and 77% reduction in HS/EUL RAB requests, lowering RNC and core network load. Data traffic increased slightly by 2% while HSDPA user throughput rose by 8%. Overall, URA allowed more users to remain connected while reducing signaling load and improving throughput.

1. URA
A Gentle Introduction to the New Idle
Prepared by-
Saif Kabir Asif,
Specialist,
MBB Evolution,
RNP, Technology
23 March 2016

2. What is it?
• URA= UTRAN Registration Area
• A paging area like LA and RA
• LA is for paging of CS services and RA is for paging of PS services
2
Then…
What is URA for?
It is for paging to UEs in URA_PCH State

3. Then What is URA_PCH?
3
Dedicated
Idle
URA_PCH
FACH
DCH/HS
DownswitchTimer (DCH -> FACH)
HsDschInactivityTimer (HS-> FACH)
InactivityTimer (FACH-> URA)
InactivityTImerPCH (URA->Idle)
Fast Dormancy (HS/DCH-> URA)
Direct UpSwitch (URA-> HS/DCH)
EnergyConsumption
Data Rate

4. URA Planning: Capacity Consideration
4
• Paging Records per Paging Msg = 4
• Blocking Probability= 1%
• Paging Records/s =130
• Paging Records/hr =130*3600
=468,000
• noOfPagingRecordTransm=2
• Effective Capacity=468,000/2
= 234,000

5. URA Planning: Paging Consideration
5
30% More Paging
immediately after URA
Implementation during
peak

6. URA Planning: Essential Features
6
• FAJ 121 1552 Fast Dormancy Handling: Fast Dormancy Handling ensures that
Release 8 capable UEs do fast dormancy to URA_PCH rather than to idle. This
maximizes the number of users in URA_PCH and therefore maximizes the benefits
of URA_PCH.
• FAJ 121 2116 Device optimized fast dormancy: After introduction of FD Rel 8 in the
network it has been observed that certain devices are crashing when being
switched directly from CELL_DCH to URA after performing an URA update. Ericsson
addressed this with a correction to switch the device from CELL_DCH to CELL_FACH.
• FAJ 121 2425 Fast dormancy for pre-rel-8 Ues: This feature makes it possible to use
Fast Dormancy for selected pre-rel-8 UEs, with all its benefits. Typically the operator
can then move a larger number of devices to the URA state than without this
feature resulting in lower CN PS load, RNC load etc as known from the Fast
dormancy feature.
• FAJ 121 1496 Faster Establishment, Direct up switch from URA: This feature allows
channel switches from URA_PCH directly to CELL_DCH. Without the feature a data
transmission is initiated by switching up the UE from URA_PCH to CELL_FACH,
regardless of how much data the UE is intending to send. With the feature, the UE
can be switched either to CELL_FACH or to CELL_DCH depending on amount of data
to be sent.

7. Key KPI Summary Post URA
• 9X more Connected Users from which 98% camping in URA_PCH
• PS RRC Request Reduced by 82%
• HS/EUL RAB Request Reduced by 77%
• Data Traffic increased by 2%. Downtime due to power outages
impacted post traffic.
• HSDPA user Throughput increased by 8%
• IuPS Signalling Load reduced by 54%
7

8. Impact of URA
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
0
100000
200000
300000
400000
500000
600000
700000
800000
8-Mar-16
9-Mar-16
10-Mar-16
11-Mar-16
12-Mar-16
13-Mar-16
14-Mar-16
15-Mar-16
16-Mar-16
17-Mar-16
18-Mar-16
19-Mar-16
20-Mar-16
21-Mar-16
22-Mar-16
Users in URA CN init Paging to UE in URA
0
2000000
4000000
6000000
8000000
10000000
12000000
14000000
16000000
18000000
8/3/2016
9/3/2016
10/3/2016
11/3/2016
12/3/2016
13/3/2016
14/3/2016
15/3/2016
16/3/2016
17/3/2016
18/3/2016
19/3/2016
20/3/2016
21/3/2016
22/3/2016
URA FACH+DCH/HS
8
Average Number of URA Users Increased Post Feature Implementation and 98% of Connected Users in URA.
Without URA these Users would have required new RRC connections resulting in more Signalling Load.
User in URA Connected Users Breakdown

9. 0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
160000
8-Mar-16
9-Mar-16
10-Mar-16
11-Mar-16
12-Mar-16
13-Mar-16
14-Mar-16
15-Mar-16
16-Mar-16
17-Mar-16
18-Mar-16
19-Mar-16
20-Mar-16
21-Mar-16
22-Mar-16
CS RRC Req CS RRC Succ
0
100000
200000
300000
400000
500000
600000
700000
8-Mar-16
9-Mar-16
10-Mar-16
11-Mar-16
12-Mar-16
13-Mar-16
14-Mar-16
15-Mar-16
16-Mar-16
17-Mar-16
18-Mar-16
19-Mar-16
20-Mar-16
21-Mar-16
22-Mar-16
PS RRC Request PS RRC Succ
9
CS RRC Attempts remained similar(Excluding
14-March Sudden hike)
CS RRC Attempts
RRC Request
PS RRC Request
Number of PS RRC Request reduced by 82%

10. HS and EUL RAB Establishment
0
100000
200000
300000
400000
500000
600000
700000
800000
8-Mar-16
9-Mar-16
10-Mar-16
11-Mar-16
12-Mar-16
13-Mar-16
14-Mar-16
15-Mar-16
16-Mar-16
17-Mar-16
18-Mar-16
19-Mar-16
20-Mar-16
21-Mar-16
22-Mar-16
HS RAB Attempt HS RAB Succ
0
100000
200000
300000
400000
500000
600000
700000
800000
8-Mar-16
9-Mar-16
10-Mar-16
11-Mar-16
12-Mar-16
13-Mar-16
14-Mar-16
15-Mar-16
16-Mar-16
17-Mar-16
18-Mar-16
19-Mar-16
20-Mar-16
21-Mar-16
22-Mar-16
EUL RAB Attempt EUL RAB Succ
10
HS RAB Establishment reduced by 77%
EUL RAB EstablishmentHS RAB Establishment
EUL RAB Establishment reduced by 77%

11. MP Load and Iu Signalling
0.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
12.00
14.00
16.00
18.00
8-Mar-16
9-Mar-16
10-Mar-16
11-Mar-16
12-Mar-16
13-Mar-16
14-Mar-16
15-Mar-16
16-Mar-16
17-Mar-16
18-Mar-16
19-Mar-16
20-Mar-16
21-Mar-16
22-Mar-16
MP_Load_%
0
200000
400000
600000
800000
1000000
1200000
0
200000
400000
600000
800000
1000000
1200000
IuCS Signalling Times Iu PS Signalling Times
11
MP Load reduced by 3%
Iu SignallingMP Load
IuPS Signalling Load reduced by 54% & IuCS
remains similar

12. Why Less Signalling in URA?
12
30+ Signalling message for Idle to DCH/HS to 12 message for
URA_PCH to DCH/HS

13. Traffic and Throughput (Data BH)
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
350000
400000
450000
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
8-Mar-16
9-Mar-16
10-Mar-16
11-Mar-16
12-Mar-16
13-Mar-16
14-Mar-16
15-Mar-16
16-Mar-16
17-Mar-16
18-Mar-16
19-Mar-16
20-Mar-16
21-Mar-16
22-Mar-16
Speech_User Total_Data_Volume_MB
0.00
500.00
1,000.00
1,500.00
2,000.00
2,500.00
3,000.00
3,500.00
8-Mar-16
9-Mar-16
10-Mar-16
11-Mar-16
12-Mar-16
13-Mar-16
14-Mar-16
15-Mar-16
16-Mar-16
17-Mar-16
18-Mar-16
19-Mar-16
20-Mar-16
21-Mar-16
22-Mar-16
HSDPA Cell Tpt HSDPA User Tpt
13
Speech User reduced by 27%-DBH (7% on 24H) &
Data Volume increased by 2% (Not related to URA)
ThroughputTraffic
HSDPA Cell and User Throughput increased
by 2% and 8% Respectively

14. Thank You

15. Supporting Slides- Downtime
177
52 51
6
135
73
88 87
120
102 105 112
275
103
222
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Cell Downtime Hours
15
Due to increase in Cell Downtime, traffic statistics have been impacted in post period.
Downtime