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3.1 · LTE · Mobility

LTE Mobility — Idle Reselection · Connected Handover · Load Balancing

Mobility is three disciplines wearing one name: the idle UE reselects on its own (the network only sets the rules — SIB thresholds, priorities, hysteresis); the connected UE is commanded (measure → report → prepare → execute, each stage counted); and load balancing uses the same machinery to move traffic instead of coverage. Samsung counts every connected leg with a prep/exec failure split — Families 17/334 (intra-eNB), 18/19 (X2 out/in), 20/21 (S1 out/in), timing in 23 — the trigger layer in 212/213/404, ping-pong in 415, paging in 28, and the MLB stack in 155/156/217/408. Per discipline: KPI → counters → failure causes → optimization — every name verbatim.

17·334Intra-eNB out/in
18·19X2 out/in
20·21S1 out/in
23HO_TIME
28PAGING
156LBHO · MLB
The mobility KPI set — one product formula, three legs

The headline is the workbook's verbatim composite over the three connected legs; the deck adds the per-leg targets and the health guards (ping-pong, RLF-after-HO, execution time):

The LTE mobility KPIs (verbatim formulas & deck targets)
KPIFormula / sourceTarget (deck)
LTE Handover Success Rate (%)(IntraEnbSucc + InterX2OutSucc + InterS1OutSucc) ÷ (IntraEnbAtt + InterX2OutAtt + InterS1OutAtt) × 100 (workbook verbatim)> 98%
Intra-eNB HO Success Rate (%)IntraEnbSucc ÷ IntraEnbAtt × 100 (workbook verbatim)> 98%
Ping-pong HO rateFamily 415 PINGPONG (8-class classification) ÷ HO attempts< 5%
RLF after HORLFs within 10 s of HO (deck definition) — evidence in MRO Fam 26 (retainability page)< 1%
HO execution timeFamily 23 HO_TIME: Intra/X2/S1HoTimeAvg/Max/Tot/Cnt< 50 ms intra
Paging success rateFamily 28: successes ÷ AttPaging; discards in DiscardedNbr≥ 99.5% · delay ≤ 50 ms
Cell reselection fail rateIdle-mode guard (deck table)< 5%
Why "out" legs in the formula — the composite uses outgoing counters (source-cell view): the source owns the decision, so it owns the KPI. The incoming twins (334/19/21) grade the same handovers from the target side — compare both and a systematic gap names the direction of the problem (source preparing badly vs target failing arrivals).
The mobility machine — from camped to handed-over

Idle: the UE camps and reselects by rule (S-criteria → measurement triggers → R-ranking). Connected: measure (A3/A5 config) → report (unless Family 404 discards it by threshold) → prepare (target admission — CAC) → execute (RRCConnectionReconfiguration + t304) → arrive (incoming families). Load balancing injects synthetic triggers into the same pipe.

reselect (idle) → measure → report → prep → exec → arrived — with the LB injection pointpeg points
IDLE · camped
reselection by rule
Measure
A3/A5 config · s-measure
Fam 212/213 results
Report
MR arrives…
or Fam 404 discards it
Prepare
PrepFail_* = CAC,
X2/S1 transport, target
Execute
Fail_* = air, t304,
GTP/PDCP forwarding
Arrived
334/19/21
LB injection
156 MlbHOAtt · 217 idle steer
Paging (idle)
28 AttPaging · Discarded
prep fails at the target, exec fails at the airthe two halves of every HO counter family — different owners, different fixes.
Read the counter name — the LTE handover decoder

Every HO counter is <Scope><Stage> or <Scope><Stage>Fail_<Domain><Cause> — the accessibility prefix grammar, applied to mobility:

Scope × stage × domain
TokenMeaningFirst place to look
IntraEnb / InterX2Out|In / InterS1Out|InThe leg: same eNB · X2 inter-eNB · S1 via MME (out=source view, in=target view)X2 leg failing but S1 healthy = X2 transport/config, not radio
IntraFreqOut / InterFreqOutWithGap / …WithoutGap (133/134/135)The same HOs re-counted per frequency relation — with/without measurement gapsGap variant failing = gap starvation (scheduling), not coverage
…PrepSucc / …PrepFail_*Preparation — target admission + transport before the UE is told_Cp*CacFail=target CAC · _X2ap*/_S1ap*=interface · _CpCcTo=peer silent
…Succ / …Fail_* (after prep)Execution — the UE moves (t304 window)_RrcSigTo=UE lost mid-air · _UpGtpFail/_UpPdcpFail=forwarding path · _CpCcTo=completion timeout
Pingpong1…8 (415)The ping-pong classifier — 8 pattern classes per cell pairTrigger tuning (hysteresis/TTT) on the named pair
DiscardA3/A4/A5byRsrp|RsrqThreshold (404)MRs discarded by the eNB's own HO threshold — the report arrived and was ignoredThreshold vs event config mismatch; also DiscardbyVoiceCongestionAvoidance
!
The mobility superpower — compare out vs in and prep vs exec. Out-prep failing = the target or the interface refuses. Out-exec failing = the air or the forwarding path. In-family failing while out-family healthy at neighbours = this cell is a bad target (CAC, RACH, config). Four quadrants, four different owners — before touching any A3 offset.
Discipline ① — Connected handover (Families 17/334 · 18/19 · 20/21 · 23)

Three legs, one grammar. The deck's per-leg guidance, condensed — every counter verbatim:

①-a · The three legs — counters & failure split (verbatim names)
LegCounters (att → prep → succ)Signature failures
Intra-eNB (17 out · 334 in)IntraEnbAtt → IntraEnbPrepSucc → IntraEnbSuccPrepFail_CpCapaCacFail/_CpQosCacFail (own CAC!) · Fail_UpMacFail (board) · Fail_CpCcTo
X2 (18 out · 19 in)InterX2OutAtt → InterX2OutPrepSucc → InterX2OutSuccPrepFail_X2apLinkFail/_X2apRpTo/_X2apSigFail (the X2 itself) · Fail_UpGtpFail/_UpPdcpFail (data forwarding)
S1 (20 out · 21 in)InterS1OutAtt → InterS1OutPrepSucc → InterS1OutSuccPrepFail_S1ap* (MME path) · exec Fail_RrcSigFail — S1 is the slow path: expect worse numbers
Timing (23)IntraHoTimeAvg/Max · X2HoTimeAvg · S1HoTimeAvgDeck: intra <50 ms; X2 ≪ S1 by design — an S1-dominant cell needs X2/ANR work, not timer work
①-b · Optimization playbook (deck-verbatim recommendations)
SymptomDiagnosisLever (deck values)
Prep fails _Cp*CacFail at targetTarget admission — LB problem wearing an HO costumeTarget CAC headroom; target-cell-load-threshold (70–80%) if MLB; offload the target first
Prep fails _X2ap*X2 transport/configX2 SON/auto-setup, NRT audit; S1 fallback masks it — check the leg mix
Exec fails _RrcSigTo / RLF-after-HOToo-late trigger or weak targeta3-offset 4 dB default → tune ±1; hysteresis 1–3 dB; TTT 40–80 ms intra (deck), 320–512 ms X2; t304
Exec fails _UpGtpFail/_UpPdcpFailData-forwarding path brokenLTE-SW1006 Data Forwarding config (direct vs indirect), GTP path health; PDCP loss target <0.5%, in-order ≥99%
S1 share highMissing X2 to real neighboursANR + X2 whitelist — every S1-only pair adds latency and failure surface
Discipline ① continued — the trigger layer (Families 212/213 · 404 · 415 · 133/134/135)

Before any HO counter moves, the trigger layer decides. Family 212/213 records the actual RSRP/RSRQ of source and target at triggering — the ground truth for every offset debate. Family 404 counts reports the eNB chose to ignore. Family 415 classifies ping-pong into 8 patterns. Families 133/134/135 re-count HOs per frequency relation — the with/without measurement-gap split isolates gap starvation from real coverage issues.

i
Playbook — arguing about a3-offset? Open 212/213 first: if targets are triggered at healthy RSRP but exec still fails, the problem is t304/target-side, not the offset. DiscardA3byRsrpThreshold climbing = your event config and HO threshold disagree — the UE reports, the eNB bins it. Inter-freq failing only with gap (134 vs 135) = the scheduler is starving measurement gaps under load, tune gap pattern not thresholds. Ping-pong classes (415) name the oscillation pattern per pair — pair-level hysteresis/TTT, and remember the idle twin q-hyst.
Discipline ② — Idle mobility & paging (Family 28 · LTE-SW1001/1002)

Idle mobility is rule-setting, not commanding: the UE runs S-criteria and R-ranking from SIB parameters. The deck's verbatim reselection table plus the paging machine:

②-a · Reselection parameters (deck-verbatim values & recommendations)
ParameterTypical (deck)Recommendation (verbatim)
s-intra-search31 (62 dB)Reduce if UE delays intra-frequency measurement
s-non-intra-search7 (14 dB)Optimize based on coverage planning
q-rxlevmin−126 dBmAdjust for better cell-edge performance
q-hyst3–6 dBIncrease to reduce unnecessary reselections (idle ping-pong)
q-offset-freq0 dBAdjust based on inter-frequency behaviour
t-reselection1–5 sIncrease for better UE stability
Cell reselection fail rate< 5%Reduce q-hyst or optimize q-offset-freq (deck guard)
②-b · Paging (LTE-SW1001, Family 28 — deck-verbatim)
ItemValue / counterGuidance (verbatim)
default-paging-cycle ([ENB] scheduling-config/pcch-config-logic)32 / 64 / 128 ms32 ms low latency · 128 ms battery savings; align with peak/off-peak traffic
nbFour-t … Quarter-tPaging frame/occasion as a multiple of the cycle — optimize for efficient frame selection
AttPaging / DiscardedNbr (Fam 28)SR ≥ 99.5% · delay ≤ 50 msOptimize tracking areas to stop paging unnecessary cells; low-latency S-GW↔MME transport; avoid paging in SDL/LAA/DL-only
Idle ↔ connected coupling — every idle rule has a connected twin: q-hysthysteresis, t-reselectiontime-to-trigger, reselection priorities ↔ FPHO (Fam 695). Tune them as pairs — a UE that camps on the wrong layer in idle starts every call with a handover debt. (LTE-SW1002 Idle Mobility Support owns the idle side.)
Discipline ③ — Load balancing (Families 155 · 156 · 217 · 408)

MLB reuses the HO machinery with load as the trigger. Family 156's design is unusually honest — it counts why MLB did NOT fire: MlbNotTriggered_LoadCondition (load never crossed the threshold) vs MlbNotTriggered_RadioCondition (load crossed, but no UE had a radio-viable target). That one split separates threshold tuning from RF reality.

③-a · The MLB counter set (verbatim)
CounterFamilyMeaning
MlbHOAtt / MlbHOSucc / MlbHOPrepAtt156Load-balancing handovers — the active-mode output
MlbHOPrepFailureNoResource156The target refused the LB handover — congestion moved, not solved
MlbNotTriggered_LoadCondition / _RadioCondition156Why MLB stayed silent: threshold vs RF viability
IdleLbCnt / UECount / IdleLbTargetEarfcnDL217Idle-mode steering — UEs redistributed before they connect
MCLB_CA (Fam 408)408Multi-carrier LB by CA — balancing via SCell configuration instead of HO
Fam 155 LOAD · 281 LOAD_HISTOGRAM155/281The load evidence the triggers read
③-b · The MLB parameter stack (deck-verbatim, load-balancing-active/idle-mode-info-func)
LeverTypical (deck)Deck guidance (condensed verbatim)
load-equalization-enable + equal-threshold0/equal-delta0enable · ~60–70% · Δ20–30%Co-sited inter-freq equalization — threshold high enough to mean real load, delta big enough to mean real difference
intra/inter-group-offloading-enable + thresholdsenable if groups definedOffload within/between carrier groups; target group must have coverage for the offloaded UEs
target-cell-load-threshold70–80%Stops LB from moving congestion to an equally-congested target — watch MlbHOPrepFailureNoResource
rate-load-balancing-candidate / -target10–30% / 5–15%Aggressiveness dials: too few LB HOs → raise; ping-pong → lower
idle-mode-load-balancing-enableauto-mode-by-carrier-loadPre-balance in idle so connected LB has less to do; tune weight-in-auto-mode, per-FA capacity class
load-shedding-enable (overload)last resortShortens inactivity timers under overload — frees slots, costs re-setup signalling
anchor-selection-enable / scg-band-selection-modeEN-DC deploymentsBalances the EN-DC anchor and SCG band choice — detailed on the NSA mobility page (no overlap)
i
Playbook — read 156's three-way story first: NotTriggered_LoadCondition dominant = thresholds too high (or genuinely no congestion — check 155/281). NotTriggered_RadioCondition dominant = RF can't support balancing — no parameter will move UEs that have no viable target; that's a coverage/carrier plan issue. PrepFailureNoResource climbing = the whole cluster is full — capacity, not balancing. Voice: Family 897 (forced HO for voice congestion) and 404 DiscardbyVoiceCongestionAvoidance show the voice-protection machinery acting.
The edges — IRAT, NR and special mobility (Families 75/76 · 120 · 850/824 · 265 · 695)
Verbatim family map
FamilyWhat it countsOptimization note
75/76 HO_INTER_RAT_UTRAN_OUT/INPS handover to/from 3GLegacy escape path — A5-style B-thresholds; shrinking traffic, keep clean not fast
120 HO_UTRAN_SRVCC_OUTSRVCC voice fallback to UTRANVoice continuity guard — failures here are dropped calls, audit with VoLTE team
850/824 HO_INTER_RAT_NR_OUT/INLTE↔NR SA inter-RAT handoverThe SA coverage-edge escape — pairs with the SA mobility page's 5211/5212 (their view of the same HO)
265/304 VOLTE_HO (+time)QCI-1 handovers counted separatelyVoice gets its own SR and timing — hold it to the >98% bar independently
695 FPHO_OUTFrequency-priority-based HOThe connected twin of idle priorities — layer-strategy steering, not coverage
347 INTER_RAT_HO_CANCELLATION · 536 HO_RACancellations · HO random-access preamblesExec-phase evidence: HO RACH failing = target RACH config, not source trigger
Interactive — the A3 trigger, visualized

Two RSRP tracks — serving falling, neighbour rising. Drag a3-offset, hysteresis and TTT and watch where the handover fires — and whether it lands too late (RLF risk) or oscillates (ping-pong). The entire trigger debate in one picture.

A3 Trigger Visualizerlive
Verdict
LTE Mobility Studio — three legs → grade → weakest → fix

Enter the busy-hour leg counters plus the guards; the studio computes the composite and per-leg SRs against the deck bands and routes the fix.

Mobility Studiolive
LTE Handover Success Rate (workbook formula)
%
Recommended action
The LTE mobility routing fabric — root cause × stage

Every mobility counter routed from its root-cause domain to the stage where it books. Click a domain, stage, scenario, or any counter chip for its optimization card.

LTE Mobility Routing Fabric
Scenarios
The LTE mobility feature stack — 12 features, full detail (deck feature-by-feature)

The deck documents each mobility feature with its own parameters, counters and optimization pages. Click any node for the full card — activation, key parameters with recommended values, watch-counters.

LTE Mobility Feature Pipelineclick a feature node to open its detail card
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Foundation order (deck's own priority) — a clean PCI plan and complete ANR/X2 come before every trigger parameter: "a handover cannot succeed if the source cell doesn't know the target cell exists." Then MRO automates the trigger tuning; MLB rides on top. Tuning a3-offset on a network with PCI conflicts is painting a broken wall.
The 6-step LTE mobility MOP
1
Baseline all legs, both directions

17/334, 18/19, 20/21 with the prep/exec split; 23 timing; 415 ping-pong; 156 MLB; 28 paging. Compute the composite and per-leg SRs.

out AND in — the quadrant view Skip this and a bad-target cell hides behind healthy source stats.
2
Foundation check — PCI · ANR · X2

PCI conflicts, missing neighbours, S1-only pairs, no-handover/locked cells. Deck: this is the #1 priority before any parameter.

NRT + X2 audit If wrong: every downstream tuning fights a config error.
3
Split prep vs exec

Prep-heavy = target/CAC/interface (fix admission or transport). Exec-heavy = trigger timing or forwarding (A3/TTT/t304 or SW1006). Fam 404 discards = config self-contradiction.

the four-quadrant cut If wrong: offset tuning for a CAC problem.
4
Read the trigger ground truth

Fam 212/213: at what RSRP/RSRQ do HOs actually trigger? Fam 415: which pairs oscillate? Then — and only then — move a3-offset/hysteresis/TTT on the named pairs, or hand it to MRO (son-auto-apply).

212/213 before every offset debate If wrong: network-wide offset moves for a 3-pair problem.
5
Balance load — in the right order

Idle steering (217) first, active MLB (156) second, shedding last. Read the NotTriggered split: RadioCondition-bound = carrier-plan work, not thresholds.

156's three-way story If wrong: MLB thresholds tuned while RF forbids balancing.
6
Verify with the guards

Same hour before/after: leg SRs up, ping-pong <5%, RLF-after-HO <1% (MRO Fam 26 — retainability page), paging ≥99.5%, VoLTE HO (265) held. One lever per soak.

HO SR >98% + the four guards If wrong: an SR gain bought with ping-pong is a loss.

LTE mobility is three disciplines, one grammar, four quadrants.

Idle rules · connected commands · load steering — decoded by out/in × prep/exec. Fix the foundation, read the ground truth, then tune. Continue to the 5G twins.

Sources: Samsung eNB Counter Description via the operator KPI workbook (Families 17/334 HO_INTRA, 18/19 HO_X2, 20/21 HO_S1, 23 HO_TIME, 28 PAGING, 133/134/135 per-frequency HO, 155/156/217/408 load balancing, 212/213 HO_TRIGGERING, 404 DISCARD_MR, 415 PINGPONG, 695 FPHO, 265/304 VOLTE_HO, 75/76/120/850/824 IRAT, 347, 536, 897 — names verbatim; HO SR formulas from the "LTE KPI" sheet verbatim) · Samsung LTE Mobility Optimization deck (LTE-SW1001 Paging, SW1002 Idle Mobility, SW1003 Intra-eNB, SW1004 S1, SW1005 X2, SW1006 Data Forwarding, SW1007 Inter-Frequency, SW1008 HeNB Inbound, SW1010 Redirection — parameters, targets and recommendations verbatim) · LB parameter stack from the LTE Throughput Optimization deck's Load Balancing chapter. Events per 3GPP TS 36.331 §5.5.4. MRO RLF classification (Fam 26) lives on the retainability page — cross-referenced, not duplicated.