Performance Analysis of Dedicated Signalling Channels in GERAN by Retrial Queues

GERAN (GSM-EDGE Radio Access Network) operators have traditionally used the Erlang B formula to estimate the number of signalling channels on a per-cell basis. Thus, it is assumed that the network behaves as a loss system with Poisson arrivals. However, the presence of automatic retrial mechanisms and correlated arrivals in these channels suggests that these assumptions might not be valid. This paper presents a performance analysis of the Stand-alone Dedicated Control CHannel in GERAN. Preliminary analysis shows that the Erlang B formula underestimates congestion and blocking on this channel. To address this issue, a queueing model with retrials and correlated arrivals is proposed, where correlation between arrivals is modelled by a simple Markov-Modulated Poisson Process. The proposed model can be tuned on a per-cell basis by statistics in the Network Management System. Model assessment is based on performance statistics from a live GERAN system. Results show that a simple retrial queueing model fails to explain blocking in cells with a large number of channels. These limitations are overcome by adding correlated arrivals in the retrial model.