Testbed, field trials and measurement issues for UMTS quality of service

This paper deals with the set of measurements performed on a testbed aimed at verifying the correct handling of different types of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) calls. Although focusing on functional aspects (the calls are handled in isolation), the testbed allows to gain insight into the exchange of signaling messages whose processing has an important bearing on QoS (quality of service) parameters related to the call set-up and information transfer phase of a connection. An assessment of two parameters which are very significant for the user appreciation of QoS, namely post selection delay and handover completion time, is presented for the test calls exercised via the testbed. The value of the paper consists in providing experimental evidence, which is still rare in the literature.