Wireless Network Planning

Wireless Network Planning

Conclusion

Conclusion To date, mobile communications technology has developed to the extent that the border of the many related technologies have blurred: the cross infiltration of base station and base station controller, (wireless) network planning, network optimization, and the combination of wireless side products, etc. The purpose is to improve the wireless products’ market adaptability, the wireless network quality, and expansion of the wireless network services. So network planning today is not the one it used to be referred to before. It’s not confined to a department, but in the context of a technology and service, and one that denotes broader range. It involves participation and system-formation from all the wireless products departments. It also includes personnel-training mechanism as well as shift mechanism. The characteristics of wireless system lie in the mobility of the subscribers and the cellular networking as well. The mobility dictates that the designers have profound understanding on the complexity and connectivity of the macro wireless cellular networking, that they perceive the demands from the switch office side and analyze the potential uncertainty of the wireless network. One obvious feature is that many wireless personnel in big companies must receive the training on the theory of wireless propagation and practical activities on network drive test and background analysis before they are to be engaged in any concrete research or project engineering. The purpose of doing so is to strengthen their understanding on the characteristics of mobility and cellular networking. In the following sections we will discuss the duties and responsibilities of network planning from four perspectives: research on network planning technology, brief design and participation involved in wireless products, wireless products marketing strategy, and turnkey wireless products marketing plan preparation.

1 Research on the Network Planning Technology Research on the network planning technology includes: planning methods and software implementation, optimization methods and software implementation, the focus of which in on research, simulation, and experimentation of planning optimization methods. As for the software implementation, secondary development of cooperation-aided core algorithm module can be used to save the cost and enhance the competitiveness. In addition, another important aspect is the good interface between the planning optimization software and OMC database, as well as good management on the project. Thus most of the practical project planning optimization can be done by using the platform that is based on the software to free the front-line project engineers from the repetitive handiwork to make them focus on how to improve the network quality. Broadly speaking, the ultimate purpose of network planning optimization is to establish a wireless network that has good coverage, good quality, good capacity, and good dynamic adaptability to meet users’ demands on voice and data service. For the reason hereof, research on planning optimization is the research on networking that is market-oriented and market-driven. The result of the research can be on the one hand a planning optimization method for the general mobile system, on the other hand, can accelerate the development and perfection of the product to meet the networking demands, or can even present new algorithm, standards, or protocols. The research topics that can be derived now include: The propagation characteristics of some mobile communications frequency bands, layered net structure (including the structure inside the system and between the system), new technologies (air interface coding, voice speed, transceiver diversity technology, multiple access, multiple users

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Wireless Network Planning

Conclusion

detection, spread spectrum technology, multiple carrier propagation, soft handover, fast power control, intelligent antenna, new radio frequency devices, etc.), evaluation on the effect of, and contribution from wireless network performance, frequency utilization ratio and the evolution trend of capacity, traffic module, and data throughput module and their effect on the network performance, algorithm module in the planning optimization tools.

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Participation in the Primary Design of Wireless Products The purpose of networking research is to serve the product development to improve their market competitiveness. Both the result and the procedure of networking research have significant guide in the product development. The result of the networking research can directly be the algorithm of some base station controllers (channel management, power control, handover management, and traffic analysis, etc.); It can give advices and assessment on the project establishment, new function development, and new version concerning the base station controller, base station, and OMC products from the perspective of networking. A project team can be set up to co-solve the problems from online that have common features. Before the primary design of the products, it is very necessary to take the many complex networking requirements into account. Though the implementation of detailed functions can be carried out step by step, the overall frame must be farsighted and scalable. This can prevent the later non-marketability of the product and inability to improve the network quality.

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Wireless Products Marketing and Marketing Plan Preparation The marketing concerned here is the network marketing, what is sold is solution strategy, including providing solution strategy according to the switch office’s requirements or even providing solution strategy for market creation for the switch office. The essence of it is to provide a competitive networking philosophy to meet carrier and user’s demands in light of technology, cost, and user group. It is especially competitive and practical if the decision-makers join the practical networking analysis when deciding the whereabouts of the product according to the market analysis. On the other hand, when preparing a concrete marketing plan, especially when concerned with new carrier or new frequency band network, former network being blank, the manufacturer needs to present whole set of networking plan. The planning personnel need to construct the future network structure taking into account the wireless side equipment and mature networking. This demands not only the future network quality and scalability, but also consideration of the wireless cost to enhance the tender competitiveness. For the sake of reaching the best balance between the network indexes and quotation (investment), the number of base stations, the base configurations, antenna-feeder selection, frequency spectrum requirement, and networking are strictly related to the equipment and mature planning methods as well. This is especially important when concerned with the key project expansion. For overseas TURNKEY project, tender cost is especially eye-catching. Wireless networking directly demands a series of investment such as equipment house, tower, power supply, and propagation. The planning personnel need to decide the appropriate networking in light of the equipment performance, and mature planning methods and to reduce the wireless cost at the prerequisite of ensuring the later network indexes. A simple example is, the higher the frequency utilization ratio, the greater the base station configuration, and the fewer the number of base stations, thus reducing the total cost significantly.

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Wireless Network Planning

Conclusion

4 Wireless Project Implementation Project implementation is that part of the cycle that finally turns over the network to the users. At this phase, the planning personnel, as well as the project manager, perform thorough coordination and communication in light of project progress, turnover method, and quality control. In the field where the project is being implemented, the planning personnel, as the persons in charge of the network quality, must assist in setting up the pre-warning mechanism for the network quality, report to the leader of the switch office, and take part in the training, and planning optimization. Meantime, the planning personnel must prepare the next-phase expansion new construction plan according to the implementation progress and actively guide the switch office. It is very important for the project manager to familiarize himself with the planning optimization service. It helps the project manager to consider the project implementation in all directions of networking, and to allocate the resources effectively according to the urgency in case urgent situations arise. The characteristics of wireless products fully explain the importance of networking research for market survival. But it takes a lot of efforts to train successfully a professional networking researcher or a team with such spirit in mind. Department barriers must be broken, abundant opportunities must be available, and managerial convenience must be given to such personnel for them to participate in the whole flow and get experienced in all parts of the cycle. This is the steps that we take to nurture our personnel in the field of wireless network: practical installation and test of wireless equipmentoptimization/planning of the networkparticipation in technical support and IPD requirement management and analysis, exercise, experience summarization, theoretical improvementoutput to the departments or become a professional network researcher. Personnel of other wireless-related departments can also take part in some of the practices to improve their understanding on networking.

Author October 2001

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