Tools keep networks constantly optimized

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 02/05/2007 4:46 PM  |  Life

Zatni Arbi, Contributor, Jakarta

As a subscriber to mobile phone services, we always take the connection for granted. We grumble if the connection is unstable, if the other party's voice is not clear or if the number we are trying to contact is always busy or inactive.

In fact, we never see the complexity of the technological interaction with our naked eyes, as the voice signal is transmitted and received using invisible radio frequencies.

The mobile phone is a technology marvel, as it has to overcome a lot of technical challenges. For example, radio frequencies attenuate, which means that they become weaker as they travel further from transmitters. They may also interfere with one another, causing what we call ""noise"".

Unless we are a bunch of engineers working in the industry, we may not be aware of the daunting tasks involved in setting up a network and making sure everything works seamlessly and optimally.

In ""Telecom 101"", we may get the impression that rolling out a new network only requires the operator to spread a map, divide a geographical area into cells, have their civil engineers erect one base station tower for each cell, install the transmitters/receivers and lay the cables that connect the towers to some central switching centers, press some buttons and get ready to send bills to subscribers.

Building a new tower is not so simple as that. First, there are regulations that need to be complied with. In Australia and many other countries, mobile phone towers must be erected at least 300 meters from schools to prevent any potential impact on students' health. In addition, each tower may require a unique antenna or a different level of power. Even the direction of each antenna must be adjusted to provide the best coverage.

Forget about the complexity of the billing system for now. Even when the infrastructure vendor has successfully jump-started the network, there is still much to be done; many things that need to be continuously monitored and adjusted. For obvious reasons, these tasks are called optimization and maintenance.

A network has to be constantly monitored and optimized to reduce call failure and call drop rates. Subscribers may be more forgiving if they experience a lot of noise, but they are not as tolerant when it comes to failed calls and calls that get disconnected in the middle of their conversation.

Still another challenge awaits on a higher level. An operator may have engaged more than one vendor to build its networks -- say, one vendor to build its network in one province, another in a separate province and a third in yet another province. Such multi-vendor environments require knowledge of how each vendor's product and solutions work, yet multi-vendor environments are a fact of life in the telecommunications industry.

To top it all off is the never-ending challenge of new technologies. Today, the 2G GSM is still the dominant technology worldwide. As of now, only a fraction of subscribers have migrated to 3G UMTS.

However, industry players are confident that this will change. When operators have built their 3G UMTS infrastructure on top of their 2G, and when the subscribers have upgraded their devices, 3G UMTS will certainly replace 2G.

Nonetheless, integrating the new 3G network with the existing 2G infrastructure is a challenge. Remember that if you are a 3G subscriber using a 3G phone, your connection will automatically revert to voice call -- but only if the party you are calling has a 2G phone. To make a video call, the parties on both ends of the line must be using a 3G phone with video call support, and they also have to be 3G subscribers.

It thus goes without saying that the switch between 3G and 2G must be seamless.

In the coming years, the Internet will be the main conduit for communication. The mobile infrastructure is now geared toward providing Internet Protocol-based services, including Voice over IP (VoIP).

The practice is now to engage a third party to provide monitoring, maintenance and optimization services to ensure that networks operate at top performance, the subscribers are happy and the so-called churn rates (decreases in the number of subscribers over a certain period of time) remain low.

Some time ago, we talked about managed services, and the above tasks may be included in the contracts drawn up with the service provider.

Working hand-in-hand with the multi-vendor managed services providers are those companies that focus on providing the necessary tools to perform the tasks.

Actix, founded in 1991, is a good example. It may not be a household name, but in the mobile telecom industry it has become a reference. Specializing in optimizing network performance, Actix's products and solutions have been used by more than 200 carriers and equipment vendors throughout the world.

For example, to help an operator to expand its coverage by setting up new cells, Actix has a suite of tools called CellOpts that help automate the tasks of frequency planning. As with all other automation, this will reduce the time needed by engineers to determine the best combination of transmitted power, azimuth, tilt, antenna model, tower height and site location.

Operators also strive to ensure that their investments in the equipment will bring maximum return with no wastage. Actix Radioplan helps them ensure that they have maximum coverage, capacity and quality of services without boosting their expenditures or requiring a lot of time-consuming trial and error.

Once the network is rolled out, it does not necessarily mean smooth sailing will follow. Troubleshooting tools such as Actix Analyzer helps provide radio engineering teams with best practice processes and diagnostics tools. It uses Key Performance Index (KPI) reporting to let engineers keep track of the real network performance, regardless of the vendor.

Operators have been integrating IP into their mobile services. They need tools that allow them to quickly provide Web browsing, music downloading and video streaming into their wireless services. To address these needs, they need tools such as Actix UnifyIP.

Finally, with 3G making inroads into a growing number of markets around the world, unifying 3G into 2G services also requires tools to simplify and automate the processes. Unify3G, as the name indicates, focuses on integrating the two generations of services.

In short, operators and managed services providers need tools that automate a variety of processes at many different levels, including planning optimal network configuration based on various parameters, isolating and troubleshooting network problems after the roll-out, and integrating new services into existing ones.

To reiterate, the mobile phone is a technology marvel -- and a long way from the ""stringed can"" science project.

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