96935575 Actix Radioplan ACP Guide 3 13

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Version 3.13

Automatic Cell

Planning (ACP) User Guide

Documentation Version: ACP-v3.13, June 2010 Software Version: Actix Radioplan ACP v3.13 Actix Radioplan v3.13

The content of this manual is provided for information only, is subject to change without notice,

and should not be construed as a commitment by Actix. Actix assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that appear in this documentation. Copyright 20012010 by Actix GmbH. All rights reserved.

Trademark Notice Radioplan is a registered trademark of Actix GmbH in the European Union. Actix and the Actix logo are trademarks of Actix Ltd. All other product or brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective

holders.

Contact: Actix GmbH Actix Ltd Altmarkt 10 200 Hammersmith Road D-01067 Dresden Hammersmith Germany London, W6 7DL tel.: +49 (0) 351 404 29 0 United Kingdom fax: +49 (0) 351 404 29 50 www.actix.com e-mail: [email protected] www.actix.com

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Contents

1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 7

1.1 OBJECTIVES OF NETWORK OPTIMIZATION ................................................................. 7 1.2 CHALLENGES IN RADIO NETWORK OPTIMIZATION ........................................................ 8 1.3 ADVANTAGES OF THE ACTIX RADIOPLAN SOLUTION ..................................................... 9

2 RADIOPLAN ACP OVERVIEW ......................................................................... 11

2.1 RADIOPLAN ACP NETWORK OPTIMIZATION PROCESS .................................................. 11 2.2 ACTIX RADIOPLAN INTEGRATION IN THE PLANNING AND OPTIMIZATION PROCESS ................. 13 2.3 OPTIMIZATION TASKS ....................................................................................... 14

2.3.1 Site Selection and Site Integration .......................................................... 14 2.3.2 Capacity and Coverage (Cell Parameter) Optimization ............................... 15 2.3.3 Overshooting Cells Detection and Handling .............................................. 16 2.3.4 Optimization Series ............................................................................... 16

2.4 MAIN ELEMENTS IN THE GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE ................................................. 17

3 OPTIMIZATION - GENERAL SETTINGS .............................................................. 20

4 OPTIMIZATION PROJECT CONFIGURATION......................................................... 24

4.1 NETWORK LAYER ............................................................................................. 24 4.2 AREAS ......................................................................................................... 25 4.3 CLUTTER CLASSES SETTINGS .............................................................................. 28 4.4 ANTENNA SETTINGS ......................................................................................... 29 4.5 SITE SETTINGS .............................................................................................. 32 4.6 CELL SETTINGS .............................................................................................. 34

4.6.1 Optimization Capabilities ....................................................................... 35 4.6.1.1 Conditions for Shared Antenna Parameters .............................................. 39

4.6.2 General Settings ................................................................................... 40 4.6.3 Resources Settings ............................................................................... 41 4.6.4 HSDPA Settings (UMTS only) .................................................................. 45 4.6.5 Transmitters Settings (GSM and iDEN only) ............................................. 48 4.6.6 Custom Parameters Settings .................................................................. 50

4.7 ADDITIONAL ANTENNA SETTINGS ......................................................................... 52 4.8 REPEATER SETTINGS ........................................................................................ 52 4.9 USER, TRAFFIC, AND REVENUE CONFIGURATION ........................................................ 54

5 OPTIMIZATION WIZARD .............................................................................. 56

5.1 ANALYSIS SETTINGS ........................................................................................ 56 5.1.1 Analysis Settings for CDMA and UMTS ..................................................... 56 5.1.2 Analysis Settings for GSM and iDEN ........................................................ 57 5.1.3 Analysis Settings for WiMAX ................................................................... 59 5.1.4 Analysis Settings for LTE ....................................................................... 59 5.1.5 Network Load Slider (CDMA and UMTS only) ............................................ 60 5.1.6 Calculation Pixel Size ............................................................................ 64 5.1.7 Advanced / Computation Effort Settings .................................................. 64 5.1.8 Best Cell Overlap Evaluation Margin ........................................................ 66 5.1.9 Best Cell Overlap Evaluation Method (GSM and iDEN) ............................... 66 5.1.10 Traffic and Area Masking ...................................................................... 66 5.1.11 Reconfigurable Cell Selection ................................................................ 69 5.1.12 Relevant Cells Plot .............................................................................. 70

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5.1.13 HSDPA (UMTS only) ............................................................................ 70 5.1.14 EVDO (CDMA only) .............................................................................. 72 5.1.15 Use GPEH Data (UMTS only) ................................................................. 72

5.2 OPTIMIZATION WIZARD ..................................................................................... 73 5.2.1 Template Selection ............................................................................... 73 5.2.2 Optimization Task Selection and Optimization Plot Settings ........................ 74

5.2.2.1 CDMA or UMTS Target Network Layer(s) ................................................. 74 5.2.2.2 GSM or iDEN Target Network Layer(s) ..................................................... 76 5.2.2.3 WiMAX Target Network Layer(s) ............................................................. 77 5.2.2.4 LTE Target Network Layer(s) .................................................................. 78

5.2.3 Sites To Be Integrated........................................................................... 79 5.2.4 Target and Constraint Network Layers for Multi-Layer Optimization ............. 80 5.2.5 Settings for Target Layers (Analysis Settings) .......................................... 81

5.2.5.1 Additional Thresholds (CDMA and UMTS only) .......................................... 82 5.2.5.2 Neighbor Cell Detection ......................................................................... 83 5.2.5.3 Method for Electrical Tilt Optimization ..................................................... 84 5.2.5.4 Overshooting Cell Compensation ............................................................ 84

5.2.6 Settings for Constraint Layers ................................................................ 85 5.2.7 Cost Control ......................................................................................... 88 5.2.8 Configuration Summary ......................................................................... 92 5.2.9 Optimization Results ............................................................................. 92

5.3 REVENUE ANALYSIS ......................................................................................... 93 5.3.1 Covered Revenue Function ..................................................................... 93

6 OPTIMIZATION ANALYSIS ............................................................................ 94

6.1 OPTIMIZATION PROGRESS .................................................................................. 96 6.1.1 Updating the Automatic Optimization Plots ............................................... 96 6.1.2 Optimization Progress Chart ................................................................... 97

6.2 ANALYSIS PLOTS ........................................................................................... 100 6.2.1 Best Pilot Received Power / Best RxPower / Best Pilot RSCP / Best Pilot

RSSI (CDMA, UMTS, WiMAX, and LTE) ........................................................... 100 6.2.2 Best RxLev_DL Power (GSM and iDEN only) ........................................... 102 6.2.3 Best Cell Areas of All, Reconfigurable, and Relevant Cells ........................ 103 6.2.4 RSSI (CDMA and UMTS only) ............................................................... 104 6.2.5 Best Pilot Ec/Io (CDMA and UMTS only) ................................................. 107 6.2.6 Best Pilot CINR / Best C/I (WiMAX only) ................................................ 108 6.2.7 Best Pilot SINR (LTE only).................................................................... 109 6.2.8 Best C/I (GSM and iDEN only) .............................................................. 110 6.2.9 Pilot RSCP Coverage (CDMA, UMTS, and LTE) ........................................ 111 6.2.10 Pilot RSSI Coverage (WiMAX only) ...................................................... 112 6.2.11 RxLev_DL Coverage (GSM and iDEN only) ............................................ 113 6.2.12 Pilot RSCP Coverage Threshold (CDMA, UMTS, and LTE) ........................ 113 6.2.13 Pilot RSSI Coverage Threshold (WiMAX only) ........................................ 114 6.2.14 RxLev_DL Coverage Threshold (GSM and iDEN only) ............................. 114 6.2.15 Pilot Ec/Io Coverage (CDMA and UMTS only) ........................................ 114 6.2.16 Pilot CINR Coverage (WiMAX only) ...................................................... 115 6.2.17 Pilot SINR Coverage (LTE only) ........................................................... 115 6.2.18 C/I Coverage (GSM and iDEN only) ..................................................... 116 6.2.19 Pilot Ec/Io Coverage Threshold (CDMA and UMTS only) ......................... 116 6.2.20 Pilot CINR Coverage Threshold (WiMAX only) ....................................... 117 6.2.21 Pilot SINR Coverage Threshold (LTE only) ............................................ 117 6.2.22 C/I Coverage Threshold (GSM and iDEN only) ...................................... 117 6.2.23 Best Cell Overlap .............................................................................. 118 6.2.24 Cell Overlap Ratio per Cell.................................................................. 119 6.2.25 Site Overlap Ratio per Site ................................................................. 119 6.2.26 Equivalent DL or UL Traffic per Pixel (CDMA and UMTS only) .................. 120

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6.2.26.1 User Activity Factor ........................................................................... 122 6.2.26.2 DL or UL Service Activity Factor .......................................................... 123 6.2.26.3 DL or UL Radio Bearer Activity Factor .................................................. 124 6.2.26.4 DL or UL Service Correction Factor ...................................................... 125 6.2.26.5 Special Case: HSDPA Users ................................................................ 126

6.2.27 Absolute Traffic ................................................................................ 126 6.2.28 Relative Traffic per Cell (CDMA and UMTS only) .................................... 127 6.2.29 Relative Load per Cell (CDMA and UMTS only) ...................................... 128 6.2.30 Users per Cell ................................................................................... 129 6.2.31 Cell Sizes ......................................................................................... 130 6.2.32 CQI (UMTS only) ............................................................................... 130 6.2.33 Total Revenue .................................................................................. 132 6.2.34 Covered Revenue .............................................................................. 133 6.2.35 Lost Revenue ................................................................................... 134 6.2.36 Total Revenue per Cell ....................................................................... 135 6.2.37 Covered Revenue per Cell .................................................................. 136 6.2.38 Lost Revenue per Cell ........................................................................ 137

6.3 GRAPHICAL ANALYSIS OF CHANGES AFTER OPTIMIZATION ........................................... 138 6.3.1 Cell Changes (Overview) ..................................................................... 138 6.3.2 Tilt, Azimuth, or Power Changes ........................................................... 139 6.3.3 Difference of the Relative Load per Cell (CDMA and UMTS only)................ 140 6.3.4 Relative Score per Cell ........................................................................ 141 6.3.5 Difference of the Covered Revenue per Cell............................................ 142 6.3.6 Difference of the Lost Revenue per Cell ................................................. 143

7 OPTIMIZATION RESULTS ........................................................................... 145

7.1 RESULTS DIALOG .......................................................................................... 145 7.1.1 Change List ........................................................................................ 149 7.1.2 Work Order ........................................................................................ 149

7.2 OPTIMIZATION SUMMARY REPORT ....................................................................... 149 7.3 SUBMIT TO DATABASE .................................................................................... 154

8 OPTIMIZATION ALGORITHMS ...................................................................... 157

8.1 OPTIMIZATION PRINCIPLES ............................................................................... 157 8.1.1 Basic Optimization Method ................................................................... 158

8.1.1.1 Focus on RF Network Characteristics ..................................................... 159 8.1.2 Search Window Defined by Max. Steps Up and Down .............................. 160 8.1.3 Required Performance Improvement (RPI) ............................................. 161 8.1.4 Coverage Constraints .......................................................................... 162

8.1.4.1 Preferred Coverage Objective ............................................................... 165 8.1.5 Optimization Performance .................................................................... 166 8.1.6 ROI and Revenue Thresholds ............................................................... 166

8.2 SITE SELECTION OPTIMIZER ............................................................................. 168 8.2.1 Project Configuration ........................................................................... 168 8.2.2 Problem Analysis ................................................................................ 169 8.2.3 Site Selection Optimization Configuration .............................................. 170 8.2.4 Objective Function and Side Constraints ................................................ 175 8.2.5 Algorithm Sequence ............................................................................ 176

8.3 CAPACITY AND COVERAGE OPTIMIZER .................................................................. 178 8.3.1 Project Configuration ........................................................................... 178 8.3.2 Problem Analysis ................................................................................ 179 8.3.3 Capacity and Coverage Optimization Configuration ................................. 180 8.3.4 Objective Function and Side Constraints for CDMA and UMTS Target

Network Layers depending on the RSCP vs. Ec/Io Slider .................................. 184

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8.3.5 Objective Function and Side Constraints for GSM and iDEN Target

Network Layers depending on the RxLev_DL vs. Overlap Slider ........................ 187 8.3.6 Additional Side Constraints by Constraint Network Layers ........................ 189 8.3.7 Algorithm Sequence ............................................................................ 190

8.4 SITE INTEGRATION OPTIMIZER .......................................................................... 191 8.4.1 Project Configuration ........................................................................... 191 8.4.2 Problem Analysis ................................................................................ 191 8.4.3 Site Integration Optimization Configuration ............................................ 191 8.4.4 Objective Function and Side Constraints ................................................ 192

8.5 OVERSHOOTING CELLS OPTIMIZER ...................................................................... 192 8.5.1 Project Configuration ........................................................................... 192 8.5.2 Problem Analysis ................................................................................ 192 8.5.3 Overshooting Cells Optimization Configuration ....................................... 192 8.5.4 Objective Function and Side Constraints ................................................ 193

9 CUSTOMIZATION .................................................................................... 195

9.1 DEFAULT AND USER-DEFINED CONFIGURATION FILES ............................................... 195 9.2 CUSTOMIZABLE CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS ........................................................ 196

10 RUNNING OPTIMIZATION SERIES ............................................................... 219

11 ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................... 222

12 REFERENCES ....................................................................................... 224

Actix Radioplan Automatic Cell Planning (ACP) Version 3.13 User Guide Introduction 7

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1 Introduction

The Actix Radioplan software comprises the Automatic Cell Planning (ACP) tool, which enables a highly efficient automated 2G and 3G network optimization that is easily

integrated into the network operators planning and optimization processes. Thus, it ensures a profitable network setup for achieving the maximum coverage, capacity, and service quality at minimum costs.

1.1 Objectives of Network Optimization

Network optimization is the process of steadily improving the network setup from the planning stage up to the live optimization of the running network.

The key objectives of network optimization are thus:

Cut down operational and capital expenditures significantly

Increase data service revenues and maintain a high quality of service with a cost-efficient network setup

Reduce the time to market for new network setups and new services significantly

Evolve the network in a controlled manner in alignment with the marketing traffic forecast

Ensure a leading edge position regarding network quality and capacity against competing networks

Two main tasks can be distinguished where the optimal network setup has to be found:

the deployment of the required infrastructure (launch) and

the maximum utilization of the existing infrastructure (post-launch).

The launch task corresponds to the initial deployment of the network as well as to the extension of an existing network by additional sites. It is characterized by:

the selection of the base station sites and

the initial cell configurations.

The post-launch task corresponds to stabilizing and adapting the launched network best to the real-world environment. It is characterized by:

maximizing the coverage, capacity, and service quality through the reconfiguration of the existing infrastructure by means of

the optimization of the network layout, i.e. of certain cell parameters, and possibly Radio Resource Management (RRM) parameters.


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1.2 Challenges in Radio Network Optimization

So far both tasks, the network deployment and the maximum utilization of the existing infrastructure, rely on experienced planning engineers that manually select sites or reconfigure the planned network setup based on their RF and radio technology expertise thereby usually using extensive drive test data and/or a planning tool for evaluation. Such a planning tool incorporates pathloss predictions as well as terrain and clutter information

and may also include a static simulator, which incorporates the assumptions on the traffic load, traffic distribution, and service mix.

This approach is very time-consuming, tedious, and error-prone, especially for large areas. Instead, an automated process relieves the planning and/or optimization engineer from the repeating manual tasks and can thus save much engineering time. Moreover, it

enables the evaluation of many more possible network setups based on clearly defined performance measures and cost constraints, thus providing the engineer with a network

setup that is much more comprehensive and cost-effective.

Even more than in 2G TDMA radio networks, the capacity and quality of a 3G W-CDMA network strongly depends on the spatial multi-service traffic distribution. Therefore, if 3G traffic measurements or at least forecasts are already available and reliable, the network optimization needs to consider that traffic data.

However, the traffic-relevant evaluation of each configuration change during the iterative optimization process by means of reliable simulation results is very time-consuming.

Moreover, before applying the optimized network setup to the network, it may be validated by a planning tool using static simulations. Hence, the optimization and the validation method, both using simulations, would not be independent from each other.

Generally, the success of the network optimization in the planning process, whether

manual or automated, is predetermined by the accuracy of the planning data, namely by the predictions and, if available, incorporated measurements of the pathloss and the user

behavior.

Last but not least, a successful automated optimization is not only required to quickly produce its results, but also to be closely integrated into the planning process and workflows as well as to provide comprehensive analysis and reporting capabilities as well as a high usability.


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1.3 Advantages of the Actix Radioplan Solution

Actix Radioplan ACP has superior characteristics compared to competing approaches due to the following aspects:

Simple to integrate into existing 2G and 3G network planning and optimization workflows. Entire planning data configurations can be imported into Radioplan ACP in a single step without any further modification e.g. via the Atoll Synchronization Module (ASM) or other planning-tool-specific plugins to Radioplan

ACP. Thus, the optimization process totally relies on planning data, namely the network setup, pathloss maps, DEM terrain maps, clutter maps, multi-service traffic maps (optionally), and the optimization constraints. The planning data can

also be tuned and updated with measurement data from drive tests in the real network. The Radioplan ACP optimization process and its workflow integration is described in chapter 2.

Closely supports both launch and post-launch optimization tasks by individual optimization algorithms that match the specific planning goals. Corresponding optimization tasks of Radioplan ACP are described in section 2.3.

Highly efficient because its basic approach does not utilize an inherent network simulation in the iterative optimization process. This approach is justified by the sophisticated computation of the objective function that accounts for the network load induced by users according to the multi-service traffic distribution as well as the interference between cells due to the network load. Moreover, the Radioplan ACP approach is designed to find the maximum improvement in coverage,

capacity, and quality in the shortest time. Thereby cost constraints defined by the

network operator are incorporated. The optimization technique is described in chapter 8.

Highly reliable because already in the planning process the optimization results can be independently validated by static and dynamic simulations using the integrated Radioplan Network Simulator. This validation of the performance improvement resulting from the optimization is very reliable because the objective

functions used for capacity and coverage optimization do not apply simulations and are thus independent from the validation method. Additionally, the optimization results can easily be validated by drive-test measurements from the live network. Moreover, the user can decide to what extent the possibly uncertain traffic forecasts shall be incorporated in the optimization. The optimization process is described in section 2.1 and the optimization technique in more detail in chapter 8.

Easy and intuitive to use. The graphical user interface effectively supports the user throughout the entire optimization process. In particular, it provides

comprehensive reporting and graphical analysis capabilities including powerful direct comparisons of the initial and the optimized network setups and the optimization progress is permanently communicated to the user including an animated presentation of the performance improvements through the reconfigurations. The usability is well illustrated by the description of the application scenarios in chapter 2.3 as well as by the overall description of the

configuration and analysis capabilities in the present documentation.

Customizable such that configuration settings can be predefined for certain optimization scenarios, which enable an instant start of the optimization. The customization is described in chapter 9.


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Actix Radioplan Automatic Cell Planning (ACP) Version 3.13 User Guide Radioplan ACP Overview 11

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2 Radioplan ACP Overview

2.1 Radioplan ACP Network Optimization Process

The Radioplan ACP network optimization process relies on planning data that is possibly tuned and updated with measurement data from the live network. In particular, the network setup, pathloss maps, DEM terrain maps, the clutter map, multi-service traffic

maps (optionally), and the optimization constraints are fed into the optimization process, Fig. 2-1.

reconfiguration

of the

network setup

DEM map clutter map

objective

function

network setup pathloss maps

pre-analysisQoS

validation

constraints

traffic maps

Simulations or

Measurements

(optional)

Simulations or

Measurements

(optional)

High-speed iterative process

reconfiguration

of the

network setup

DEM map clutter map

objective

function

network setup pathloss maps

pre-analysisQoS

validation

constraints

traffic maps

Simulations or

Measurements

(optional)

Simulations or

Measurements

(optional)

High-speed iterative process

Fig. 2-1 Network optimization process supported by Radioplan ACP

The initial network setup can be analyzed instantly by a set of analysis plots that highlight optimization-relevant performance measures and illustrate the objective functions. Thereby problem areas can be identified and the need for and required extent of

optimization can be determined.

Generally, the network setup can be reconfigured by selecting:

site locations and

antenna heights

as well as by changing:

antenna types,

electrical and mechanical antenna tilts,

antenna azimuths, and

cell powers.


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The optimization tasks that are targeted by the Radioplan ACP optimization algorithms are described in section 2.3.

Appropriate objective functions have been defined for these optimizers:

An objective function that represents the coverage probability is used to maximize the coverage.

An objective function that represents the cell load or cell overlapping is used to minimize interference and power consumption in order to maximize the capacity and service quality.

Since the optimization is often a trade-off between conflicting goals, the objective functions are additionally combined with constraints, e.g. with respect to coverage,

balanced network load, and above all costs.

The optimization algorithms employ these objective functions in different ways as described in chapter 8.

As also illustrated in Fig. 2-1, the optimization process is an iterative procedure where alternately the objective function is computed over the optimization region and then certain network parameters are adjusted. This means implicitly that apart from the calculation of the objective function, which is based on the available planning and measurement data, no expensive simulation of the network is performed during capacity and coverage optimization. This fact greatly contributes to the extreme efficiency of the

method applied.

Moreover, the deterministic Direction Set (Powells) algorithm that is applied in the optimization method combined with a partitioning into local groups of affected cells and with heuristics based on Actixs extensive radio network expertise ensure that the optimum network setup can be found within the huge parameter space of the optimization

problem extremely fast.

In addition to that all available system resources can be efficiently exploited because Radioplan ACP supports parallel processing.

During the automated optimization process animated plots and charts illustrate the progress of the reconfigurations that are accepted by the evaluation heuristics as well as their impact on performance measures and objective functions.

Analysis and validation capabilities allow a direct comparison of the network setup before and after optimization as well as reporting. Moreover, exporting functions support the

feedback of the optimization results in the planning and optimization process and their application in the live network.

Optimization

capabilities

configuration in

each project

Problem

analysis

Optimizer

configuration

Optimization

results analysis

and reporting

Optimization process

- including progress

indication and

automatic

optimization plots

Fig. 2-2 Optimization sub-steps of Radioplan ACP network optimization process


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Radioplan ACP efficiently supports the following sub-steps of the network optimization process as illustrated in Fig. 2-2:

Optimization capabilities configuration in the Radioplan project: by optimization-relevant settings that can be specific to each project see chapter 4;

Problem analysis for an appropriate optimizer configuration: by a large variety of Analysis Plots as part of the comprehensive Radioplan data visualization and analysis capabilities see chapter 6;

Optimizer configuration: by the Optimization Wizard see chapter 5;

Optimization process: by a visualization of the optimization progress see chapter 6;

Optimization results analysis and reporting: by a variety of plots and reports as part of the comprehensive Radioplan data

visualization and analysis capabilities see chapters 7.

2.2 Actix Radioplan Integration in the Planning and Optimization Process

As a part of Actix Radioplan, the automated network optimization provided by Radioplan ACP is integrated with planning tools and measurement equipment usually applied in the

planning and optimization process as depicted in Fig. 2-3.

Planning

Tool

DEM &

Clutter

Maps

Radio Access Network

Measurement

Equipment

Drive Test Analysis

Dynamic & Static

Network Simulation

Automated

Network Optimization

Site and antenna height selection

and adaptation of:

antenna tilt antenna azimuth antenna type/pattern cell power

Tuning of

Planning DataNetwork Layout &

Performance

Database

Investig.

& Focus

Areas

Pathloss

Maps

Traffic

Maps

Con-

straints

Planning Database

Network

Setup

Optimizing of

Planning Data

Planning

Tool

DEM &

Clutter

Maps

Radio Access Network

Measurement

Equipment

Drive Test Analysis

Dynamic & Static

Network Simulation

Automated

Network Optimization

Site and antenna height selection

and adaptation of:

antenna tilt antenna azimuth antenna type/pattern cell power

Tuning of

Planning DataNetwork Layout &

Performance

Database

Investig.

& Focus

Areas

Pathloss

Maps

Traffic

Maps

Con-

straints

Planning Database

Network

Setup

Optimizing of

Planning Data

Fig. 2-3 Actix Radioplan ACP Tool Integration

The current network setup and further information required for planning and optimization is usually contained in the planning database of the radio network planning tool. Radioplan has interfaces to such planning tools in order to seamlessly import and export the planning

data thereby applying automated data conversion functions.

For instance, for the Atoll planning tool by FORSK the entire planning configurations can be imported via the COM-based ATOLL Synchronization Module (ASM) into Radioplan ACP in a single step without any further modification. Likewise the confirmed optimized network

setup can be exported via the ASM to the planning tool.


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Through the incorporated drive test data import and analysis, the planning data, e.g. the pathloss maps, can be tuned automatically based on measurements from the live network.

The planning database that is updated with the optimized network setup can already be used to independently validate the results of the automated network optimization against

the planning tool with respect to coverage and capacity indicators.

However, a comprehensive validation including coverage, capacity, and quality requires either live measurements or network simulations. Either approach or a combination of both is supported by Radioplan as it contains not only the drive test analysis, but also incorporates Network Simulators for Monte-Carlo snapshot simulations as well as for fully dynamic network simulations including realistic network models for true and efficient QoS validation.

Please refer to [R-UG] for more information on Radioplan and its modules.

2.3 Optimization Tasks

The optimization algorithms of Radioplan ACP have been designed primarily for the following optimization tasks.

While the example scenarios described below may refer to specific systems, the algorithms can be applied to network configurations of all radio technologies supported by Radioplan: CDMA, GSM, iDEN, UMTS, WiMAX, and LTE.

2.3.1 Site Selection and Site Integration

For the evaluation whether certain available sites should be added to the network configuration or could be removed from the network configuration, the Site Selection

Optimization can be used. As the evaluated sites may have different antenna heights, an antenna height optimization is possible as well. Moreover, through a combination with the Capacity and Coverage Optimization, the cell parameters of the selected sites can

automatically be optimized, too.

Possible scenarios include the following:

Investment Planning for 3G Network Launch or Major Expansion (possibly reusing existing 2G sites)

Upon an initial 3G network launch, the locations for the base station sites have to be selected and initial cell configurations have to be applied in order to meet initial coverage

and capacity objectives with respect to the investment goals.

Especially for an incumbent network operator with an existing 2G network infrastructure, site selection combines two objectives:

select the existing 2G sites to be reused for 3G and

select the optimal sites from additional 3G candidates.

Thereby, an existing 2G network potentially makes it easier to rollout a 3G network but can also create problems due to inter-site distances that are not ideal for 3G. Moreover, the 2G coverage objectives may not align with the 3G coverage objectives.

Also 3G operators that still need to increase their coverage footprint and/or provide more network capacity through a considerable number of new sites usually may select from a larger number of possible site locations according to their investment goals.

Hence, the Site Selection Optimization can automatically remove those sites which are not required to meet specified coverage and capacity objectives taking the absolute traffic to be served by the remaining sites into account. Therefore, sites that must remain in the network setup may be fixed and the initial cell configurations of the remaining sites can be

optimized automatically. Approved network operator practices for initial cell configurations can be applied, of course, in order to limit the degree of freedom to a great extent.


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Radio Network Design Validation

Network operators in many cases outsource the network design, for example to the radio network equipment vendor (turn-key). Then it is still in the interest of the network operator to get the most from the investment in new sites and to maximize the coverage

and capacity of the network.

According to this need, Radioplan ACP can be used to validate the radio network design proposed by the equipment vendor. Through the combination of Site Selection and Capacity and Coverage Optimization the network operator has powerful means to independently validate the proposed sites and the site configurations and eventually identify better site configurations and even sites, which may not be required if the network design would be optimized according to the coverage and capacity requirements of the

current network rollout phase.

Fill-in Site Optimization

Moreover, given an existing network (post-launch), the network still continuously evolves and new sites have to be filled in to provide additional coverage and capacity. Thereby, a group of several alternative candidate locations for each new site may be available.

Hence, the Site Selection Optimization can automatically add sites through a selection of

the optimal site from each group of alternative candidates in order to achieve the maximum coverage and capacity including the optimization of the initial cell configurations. These candidates can also be cell sites at the same location, but with different antenna heights thus enabling Antenna Height Optimization as well.

If just a single site for a new location has to be integrated (as opposed to a selection from several alternative candidates), the Site Integration Optimization can automatically optimize the initial cell configurations of such a site in accordance with also optimized cell

configurations of the surrounding sites in a very straightforward manner.

2.3.2 Capacity and Coverage (Cell Parameter) Optimization

Given an existing network (post-launch), the maximum utilization of the existing infrastructure is decisive for the cost effectiveness of the network operation.

The objective is to maximize the coverage and minimize the interference by the optimization of the existing network, namely through the reconfiguration of the following cell parameters:

antenna type

antenna mechanical tilt, electrical tilt, and remote electrical tilt

antenna azimuth

cell transmit power of a beacon signal and of possibly other control channels.

Thereby, depending on the propagation environment, coverage and interference may be conflicting objectives because the interference can be minimized through a higher cell isolation, i.e. less cell overlapping. However, a too high cell isolation may reduce the

coverage.

In 3G CDMA networks, cell parameter optimization is vital for the capacity and service quality.

In FDMA networks like GSM, interference is basically controlled by frequency planning and the capacity mainly by the installation of the appropriate number of transceivers. However, as the GSM network evolves over time by inserting new sites, often the existing sites are

not adapted to the denser site configuration. Thus, bad interference conditions and a lack of clearly dominant cell areas may prevent new frequency plans with tighter frequency reuse that can cope with increasing capacity requirements and limited spectrum

availability.


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Moreover, in 3G networks, depending on the cell coverage areas and the traffic distribution, there may be a trade-off between interference minimization and traffic load balancing both aimed at maximizing the capacity and service quality.

Especially in the early days of 3G networks traffic data may not be available yet and traffic

predictions may not be reliable enough to completely rely on them for network optimization.

Last but not least every cell parameter reconfiguration implies costs for its implementation in the live network. This must be taken into consideration.

Hence, the Capacity and Coverage optimization automatically optimizes the reconfigurable cell parameters and gives the user a number of choices in order to adapt it to the particular network and optimization objectives and constraints. They include for example:

A slider allows the user to set the preference for those cases where maximizing coverage and minimizing interference might require different reconfigurations.

The user has the option to consider the spatial traffic distribution, if available. Otherwise, a homogeneous traffic distribution is assumed. In case of an inhomogeneous traffic distribution the optimization of high-traffic regions is prioritized over low-traffic regions.

Cost parameters (in Radioplan ACP so-called Required Performance Improvement thresholds) allow the user to control the degree of changes to the network setup

and the associated costs.

2.3.3 Overshooting Cells Detection and Handling

Overshooting cells can impair a consistent radio network design. Nevertheless, they may

have been designed for specific reasons at a certain point of time.

Therefore, such cells (also known as boomer cells), which over-propagate many others and provide distant best server coverage or strong interference levels, can be identified by Radioplan ACP and, if desired, also down-tilted both automatically according to configurable settings.

This overshooting cells detection and handling is available in Radioplan ACP either as a separate optimization algorithm or as an integrated task at the beginning of a Site Selection, Site Integration, or Capacity and Coverage Optimization.

2.3.4 Optimization Series

Radioplan allows you to run optimization series. You can create different Optimization configuration templates and run those consecutively on individual projects. For more information see section 10.


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2.4 Main Elements in the Graphical User Interface

The main optimization functions of Radioplan ACP can be controlled by the Optimization toolbar, Fig. 2-4.

Fig. 2-4 Optimization toolbar: before, during, and after optimization

Run Optimization

Stop Optimization

Unload Optimization Module

Request Plot Update During Optimization Run

Optimization Summary Report

Show Progress Chart

These functions can also be accessed by the Optimization menu, Fig. 2-5.

In addition to the main optimization functions, Radioplan ACP provides more options for configuration, analysis, and customization. They can also be accessed by the Optimization

menu.

Fig. 2-5 Optimization menu


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When selecting Run Optimization the Optimization Wizard is opened, which guides the user through the configuration as described in section 5.2. After confirmation of the last wizard dialog the optimization is started.

By the Stop Optimization option the user can stop a running optimization. Then, the

intermediate result is available for analysis, like the result of an optimization.

By the Unload Optimization Module option, the memory occupied by an initialized or completed optimization is released. The information in the memory speeds up further analysis plots. An Unload is required, however, if certain Analysis Settings shall be changed (namely the Calculation Pixel Size ,the Traffic and Area Masking as well as the UMTS HSDPA settings see also section 5.1).

Note that Unload Optimization Module is automatically called when selecting Run

Optimization.

The Analysis Settings include all optimization settings that may affect the Analysis Plots as described in section 5.1.

The Analysis Plots are described in section 6.2. The accessibility of the menus depends on the active network layers (refer to section 4.1).

The Revenue Analysis submenu contains some settings as well as a set of plots for revenue analysis as described in sections 5.3 and 6.2, respectively. This functionality is only available if the Capital Planning Module is licensed.

The Optimization Summary Report gives a tabular overview of the optimization results as described in section 7.2.

Show Progress Chart opens an interactive chart diagram that displays the performance improvements over the steps and accumulated costs as they evolve during the

optimization as described in section 6.1.2.

The Automatic Plot Update and the Request Plot Update During Optimization Run options are useful to control the Automatic Optimization Plots for a running optimization as described in section 6.1.1.

Radioplan ACP can be customized using configuration files (*.ini). The menu entries Load

Configuration and Save Configuration support the management of such customer- and even user-specific configuration files as described in chapter 9.

For information on Run Optimization Series, see chapter 10.

Additionally, Radioplan ACP:

considers some General Settings as described in chapter 3 and

takes project-specific optimization capabilities into account, which can be configured in each Radioplan project as described in chapter 4.

Generally, all important steps and decisions during both the configuration and the execution of optimizations are logged in the Optimization tab of the Message window below the main window, Fig. 2-6.


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Fig. 2-6 Logging messages example in the Optimization tab of the Message window

Actix Radioplan Automatic Cell Planning (ACP) Version 3.13 User Guide Optimization - General Settings 20

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3 Optimization - General Settings

From the Radioplan General Settings dialog, invoked by the menu entry Tools General Settings, the parameters relevant for Radioplan ACP are described in Table 3-1.

Fig. 3-1 Radioplan General Settings dialog


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Table 3-1 Radioplan-ACP-relevant general settings

Parameter Unit / Value

Description

Raster Matrix Display Settings

Default Minimum Plot Pixel Size

m The minimum dimension [m] of a single pixel used for raster matrix plots.

It is the pixel size effective for the display of matrices, which influences the memory and disk space consumption as well as the displaying performance refer also to [R-UG].

Noise in Interference Calculations

Noise Floor dBm The noise floor N, which shall represent:

- the thermal noise power Nth within the channel bandwidth

and may additionally include:

- the noise figure NF at the terminal and

- a network-wide additional loss LT at the terminal side, e.g.

for indoor users, which effectively increases the noise floor

resulting in the total configurable value:

N = Nth + NF + LT

one for each of the following supported technologies: UMTS, GSM, CDMA, iDEN, and WiMAX.

For example, the default Noise Floor for UMTS may correspond to N = Nth =-107dBm for B = 5MHz and T = 288K as well

as NF = 0 and LT = 0.

It is used for interference ratio calculations including:

- Ec/Io calculations in CDMA, UMTS, and LTE projects, and

- C/I calculations in GSM, iDEN, and WiMAX projects.

Noise Figure LTE

dB The noise figure NF for LTE, which can have different system

bandwidths.

Based on this, the LTE noise floor NLTE is defined as follows:

NLTE [dBm] = -114.0 + 10.lg(B [MHz] ) + NF [db]

which assumes

Nth [mW] =(1.38.10-20 mWs.T [K] / K) . B [Hz]

with T = 288K and takes the Bandwidth B from the Network Layer Settings (refer to section 4.1).

Message Logging

Log Messages to File

{true; false}

If this box is checked, the log output to the Message window is also written to a text file (LogMessages.txt). This file is automatically stored in the users Application Data\Actix\Radioplan directory. It can be easily accessed by clicking the Explore Log Folder button.

If, upon starting Radioplan, the existing log file is larger than

2 MB, a new one is created and a copy of the previous one is saved with a timestamp.


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Description

Multithreading

Number of Processors

{Auto; 1; 2; }

In Auto mode, the computations are automatically distributed to all available processor cores.

If not all available processor cores shall be used, the number of them can be specified.

Please note:

In addition to the Radioplan general Plot Pixel Size, Radioplan ACP still defines the Calculation Pixel Size (refer to section 5.1.6).

The parameter Total Downlink Network Load [%] applies only to the Best Ec/Io plot that is invoked using the menu entry View Configuration Data Plots Interference Ratio. It is not used for optimization calculations.

For more information on the Radioplan General Settings, e.g. on customization of the

General Settings in the user workspace, please refer to [R-UG].


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Actix Radioplan Automatic Cell Planning (ACP) Version 3.13 User Guide Optimization Project Configuration 24

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4 Optimization Project Configuration

Radioplan ACP considers project-specific configuration data. These optimization settings are described in the following.

4.1 Network Layer

A Radioplan project consists of one or more Network Layers. A network layer is

characterized by the parameters listed in Table 4-1.

Table 4-1 Network Layer parameters

Parameter Unit / Value Description

System {CDMA; GSM; iDEN; UMTS; WiMAX; LTE}

The radio technology.

Frequency

Band

An integer identifier for:

- the carrier frequency (band) of a CDMA or UMTS system, e.g. the UARFCN, or

- frequency band of a GSM system.

HCS A string identifier for the Hierarchical Cellular Structure (HCS) layer, i.e. a certain subset of cells

within a system.

It can also be used to distinguish frequency bands by strings.

Priority [0; 1; 2; ] An integer identifier for the priority of a network layer.

Higher values represent higher priority.

It is used for the best serving cell decision in

conjunction with the cell-specific Min. RxPower Threshold.

Bandwidth [MHz]

> 0

For LTE network layers only:

The LTE system bandwidth.

The Network Layers dialog, Fig. 4-1, gives an overview of the network layers in the

project. It can be opened by clicking the icon (tooltip Manage Network Layers) from the

Surface Plots toolbar.

In that dialog as well as in the combo box right next to it, e.g. , one or more network layers can be selected.

All Network Layers that are selected together must have the same System.

For optimization, further configuration requirements may apply (see below).


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For the selected Network Layers, Radioplan core functions can be used for analysis, e.g. a

received power plot, which is created by clicking the icon (tooltip Plot Received Power) and shows for UMTS layers the Best Pilot Power.

Fig. 4-1 Example of the Network Layers dialog and the LTE-specific Network Layer Options

For the optimization, two sets of network layers can be distinguished:

The active Network Layers in the Network Layers dialog define the Target Layers for optimization.

Further Network Layers can be defined as Constraint Layers for optimization in the Optimization Wizard (refer to section 5.2).

Usually, the network layers in the Radioplan project are the result from the planning data import process. Additionally, they can be created and modified in Radioplan.

For more information, please refer to [R-UG].

4.2 Areas

For each Radioplan project a Simulation Area (brown polygon(s)) and an Analysis Area

(yellow polygon(s)) can be defined in the Areas folder Fig. 4-2.

Fig. 4-2 Areas folder in the Configuration tree tab

The areas are displayed in the main window as for example in Fig. 4-3.


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Fig. 4-3 Example Simulation Area (brown polygon) and Analysis Area (yellow polygon)

The Area Settings dialog, Fig. 4-4, can be invoked by double-clicking an element in the Areas folder of the Configuration tab tree.

Fig. 4-4 Area Settings dialog

There are several ways to define areas in Radioplan:

Areas can be imported automatically together with the planning data imported from a planning tool.

Areas can be imported based on common vector data file formats by the entry Import in the context menu of the Areas folder or of any existing area item in the Area folder.


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Areas can be drawn and modified using the corresponding paint mode, which is activated by clicking the Modify Simulation Area icon or the Modify Analysis

Area icon from the Paint toolbar, respectively.

Areas can be edited in the Area Settings dialog, which can be opened by double-clicking an existing area item in the Areas folder, e.g. Fig. 4-4.

Each area may be composed of several subpolygons.

The Analysis Area must be completely inside the Simulation

Area.

More than the 2 area definitions for Analysis Area and Simulation Area may be loaded into

the Areas folder. Then, any area can be selected as the Analysis Area or Simulation Area by the entry Set as Analysis Area or Set as Simulation Area, respectively, in the context menu of that area item in the list.

For more information, please refer to [R-UG].

The Simulation Area and the Analysis Area may have a different impact in conjunction with the different Optimizers of Radioplan ACP, Table 4-2.

Table 4-2 Impact of the area definitions

Analysis Area Simulation Area

General Sets the focus for optimization. Is considered by the optimization, i.e. is the computation area.

Shall define a buffer zone, which includes sites with potential

interdependencies with the sites inside the Analysis Area.

Optimization capabilities

Determines the reconfigurable cells (refer to section 5.1.11).

Only active site candidate groups inside are optimized.

Only removable sites inside may be

removed.

Optionally, only the Analysis Area may be considered for optimization.

Optimization objective

Shall be maximized.

(For the specific objectives of each optimization algorithm, please refer

to the respective description in chapter 8.)

Shall never be reduced.


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Analysis Area Simulation Area

Optimization

run-time

Scales with the number of

evaluation steps resulting from the optimization capabilities and from the optimizer settings, i.e.:

- the number of site candidate groups,

- the number of removable sites,

and

- the number of reconfigurable cells and their reconfigurable parameters and reconfiguration

ranges.

Scales with the number of traffic-

relevant pixels inside.

Optimization results

Automatic visualization and reporting of coverage and other performance figures, e.g. in:

- Layer legend details,

- Optimization Progress Chart

- Optimization Summary Report.

4.3 Clutter Classes Settings

In order to define clutter-specific thresholds for coverage calculations, a pathloss offset as well as an Ec/Io or C/I offset can be defined for each clutter class in the Clutter Classes Settings dialog, Fig. 4-5. This dialog can be invoked by double-clicking the Clutter Classes

element in the Configuration tab tree. These optimization parameters are defined in

Table 4-3.

Fig. 4-5 Clutter Classes Settings dialog


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Table 4-3 Clutter-specific optimization parameters


Description

Pathloss Offset [dB] (Optimization)

dB A clutter-specific pathloss offset, by which additional losses for users in special environments can be taken into account, e.g. for indoor and in-car users. Moreover, it may account for a fading margin.

It is added to the area-wide default target value for beacon signal received power of the respective system.

For example. for UMTS and CDMA network layers it is added

to the area-wide default Minimum Pilot RSCP in order to determine the Pilot RSCP Coverage; and for GSM network layers it is added to the area-wide default Minimum RxLev_DL in order to determine the RxLev_DL Coverage.

For the respective area-wide default value, please refer to section 5.1.

Ec/Io Offset [dB] (Optimization)

or

C/I Offset [dB]

(Optimization)

dB A clutter-specific offset, by which different interference ratio requirements for a successful detection of the beacon signal and, consequently, for a successful network access can be defined.

It is added to the area-wide default target value for beacon signal interference ratio of the respective system.

For example. for UMTS and CDMA network layers it is added to the area-wide default Minimum Pilot Ec/Io in order to

determine the Pilot Ec/Io Coverage.

For the respective area-wide default value, please refer to section 5.1.

Then, based on the defined Clutter Matrix, these clutter-specific offsets are applied to the coverage calculations as described for the respective () Coverage plots in section 6.2.

The clutter-specific thresholds that result from these offsets can be viewed using the corresponding () Coverage Threshold plots (refer also to section 6.2).

4.4 Antenna Settings

For supporting antenna type and electrical tilt optimization, the antenna settings given in Table 4-4 are specifically required.

Table 4-4 Antenna parameters specifically required for optimization

Optimization of: Mandatory antenna parameters

Electrical tilt Antenna Family, Electrical Tilt

Antenna type Antenna Family, Electrical Tilt; Antenna Group

All optimization-relevant antenna parameters are described in Table 4-5.


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Usually the Antenna Families are automatically defined during the data import process from the planning tool to

Radioplan.

All antenna configurations of a family are placed in a subfolder with the name of the respective Antenna Family. Moreover, all antennas without a defined Antenna Family are contained in the No Family subfolder of the Antennas folder in the Configuration tab tree,

Fig. 4-6.

Fig. 4-6 A No Family subfolder contains antennas without a defined Antenna Family

The antenna settings required for optimization can be configured in the Antenna Settings dialog, Fig. 4-7, which can be invoked by double-clicking the respective Antenna in the Configuration tab tree.

Fig. 4-7 Antenna Settings dialog

The antenna settings can also be configured for all antennas at once in the Antenna Settings Overview dialog, Fig. 4-8, which can be invoked by the entry Settings Overview in the context menu of any Antenna or Antenna folder in the Configuration tab tree.


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Fig. 4-8 Antenna Settings Overview dialog

If the Antenna Families in the Radioplan project are not defined, the button Update Antenna Families in the Antenna Overview Settings dialog, Fig. 4-8, can be used to

instantly define the Antenna Families for all Antenna IDs that comply with the naming scheme:

_ or

_T .

Likewise, given the same naming scheme, the Update Electrical Tilt from Antenna ID button allows to instantly update the Electrical Tilt parameter.

For example, the antenna name Sector_BW62_Var1_G17_2 results in the Antenna Family

Sector_BW62_Var1_G17 and an Electrical Tilt of 2 degrees.

Table 4-5 Optimization-relevant antenna parameters


Description

Antenna Family

string Identifies all antennas that belong to the same family. An Antenna Family is a set of antenna configurations for the

same antenna just with different electrical tilts.

During antenna tilt optimization the electrical tilt may be reconfigured by replacing the original antenna configuration with another configuration of the same family just with a different electrical tilt.

Electrical Tilt

degree The electrical tilt inherent to the antenna diagram.

Beamwidth degree The 3dB-beamwidth inherent to the antenna diagram.

Alternative Antenna Group

string Identifies all antennas that belong to the same group. An Antenna Group is a set of antenna configurations for different antennas, e.g. different in their Beamwidth and Gain irrespective of their inherent electrical tilt.

A cell may refer to such an Alternative Antenna Group (refer also to section 4.6). Then, during antenna type optimization,

the antenna type of that cell may be reconfigured by replacing its original antenna with antennas of that Alternative Antenna Group.


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4.5 Site Settings

Site-specific optimization capabilities and constraints can be defined in the Site Settings dialog, Fig. 4-9. It can be invoked by double-clicking the respective site in the Configuration tab tree or by the entry Settings in the context menu of the respective site.

These optimization parameters are described in Table 4-6.

Fig. 4-9 General tab of the Site Settings dialog

Alternatively, all sites can be configured at once in the Site Settings Overview dialog, Fig. 4-10, which can be invoked by the entry Settings Overview in the context menu of any site in the Configuration tab tree.


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Fig. 4-10 Site Settings Overview dialog

Table 4-6 Site-specific optimization parameters


Description

Relevant for Capacity and Coverage optimization (also as a task of Site Selection) or for Site Integration or Overshooting Cells optimization

Is Reconfigurable

{true; false}

If disabled, the reconfiguration of any cell and parameter of this site is blocked.

Otherwise, the reconfiguration capabilities and constraints of the cells and of the optimization algorithm apply.

Lock Angle between Cells during Azimuth Optimization

{true; false}

If enabled, the antenna azimuth of any cell at this site can only be changed for all cells together without changing the azimuth relations between the cells (antenna installation with coupled azimuths, e.g. turning the entire antenna mast).

For a site with cells of multiple network layers, this flag

makes the azimuth a shared parameter across all those layers.

Otherwise, the antenna azimuth of the cells can be changed independently for each cell, as usual.

Visit Cost Currency unit,

e.g.

For Revenue Analysis only:

The cost of a site visit.

The currency unit depends on the Windows OS Regional

and Language Options.


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Description

Rollout Status {Existent; Planned for Acquisition; Not Existent}

If Consider Configured Rollout Status of Sites is enabled in the Cost Control settings (refer to section 5.2.7):

RPI parameters as well as cost and effort limits are only applied to changes at the sites with Rollout Status Existent.

Relevant for Site Selection

Is Removable during Site

Selection

{true; false}

Indicates this site as removable for the Remove Redundant Sites task of the Site Selection Optimizers, i.e. whether or not this site location is not necessarily required to be part of the optimized network setup.

However, if the site shall definitely remain in the

optimized network setup e.g. because it is already in place in the live network, the flag must not be set.

This flag is only observed for sites located in the Analysis Area. Sites outside of the Analysis Area are generally considered not to be removable.

Rollout Status {Existent; Planned for

Acquisition; Not Existent}

If Consider Configured Rollout Status of Sites is enabled in the Cost Control settings (refer to

section 5.2.7):

The Rollout Status is used as a priority for evaluation and as a criteria how to consider the cost of changes.

Site Candidate Group

{No Group; Group 01; ; Group 10}

Defines for the Site Candidate Groups task of the Site Selection Optimizer to which of the 10 possible site candidate groups this site belongs to.

By definition, only one site from all candidates in each group will be required as a new fill site for additional coverage and capacity.

4.6 Cell Settings

The parameters that can be configured on a per cell basis include:

the Cell Active flag in the Configuration tab tree, which is interpreted as "the cell is existing in the network",

the Optimization Capabilities, i.e. what kind and extent of reconfiguration is feasible for each cell parameter as defined in section 4.6.1,

the General Settings, i.e. mainly the parameters of the installed antenna as defined in section 4.6.2, including the Transmitter (or Subcell) Active flag, which is interpreted as the transmitter is on, so that the cell is radiating power,

the Resources Settings, i.e. the system-technology-specific power and further cell resources parameters as defined in section 4.6.3, and

for UMTS cells, the HSDPA Settings as defined in section 4.6.4, and

for GSM and iDEN cells, the Transmitters Settings, which list the configured transmitters or radios as defined in section 4.6.5.


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Generally, each active cell must have a pathloss matrix. Inactive Cells without pathloss matrix are ignored.

For more information on the Cell Settings than in the following sections, please refer to [R-UG].

4.6.1 Optimization Capabilities

The optimization capabilities, i.e. what kind and extent of reconfiguration is feasible for each cell parameter, may differ for each cell. Above all they arise from the installed equipment, but may also consider network planning and operation guidelines as well as regulatory requirements and costs of changes.

For example the following circumstances may restrict the optimization capabilities of a cell:

The mounting of the antenna equipment might only allow a certain mechanical tilt range.

The antenna model might only support a certain electrical tilt range.

The mounting of the antenna equipment and possibly obstacles on the roof might only allow a certain azimuth range.

The mounting of the antenna equipment might support remote electrical tilting (RET).

For regulatory reasons (e.g. near a hospital) the change of the antenna orientation, neither tilt nor azimuth, might not be allowed.

The budget for a network optimization campaign may only allow a limited number of cell changes.

In contrast to that, the constraint whether the reconfiguration of a certain cell parameter shall be actually used for an optimization and to which extent, can still be defined at a later step of the optimization process in the respective Optimizer Settings according to the optimization objectives (refer to chapter 8).

Usually, these cell-specific reconfiguration capabilities should be contained in the planning database used for optimization so that it can be imported to Radioplan ACP. However, this data may not be available yet.

Therefore, cell-specific reconfiguration capabilities for optimization can be defined in the Cell Settings dialog, Fig. 4-11, with the parameters described in Table 4-7.

These reconfiguration capabilities include whether a certain cell parameter may be changed as well as the possible reconfiguration range or constraints:

The reconfiguration ranges for the antenna tilt, antenna azimuth, and the applicable power are defined by discrete reconfiguration steps with a given step size between a minimum and a maximum value.

The Shared flag can be applied as an additional constraint in case of multi-band and multi-system antennas.

The reconfiguration constraints for the antenna type can be defined by up to 5 Antenna Groups.

For Revenue Analysis: The costs associated with implementing a certain type of change at the cell.


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The cell-specific costs are only considered for optimization if Use Cell/Site Individual Cost is selected in the Cost Control settings (refer to section 5.2.7).

The originally configured value should be included in the

reconfiguration steps. If it is not included, it will be automatically added.

Fig. 4-11 Optimization tab of the Cell Settings dialog (example for a UMTS cell)

By clicking the Select Antenna Groups button in the Optimization tab of the Cell Settings dialog, Fig. 4-11, the Antenna Groups dialog is opened, Fig. 4-12. Here, the Antenna Groups, which must have been defined before in the Antenna Settings (refer to section 4.4), are available for selection.


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Fig. 4-12 Antenna Groups dialog

Table 4-7 Cell-specific optimization parameters


Description

Reconfigurable

- Mechanical Tilt (THETA) - Electrical Tilt

(within Antenna

Family) - Azimuth (PHI) - Power - Antenna Type

{true; false}

Indicates whether the respective cell parameter can be reconfigured at all.

For more information on electrical tilt optimization within the Antenna Family, please refer to section 5.1.

The reconfigurable power parameter depends on the System:

- UMTS, CDMA, WiMAX: Pilot Power - GSM, iDEN: Output Power

Please make sure to disable e.g. a Reconfigurable Mechanical Tilt for omnidirectional cells.

Remote Electrical Tilt (RET) Installed

{true; false}

Indicates whether the electrical tilt can be changed remotely.

Since this option makes electrical tilt changes cheaper it can be associated with a specific Required Performance Improvement value for optimization (refer to section 8.1.3).

Min Max

degree

dBm

Absolute lower and upper limit for the respective cell parameter defining the possible range of:

- Mechanical Tilt (THETA) - Electrical Tilt - Azimuth (PHI)

- Power

For tilt and power, Min must be smaller than Max. For azimuth, Min = Max declares the full circle as allowed range including the step across 360 0.

Step Size

degree

dB

Step size for the reconfiguration of:

- both electrical and mechanical antenna tilt - antenna azimuth

- power


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Description

Shared

- Mechanical Tilt (THETA) - Electrical Tilt - Azimuth

(PHI)

{true; false}

Indicates whether the respective cell parameter can only be reconfigured together for all cells that share this antenna.

For example, a multi-band or multi-system antenna may transmit signals of multiple technologies and on multiple frequency bands. Thereby, the azimuth

and mechanical tilt could be shared for all signals, whereas the electrical tilt could be reconfigurable for each signal independently.

Please make sure to set the Shared flag at the

respective antenna parameters of all cells that share the antenna.

Refer to section 4.6.1.1 for further information.

Antenna Groups {all Alternative Antenna Groups defined in the Antenna

Settings}

Identifies up to 5 groups of antennas that may replace the installed antenna as a result from antenna type optimization.

If the defined groups contain only a single antenna each, this option can also be used to specify 5 individual alternative antennas.

Costs

- Mechanical

Tilt - Electrical Tilt - Remote El.

Tilt - Azimuth (PHI) - Power - Antenna Type

Currency unit,

e.g.

For Revenue Analysis only:

The cost associated with the implementation of an

optimization change for the respective cell parameter.

The currency unit depends on the Windows OS

Regional and Language Options.

Maximum Users per Cell

The target number of users for this cell (irrespective of their service).

Alternatively, all cells can be configured at once in the Cell Optimization Settings Overview dialog, Fig. 4-13, which can be opened by the entry Optimization Settings Overview in the context menu of any cell in the Configuration tab tree.

The overview dialog contains all cells that belong to the same System like the cell, which it was opened from.


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Fig. 4-13 Cell Optimization Settings Overview dialog (example for UMTS network layers)

In contrast to that, a technology-independent Cell Optimization Settings Overview dialog, Fig. 4-14, can be opened by the entry File Current Project Cell Optimization Settings in the main menu.

Fig. 4-14 Cell Optimization Settings Overview dialog (example for ALL network layers)

The grey columns in the overview tables are read-only parameters, which are defined in other tables such as the Cell Settings Overview.

4.6.1.1 Conditions for Shared Antenna Parameters

The following conditions apply to the recognition of antennas with shared parameters.

The cells with a shared antenna must be at the same site in the Radioplan project.

The cells must have the same {X; Y; Z} position.

However, in case of inaccuracies of the cells coordinates in the imported planning data, a snap radius for each the X-Y Offsets and the Height over Ground can be defined in the configuration file (refer to SharedAntennaPositionThresholdXY and

SharedAntennaPositionThresholdZ in section 9.2).

At all respective cells, the shared parameter must:

have the same current value

be reconfigurable

be shared, of course.


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If cells and antenna parameters are configured to be shared, but do not meet the aforementioned conditions, then a warning message in the Message window indicates the respective cell and parameter and shared settings are ignored during the optimization.

4.6.2 General Settings

For all cells of any network layer, a number of general parameters are considered by Radioplan ACP. They are highlighted in Fig. 4-15.

The Network Layer parameter can be used as a filter for a group of cells to be optimized together refer also to section 4.1.

The highlighted General Settings include the parameters of the current antenna installation, which are to be optimized.

They are also the basis for all propagation calculations, e.g. like for the Pilot Received Power as described in section 6.2.1.

Fig. 4-15 General tab of the Cell Settings dialog (for a CDMA, UMTS, or WiMAX cell)

The Transmitter (or Subcell) Activated flag is interpreted as the transmitter is on air, whereas the Cell Active flag in the Configuration tab tree is interpreted as "the cell is existing in the network". This distinction can be used for the configuration of repeaters and additional antennas.

The Transmitter Activated flag is only for CDMA, UMTS, and WiMAX cells a parameter in the General Settings tab.

For GSM and iDEN cells, the Transmitter Activated flag is defined in the Transmitters Settings (refer to section 4.6.5).


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4.6.3 Resources Settings

The Resources Settings considered by Radioplan ACP depend on the network layer of the cell. The relevant parameters for UMTS, CDMA, GSM, iDEN, or WiMAX cells are highlighted in Fig. 4-16, Fig. 4-17, Fig. 4-18, Fig. 4-19, and Fig. 4-20, respectively, and defined in Table 4-8.

For UMTS, CDMA, or WiMAX cells, the PCPICH Power, FPICH Power, or Pilot Power, respectively, is the basis for the calculation of the Pilot Received Power as described in section 6.2.1.

Moreover, all highlighted power parameters of UMTS, CDMA, or WiMAX cells are considered for interference calculations as described in sections 6.2.4, 6.2.5, and 6.2.6 as well as for the interpretation of the Network Load parameter as described in section 5.1.5.

The Output Power of a GSM or iDEN cell is the basis for the calculation of the RxLev_DL as described in section 6.2.2 as well as for interference calculations as described in section 6.2.8.

Fig. 4-16 Resources tab of the Cell Settings dialog for a UMTS cell


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Fig. 4-17 Resources tab of the Cell Settings dialog for a CDMA cell

Fig. 4-18 Resources tab of the Cell Settings dialog for a GSM cell


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Fig. 4-19 Resources tab of the Cell Settings dialog for an iDEN cell

Fig. 4-20 Resources tab of the Cell Settings dialog for a WiMAX or LTE cell


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Table 4-8 Resources parameters for cells of different network layers

Parameter Symbol Unit / Value

Description

UMTS

Maximum Power

total,maxP dBm The cells maximum output power .

PCPICH Power PCPICHP dBm The cells pilot transmit power.

PCCPCH / SCH Power Offset

PCCPCHP dB-PCPICH

The cells PCCPCH output power defined as offset in relation to the PCPICH Power.

First SCCPCH

Power Offset HFirstSCCPCP dBm The output power of the cells first SCCPCH

defined as offset in relation to the PCPICH Power.

First SCCPCH Activity

HFirstSCCPCAF dBm The activity factor of the cells first SCCPCH.

AICH Power AICHP dBm The cells AICH output power defined as

offset in relation to the PCPICH Power.

AICH Activity AICHAF dBm The cells AICH activity factor.

PICH Power PICHP dBm The cells PICH output power defined as

offset in relation to the PCPICH Power.

PICH Activity PICHAF dBm The cells PICH activity factor.

CDMA

Maximum Power

total,maxP dBm The cells maximum output power .

FPICH Power FPICHP dBm The cells pilot transmit power.

Other CCH

Power Offset otherCCHP dBm The cells output power for DL common

channels other than the FPICH defined as offset in relation to the FPICH Power.

GSM or iDEN

Output Power total,maxP dBm The cells output power on the BCCH

carrier.

Min. RxPower

Threshold min,rP , dBm

default: -130 dBm

The minimum DL received power required

at a pixel to serve a pixel and the corresponding traffic by this cell.

WiMAX or LTE

Pilot Power Pilot,maxP dBm The cells output power for the pilot signal.


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4.6.4 HSDPA Settings (UMTS only)

The HSDPA can be configured on a per cell basis with the parameters defined in Table 4-9.

The HSDPA parameters considered by Radioplan ACP are shown in Fig. 4-21.

Fig. 4-21 HSDPA tab of the Cell Settings dialog for a UMTS cell

Table 4-9 HSDPA parameters for UMTS cells


Description

Activate HSDPA

{true; false}

Activates the HSDPA in this cell.

For the consideration of the HSDPA settings in the optimization, HSDPA must still be

enabled in the Analysis Settings (refer to section 5.1.13).

Power Mode {PCPICH Offset; Residue}

Choice of the HSDPA power mode:

- PCPICH Offset: The HSDPA has a fixed power defined by the PCPICH Offset.

- Residue: The HSDPA is dynamically

allocated with the power not used for DCH connections.


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Description

PCPICH Offset

PDSCHHSP dB-PCPICH

For PCPICH Offset power mode only: HSDPA power in relation to the PCPICH power.

Power Margin

PDSCHHStmarginP , dB For Residue power mode only: The maximum cell power including the HSDPA power is set to this Power Margin

below the Maximum Power of the respective cell.

Number of

HS-SCCH SCCHHSn The number of available HS-SCCHs.

HS-SCCH Resources: PCPICH

Power Offset

SCCHHSP dB-PCPICH

The HS-SCCH power defined as an offset in relation to the PCPICH power.

Depending on the HSDPA power mode, the cells maximum HSDPA power is calculated as follows:

If PCPICH Offset is selected as HSDPA Power Mode:

The maximum HSDPA power is fixed and defined by the PCPICH Offset PDSCHHSP [dB-PCPICH] as defined in the Table 6-9.

Then, assuming that the HSDPA is fully loaded, the HS-PDSCH power can be calculated as:

1010dBP

PCPICHPDSCH,maxHS

PDSCHHS

mWPmWP

PDSCHHSP [dB-PCPICH] is the (HSDPA) PCPICH Offset configured for the cell.

Other

Documents

96935575 Actix Radioplan ACP Guide 3 13