Actix Spotlight User Guide 1_2

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Version 1.2

DesktopUser Guide


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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 noresponsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that appear in this documentation.

Copyright © Actix 2007. All rights reserved. All trademarks are hereby acknowledged.


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Contents

ABOUT SPOTLIGHT ......................................................................................6

USING SPOTLIGHT TO SOLVE NETWORK PROBLEMS.......................................................... 6

ABOUT SPOTLIGHT PROJECTS .................................................................................. 9

STARTING SPOTLIGHT ................................................................................10

CREATING A PROJECT .................................................................................11

STEP 1: CHOOSE NAME AND TEMPLATE .....................................................................11 STEP 2: SET PREFERENCES AND THRESHOLDS .............................................................12 STEP 3: CHOOSE DATA........................................................................................15

USING THE SUMMARY DASHBOARD ................................................................. 16

NAVIGATING AROUND SPOTLIGHT ............................................................................16

THE TOP PANEL.................................................................................................17

THE ISSUES PANEL .............................................................................................17

THE MAP ........................................................................................................18

USING SPOTLIGHT REPORTS ......................................................................... 19

USING THE RADIO NETWORK EXPLORER ........................................................... 21

ABOUT THE RADIO NETWORK EXPLORER ....................................................................21

CDMA / EVDO CELL COVERAGE ANALYSIS.................................................................23 CDMA / EVDO NEIGHBOR LIST ANALYSIS .................................................................28 CDMA / EVDO PILOT POLLUTION ANALYSIS ...............................................................35

EVDO SYSTEM PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS....................................................................39 GSM CELL COVERAGE ANALYSIS .............................................................................44 GSM 2G MISSING NEIGHBORS ANALYSIS ..................................................................54 UMTS / HSDPA 3G NEIGHBOR LIST ANALYSIS ...........................................................60

UMTS / HSDPA 3G-2G NEIGHBOR LIST ANALYSIS ......................................................66 UMTS / HSDPA CELL COVERAGE ANALYSIS ...............................................................73 UMTS / HSDPA CELL PILOT POLLUTION ANALYSIS .......................................................80

ABOUT THE INTERFERENCE FACTOR (‘F’ FACTOR) ..........................................................84

USING THE EVENT EXPLORER ........................................................................87

ABOUT THE EVENT EXPLORER .................................................................................87 DRILL DOWN FROM THE EVENT EXPLORER ..................................................................90

PERFORMING A MORE DETAILED ANALYSIS ......................................................... 94

BEFORE YOU START.............................................................................................94

TO LOAD DATA INTO ANALYZER CLASSIC ....................................................................94

CREATING A SPOTLIGHT PROJECT TEMPLATE ...................................................... 96

STEP 1: CHOOSE NAME AND STARTING TEMPLATE.........................................................97 STEP 2: CHOOSE DEVICES....................................................................................98

STEP 3: CHOOSE KPIS AND REPORTS.....................................................................102 STEP 4: CHOOSE ATTRIBUTES..............................................................................103


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STEP 5: CHOOSE GLOBAL FILTERS.........................................................................107

TROUBLESHOOTING SPOTLIGHT ................................................................... 108

NO REPOSITORY DETECTED..................................................................................108

THE MAPS IN YOUR REPORT ARE EMPTY ....................................................................108

APPENDIX A: SPOTLIGHT REPORTS ............................................................... 109

CDMA SPOTLIGHT REPORT .................................................................................109

EVDO SPOTLIGHT REPORT .................................................................................112 EVDO REV A SPOTLIGHT REPORT .........................................................................116 GSM SPOTLIGHT REPORT ...................................................................................120

HSDPA SPOTLIGHT REPORT................................................................................ 125 UMTS SPOTLIGHT REPORT .................................................................................135

APPENDIX B: CDMA THRESHOLDS, KPIS AND DIAGNOSES ................................... 140

CDMA THRESHOLDS ......................................................................................... 140

CDMA EVENTS IN THE EVENT EXPLORER ..................................................................143

DROPPED CALL DIAGNOSIS FOR CDMA ...................................................................144

APPENDIX C: EGPRS KPIS AND DIAGNOSES ................................................... 146

EGPRS THRESHOLDS ........................................................................................146 EGPRS EVENTS IN THE EVENT EXPLORER .................................................................148 EGPRS DIAGNOSES.......................................................................................... 151

APPENDIX D: EVDO KPIS AND DIAGNOSES..................................................... 153

EVDO THRESHOLDS ......................................................................................... 153 EVDO EVENTS IN THE EVENT EXPLORER ..................................................................157 DROPPED CONNECTION DIAGNOSIS FOR EVDO ..........................................................158

LOW THROUGHPUT DIAGNOSIS FOR EVDO ...............................................................160

SCHEDULING ISSUES DIAGNOSIS FOR EVDO.............................................................162

APPENDIX E: GSM THRESHOLDS, KPIS AND DIAGNOSES ..................................... 164

GSM THRESHOLDS ........................................................................................... 164

GSM EVENTS IN THE EVENT EXPLORER....................................................................168 CALL SETUP FAILURE DIAGNOSIS FOR GSM .............................................................. 169 LOCATION UPDATE FAILURE DIAGNOSIS FOR GSM.......................................................171 DROPPED CALLS DIAGNOSIS FOR GSM....................................................................173

HANDOVER FAILURE DIAGNOSIS FOR GSM ...............................................................174

APPENDIX F: HSDPA THRESHOLD, KPIS AND DIAGNOSES.................................... 175

HSDPA EVENT EXPLORER ANALYSIS....................................................................... 175

HSDPA CALL DROP ANALYSIS EXAMPLE ..................................................................175 HSDPA LOW THROUGHPUT EXAMPLE ...................................................................... 178

HSDPA EVENTS IN THE EVENT EXPLORER.................................................................183 HSDPA THROUGHPUT KPIS ................................................................................ 187 HSDPA THRESHOLDS........................................................................................189

APPENDIX G: UMTS THRESHOLDS, KPIS AND DIAGNOSES ................................... 193

UMTS THRESHOLDS ......................................................................................... 193


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UMTS EVENTS IN THE EVENT EXPLORER ..................................................................196 DROPPED CALLS DIAGNOSIS FOR UMTS ..................................................................196 CALL SETUP FAILURE DIAGNOSIS FOR UMTS.............................................................199

EXCESSIVE CALL DIAGNOSIS FOR UMTS.................................................................. 201

INDEX ................................................................................................. 202


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Actix Spotlight Desktop 1.2 User Guide 6

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About Spotlight

Today’s performance optimization and troubleshooting processes are typicallyinefficient, costly, and error prone. Engineering teams commonly use disparatetools that are poorly integrated lacking the automation and scalabilityfundamental for rolling out and maintaining complex wireless networks.

Actix Spotlight lowers the overall cost of performance optimization by deliveringmaximum engineering productivity in a managed workflow.

Designed by optimization engineers, for optimization engineers, Spotlightidentifies key performance indicators, provides automated root-cause

troubleshooting, coverage and interference identification, and concise reporting.

Engineers can solve and report on more problems faster by eliminating timeconsuming data manipulation and manual deduction.

Radio Network Analyses

Spotlight provides the following analyses for examining the performance of theradio network:

• Coverage and Overspill Analysis – this determines the coverage footprintof cells and identifies overshoot against coverage design boundaries.

• Grade of Service – this determines the relative grade of service for cells,

based on user-defined thresholds.

• Pilot Pollution – this automatically identifies inbound vs. outbound pilot

pollution. Prioritizes which cells in the network are strong candidates fortilts and coverage optimization.

• Neighbor List Analyses – this grooms 3G-3G and 3G-2G neighbor lists,based on scanner data for sites positioned within a user-defined radius.

Event-based troubleshooting

Based on the drive test data provided for the analysis, Spotlight automatically

generates root-cause diagnostics for the most common subscriber problems—forexample, dropped calls.

Reporting

Spotlight displays the results of its automatically generated analyses onintegrated, professional-quality reports including embedded maps.

Using Spotlight to solve network problemsSpotlight is designed to allow you to follow your own investigations throughoutthe various analysis pages and reports. However, a typical path through Spotlight

is to start from the Summary Dashboard, examine the summary map and thenthe appropriate report for the loaded data, which might indicate the presence ofone or more problems. Cell coverage, missing neighbors and pilot pollutionproblems can be investigated from the Radio Network Explorer analyses (links to


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these are shown as Important Issues in the Issues panel of the SummaryDashboard). These might then point you at specific problem events which you canexamine and diagnose using the Event Explorer (links to these are shown as

Critical Issues in the Issues panel).

What would you like to do using Spotlight?

• Perform a quick overview of network performance

• Optimize neighbor lists and export suggested changes to the OMC

• Determine cell coverage

• Identify inbound vs. outbound pilot pollution

• Identify sites failing their recommended design targets

• Investigate failure events

• Investigate problems in detail at the message level

These tasks are described below.

Perform a quick overview of network performance

Examine the available Spotlight report(s) to see whether any of the performancecriteria thresholds have been exceeded. If there are any problems, you can followthem up by using the Radio Network Explorer or Event Explorer investigationpages.

• CDMA Spotlight Report (see p109)

• EVDO Spotlight Report (see p112)

• EVDO Rev A Spotlight Report (see p116)

• GSM Spotlight Report (see p120)

• HSDPA Spotlight Report (see p125)

• UMTS Spotlight Report (see p135)

Optimize neighbor lists and export suggested changes to the OMC

Use the Neighbor List analyses in the Radio Network Explorer. This process should

be performed as part of the rollout phase of a network to construct and optimizethe adjacency lists of each cell, and throughout the life of the network as changesto traffic and tilt affect the coverage pattern and interference interaction betweenthe cells.

•

CDMA/EVDO Neighbor List (see p28)

• GSM 2G Missing Neighbors (see p54)

• UMTS/HSDPA 3G Neighbor List (see p60)

• UMTS/HSDPA 3G-2G Neighbor List (see p66)


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An example of Missing Neighbors analysis

Determine cell coverage

Use the Cell Coverage analyses in the Radio Network Explorer.

• CDMA/EVDO Cell Coverage (see p23)

•

GSM Cell Coverage (see p44)

• UMTS/HSDPA Cell Coverage (see p73)

Identify inbound vs. outbound pilot pollution

Use the Pilot Pollution analyses in the Radio Network Explorer. You can visualizethe offending sectors on the map, determine the relative degree of pollution foreach cell and prioritize which cells in the network are strong candidates for down-

tilts and coverage optimization.

• CDMA/EVDO Pilot Pollution (see p35)

• UMTS/HSDPA Cell Pilot Pollution (see p80)

Identify sites failing their recommended design targets

Use the EVDO System Performance analysis in the Radio Network Explorer (seep39).


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Investigate failure events

Select a Critical Issue from the Summary Dashboard (p21), or open the EventExplorer (p87).

Investigate problems in detail at the message levelSelect a Critical Issue from the Summary Dashboard, or open the Event Explorer.Now select the Drilldown option (see p90).

About Spotlight projectsIn Spotlight, a project is a collection of saved application settings and data filesrelating to a particular drive test initiative, specifically the:

• Template used for the project. This defines the extent of the data from the

drive test files that you want to process and store within Spotlight'sdatabase, and defines which KPIs and reports will be used in the project.

• Network information that you want to use (the cellrefs file).

• Preferences that determine how the data is to be loaded.

• Thresholds that trigger particular conditions or Events in Spotlight'sanalyses.

• Drive test files that you want to examine.

The term KPI (key performance indicator) means not simply a statistic thatreflects network performance in some way, but also a related pre-defined

analysis. For all of the KPIs that represent an issue, an overall summary is shownin the Spotlight Summary Dashboard side panel. However, the analysis isprovided in either the Event Explorer or the Radio Network Explorer, dependingon the KPI type:

•

Event KPIs - Most of these KPIs relate to a specific type of call or session

failure event, such as dropped calls or handover, call setup or locationupdate failures, etc. and include automated root cause diagnosis anddrilldown to the sequential message data at the click of a button.However, some of these KPIs relate to general events (such as call

attempts) in order to provide context for the failure events and these donot include diagnostics and drilldown functionality.

• Radio Network KPIs - These KPIs relate to general issues for the radionetwork, such as coverage, pilot pollution, missing neighbors, and so on.

For these KPIs, the Radio Network Explorer provides a detailed analysisthat is very specific to the particular issue.

Reports provide summaries, tables, charts, and maps that can be saved as anExcel workbook or Web page.


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Starting Spotlight

You start Spotlight by clicking on Actix Software from the Windows Start menu(or, if you have a combination of licensed products, select Spotlight from theEngineering Process dialog). This screen is now displayed:

• If you have just started using Spotlight, you will want to create a NewProject.

•

If you already have an existing project within Spotlight's database, clickthe project's related Open button to proceed to the Summary Dashboard.

• If you want to Delete a listed project, note that you will be asked to

confirm your choice.

Note that you can also choose to start in classic mode, without the Spotlightinterface and analyses, and directly investigate the data using Analyzer's rich toolset.


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Creating a Project

Step 1: Choose Name and TemplateThis page is the first step in creating a new Spotlight project.

•

Type in a unique Project Name.

Project templates define the extent of the data from the drive test filesthat you want to process and store within Spotlight's database under theproject name.

• Either select a predefined Template from the scrolling list, or click onNew Template to create your own.

Templates shipped as standard with Spotlight are shown in blue and donot have creation dates associated with them. A Master Template isavailable at the bottom of the list, with all KPIs and reports selected.

To delete a particular template, highlight it in the scrolling list and click

Delete Template. Note that templates that are shipped as standard with

Spotlight may not be deleted.

• Click Next to go on to the next step.


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Step 2: Set Preferences and Thresholds

• In the second step in creating a new Spotlight project, you must specify aCellRefs file for your project. This text file stores configuration information

about your network. You can also use the settings and thresholds links toset various other options for your project.

• CellRefs - Select a valid CellRefs file that contains the details (name, ID,and location, etc.) of all of the cell sites and sectors that you want to

analyze. If you want to analyze data from more than one technology, theCellRefs file must contain the information for all of those technologies.

Note Spotlight always makes a local copy of theselected cellrefs file, in case the original cellrefs file isupdated to reflect changes made to the network. The

Spotlight project database relies on the associatedcellrefs file remaining unchanged – if it is, the projectwill no longer work. Spotlight is designed to be usedfor short-duration drive test campaigns, so this

should not present a problem – and if you do need touse the new cellrefs data, simply create a new

project that references the new cellrefs file.

• Settings - Click this link to open the Preferences dialog box. This hasmany options, many of which configure the way various specific types ofdata are decoded. There are also a number of neighbor list settings for

CDMA and UMTS - these are used to fine-tune the algorithms used by theneighbor list analyses in the Radio Network Explorer.

Although you can change these settings using the Data Settings link in theRadio Network Explorer's top panel, you should set them using the link onthis page when you create the project.

Note When you work in Spotlight, make sure thatyou do not enable the Automatic Import options in

the CellRefs group of Preferences.


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• Thresholds - Click this link to open the Thresholds Editor, where you canconfigure the user-defined thresholds that are used in Spotlight.

Thresholds are used in Spotlight in two main ways:

▫ Event detection - Most of the KPIs in the Event Explorer are

ultimately based on event attributes that are detected by the Actixevent detection mechanism as the data is loaded into the project'srepository.

These KPIs are usually based on a single event attribute (forexample, the GSM dropped call KPI is based on the

EventCallDropped event attribute), although a few might be basedon multiple event attributes (for example, when incoming andoutgoing call setup failures are stored in separate event attributes).

Many of the analyses in the Radio Network Explorer are also basedon event attributes. For example, the UMTS pilot pollution analyses

are based on the UuPilotPollution and Uu_Scan_PilotPollution eventattributes.

When an event detection algorithm involves a user-definablethreshold, you can configure the corresponding KPIs and analyses

by changing those thresholds. The thresholds used in the eventdetection mechanisms for the various technologies are documentedin detail in the Settings and Preferences section of the help, which

also provides information about which attributes are affected.

The documentation provides information about the names of the

event attributes that underlie each KPI and analysis. This is usefulwhen reading about event detection thresholds and helps you tolook up the definition of those attributes in the Attribute Helpsystem.

▫

KPI definitions - Thresholds are used in the queries that define

the raw data that is to be stored in the repository and from whichthe various KPIs are derived.

Thresholds are also used in the calculations that are subsequentlyperformed on the data as it is retrieved from the repository prior todisplay in Spotlight.

The documentation provides a list of these thresholds for eachtechnology.


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What happens to the project’s preferences and threshold settings

After you click the last step’s Done button, Spotlight automatically saves the

preferences and thresholds that are currently selected (including a copy of theentire cellrefs file). These saved settings are automatically reloaded whenever

you subsequently open the project. This is done for several reasons:

• Spotlight operates on the assumption that the CellRefs file will not changeafter you have started loading data—the addition of even a single cellsector in the CellRefs file can result in incorrect results within Spotlight

(this is why Spotlight is not compatible with the Automatic Import optionfor CellRefs data.)

• Changing other preferences and thresholds can result in subtle changes in

how Spotlight decodes data, defines events and determines what to storein the repository. Although changing these settings after you have startedloading data into the project should not invalidate the results, it can leadto confusion and the potential for different definitions being used to

generate the same event.

By saving and reloading the CellRefs file and other preferences and thresholds

with the project, Spotlight avoids these potential problems. However, it doesmean that any changes you subsequently make to the preferences and thresholdswhile working on the project will be lost next time you reload the project.

For example, you can change the neighbor list preferences using the DataSettings link in the Radio Network Explorer's neighbor list pages. As soon as you

close the dialog box, the page will be updated to reflect the new settings.However, next time you reload the project, the neighbor list settings will revert tothose that were selected when you originally created the project.

You should therefore think through your requirements and set the settings and

preferences accordingly before you start loading data.

Note Although you can change preferences andsettings at any time using the Display Thresholds andPreferences options on the main Tools menu, this is

not recommended when using Spotlight, becausechanging the CellRefs file can cause incorrect resultsand changing the other settings is potentially

confusing. Although changing most of thepreferences and thresholds will not affect the datastored in your project's repository, it will affectdrilldown data and any data that you load into

Analyzer Classic for detailed analysis, with a potentialfor confusing discrepancies between the two sets ofresults. Also, the changes will be lost when you

reload the project, as explained earlier.

• Click Next to go on to the next step.


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Step 3: Choose DataIn the third step in creating a new Spotlight project, you must specify the datafiles that you want to examine. The template selected in step 1 defines the

information that will be loaded into the project database and how it will be

processed.

Initially, the file list is empty:

• Choose the data files to be processed by Spotlight:

If you have just a few files to process, click the Add Files button and

select one or more files, which will be added to the list of chosen files.

If you have a folder full of file to be processed into Spotlight, click the AddFolder button and select the folder. If underneath the selected folderthere are subfolders that also contain required data files, check the Addall subfolders box.

Once the list of chosen files has been populated, you can remove a specificfile by clicking the remove link at the end of the row. You can also use theRemove All Files button if necessary.

• Click Done to load the data and open the Summary Dashboard.


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Using the Summary Dashboard

The Summary Dashboard shows an overview of the data loaded in the currentSpotlight repository project. If you have configured multiple devices during thetemplate configuration phase, a separate tab per device will appear in thedashboard. Note that due to the potential amount of information on display,

Spotlight is designed to be used at full application window size, so you shouldkeep your Spotlight application window maximized at all times.

Navigating around SpotlightAt the top of the page, the navigation bar allows you to move around in Spotlight.It also provides some useful functions from any stage of your analysis:

If your current project uses Global Filters, a related link appears in the navigationbar. Click on the link to show a dialog similar to this:

This dialog allows you to specify any files or streams that you want to excludefrom the analysis, and allows you to filter by time (not shown above).

Once you have specified the filter, note that you need to click the Add Filter linkon the right to create the filter.

If you have configured regional filtering, this dialog will also give you the optionto filter by region.


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The Top PanelThe top panel has buttonslinking to the EventExplorer and RadioNetwork Explorer pages.

The panel also includes aSummary table consisting

of information on theloaded dataset.

The Reports link in thistable displays all theexisting reports defined

to run on the template.

The Log files link displays a list of all the log files processed in the project, and

provides a link to Analyzer Classic if you need to load the file and analyze it in theClassic Mode.

The Issues PanelOn the left of the screen, thispanel highlights particular issuesthat have been identified in the

loaded data, based on thecurrent threshold settings.

If you have access to multipletechnologies in the loaded data,a drop-down menu at the top of

the panel allows you to switchbetween the technologies.

The Critical Issues section

includes event-based keyperformance indicators (KPIs)like dropped call rate, failed call

rate and rate of calls withexcessive setup time.

The Important Issues sectionincludes the various radionetwork analyses. Depending on

the nature of the issue, click onone of these issues to open theappropriate analysis on either

the Radio Network Explorer pageor the Event Explorer page.


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The MapIn Spotlight, the map is an integral part of the interface. The Summary mapshows the entire drive with the default (technology-dependent) attribute plotted:

•

CDMA / UMTS / HSDPA EcIo_1stBest

• EVDO Consolidated_SINR_For_Nth_Best_Pilot[0]

The drive test data is binned according to the selections made in step 4 ofdefining the project template. However, any events displayed on the map will usethe exact position rather than a binned position, so they may not necessarily

align with the data points.

From this map, you may be able to see one or more areas that may requireinvestigation, using a Spotlight report or by following a link for a critical orimportant issue. Cell sector wedges are color-coded as follows:

green sectors were serving during part of the drive

yellow sectors were seen during the drive but were never serving

empty sectors were not seen during the drive

Note that this image shows the map window undocked; by default the map viewis docked in Spotlight, resulting in the Map icon being displayed next to the Filemenu at the top left of the screen. Click on this icon to control the size of map

window and its docked or undocked condition.


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Using Spotlight reports

Reports are a good place to start when attempting to identify problems in theloaded data. These can be accessed by clicking on the Reports link fromSpotlight's Summary Dashboard page. Note that, to be available, a report musthave been activated in the current project's template. A report shows all

unfiltered data in the project database for the associated technology.

Here's an example CDMA report:


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Navigation tabs on the bottom left let you explore the various pages of thereport.

On the bottom right, the Show Excel Report button lets you open the report asa Microsoft Excel file. From here, you can use the functionality of Excel to performfurther analyses on the data, or simply save the report as an Excel file or print it

out. Note that the maps are inserted into the Excel file as linked bitmaps. Thismeans that if you save the report in Excel for a project ( A) and then run thereport again on a different project (B), the map bitmaps will be updated to reflectthe data in project B. If you subsequently reopen the workbook that you saved

for project A, Excel will display a message saying that the workbook containslinks to other data sources and asking whether you want to update them. Makesure you choose the Don't Update option, because otherwise the report will be

updated with the maps from project B.

The Save button exports the report as a web page. Note that the web page has

an associated subfolder with a unique name containing various image and otherfiles relating to that report. However, the image files in each subfolder are alwayscalled image1.gif, image2.gif, which may cause you problems in some situations.

Spotlight provides the following reports:

• CDMA Spotlight Report (see p109)

• EVDO Spotlight Report (see p112)

• EVDO Rev A Spotlight Report (see p116)

• GSM Spotlight Report (see p120)

• HSDPA Spotlight Report (see p125)

• UMTS Spotlight Report (see p135)


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Using the Radio Network Explorer

About the Radio Network ExplorerYou can access the Radio Network analyses from the Radio Network Explorer icon

at the top of the Summary Dashboard page:

...or by clicking on an appropriate Issue link in the Issues panel on the left of theSummary Dashboard page:


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The available Radio Network analyses for all technologies are as follows:

• CDMA/EVDO Cell Coverage

• CDMA/EVDO Neighbor List

•

CDMA/EVDO Pilot Pollution

• EVDO System Performance

• GSM 2G Missing Neighbors

• GSM Cell Coverage

• UMTS/HSDPA 3G Neighbor List

• UMTS/HSDPA 3G-2G Neighbor List

• UMTS/HSDPA Cell Coverage

•

UMTS/HSDPA Cell Pilot PollutionWhen you are viewing a particular Radio Explorer analysis page, you may findthat several analysis conditions apply, depending on the data loaded in theproject. At the top left, you will see a tab for each of these, taking you to the

appropriate analysis.


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CDMA / EVDO Cell Coverage analysisYou can use this analysis to:

• Determine the coverage footprint for each cell.

•

Visualize where a cell is the best server.

• Determine the relative grade of service as regards to EcIo, Mobile RxPower and Mobile TX Power for selected cell(s), based on user-definedthresholds.

• Visualize where cells are overshooting their coverage design boundary, as

defined by SL_Overspill_Dist_Threshold, shown by the red linesurrounding a selected cell.

Before you start

You can use scanner or handset data for this analysis.

Using the cell coverage analysis

1 Click on an appropriate issue link (or on the Radio Network Explorer imagefollowed by the Cell Coverage tab) to open the Cell Coverage analysispage.


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Note that drive test data is binned according to the selections made instep 4 of defining the project template. However, any events displayed onthe map (for example, by using the Events drop-down menu) will use the

exact position rather than a binned position, so events might not alignwith the data points.

2

From the top table, click on the column heading # > Dist. to sort thetable by this value.

3 Look for differences between the # > Dist. value and # Samples. Becareful not to include sectors with low sample counts (for example, below50) as these will not be statistically relevant.

Here is one such site - Site A, Sector 3. Some samples (highlighted) areshown well outside the overspill threshold (the red circle around the

selected cell) and close to another cell.


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4 In this example, scanner data is available, so select the Analysis to be

Scanner - Where Seen to visualize the coverage situation for the loadeddata.

Note that as the samples are now no longer seen, this is not a problem.


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Continuing to investigate the sectors from the top table, we find anotherpotential problem sector, Site B Sector 2.

There may be a problem with the highlighted neighboring sector, which could be

solved by downtilting the selected sector. First, check that the two cells are two-way neighbors.

Features of this analysis page

• Top Panel - Shows summary information. Clicking on a row in this tablecauses the side panel to display more information about the site, and themap zooms to the site and displays its coverage.

• Map - When you click a row in the top table or on a site on the map, themap shows the coverage wedge for the selected cell, EcIo and the

CDMA_Important_Issues (CDMA Grade of Service) attribute. The red circlerepresents the coverage design boundary, configured usingSL_Overspill_Dist_Threshold. Data points outside this circle representoverspill.

• Side Panel - When no rows are selected, the side panel displays overview

information. A table shows details of the sites: Best EcIo, Rx Power, andCDMA Grade of Service. When a site is selected, the panel shows various

KPI values for the site and a histogram of the distances at which the cellwas measured. A red line indicates the maximum range for the analysis,as defined by SL_Overspill_Dist_Threshold.

• Filters – Select this link to specify filters for the table on the top panel.


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• Attributes – List of most commonly used attributes that can be plotted onthe map. Currently plotted attributes are shown in red in the list. Thecurrently selected attributes will be kept as you move between Spotlight's

analysis pages.

•

Events – List of the event attributes that can be plotted on the map. Sowhile looking at pilot pollution you could dump the CDMA Dropped Callevent on the map and quickly find out if the call dropped due to pilotpollution. Currently plotted events are shown in red in the list.

• Analysis – Select Scanner (Best Server/Where Seen) or Handset (Best

Server/Where Seen) analysis. The analysis can operate in two modes:Best Server and Where Seen. Changing the mode affects the Ec/Ioattribute that is displayed on the map. Best Server mode shows the Ec/Io

when the selected cell was the best server is displayed. Where Seen modeshows the Ec/Io whenever the cell was measured, and shows the coveragefootprint for only those cells that were the best servers in the drive.

• PN Search – Visualize a PN on the map. Select a PN to color red all the

sites with this PN, so you can quickly identify co-PN locations.

• Overview – Displays in the left panel an overview of statistics, plus Gradeof Service percentages for the entire drive. The map also shows the Grade

of Service (the legend also shows sample counts).

This table shows how the CDMA Grade of Service is computed at each point:

CDMA Grade of

Service

EcIo

condition*

MRx Power

condition*

MTX Power

condition*

Excess interference Within Exceed Within

External interference Within Exceed Exceed

Weak reverse link Exceed Exceed Exceed


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CDMA Grade ofService

EcIocondition*

MRx Powercondition*

MTX Powercondition*

Weak forward link Within Within Within

Low Rx signal Exceed Within Exceed

Poor coverage Within Within Exceed

*Conditions:

• EcIo compared with CDMA_EcIoCombinedThreshold - This condition isused in conjunction with Mobile Rx Power and Mobile Tx Power Thresholdsto determine the diagnosis for the dropped call, failed call and voice callwith poor quality. Recommended value is -12 dB. Values should varybetween -16 and -12 dB.

• Mobile Rx Power compared with CDMA_MobileRxPowerThreshold - Thiscondition is used in conjunction with EcIo and Mobile Tx Power Thresholds

to determine the diagnosis for the dropped call, failed call and voice callwith poor quality. Recommended value is -80 dBm. Values should varybetween -75 and -90 dBm.

• Mobile Tx Power compared with CDMA_MobileTxPowerThreshold - Thiscondition is used in conjunction with EcIo and Mobile Rx Power Thresholds

to determine the diagnosis for the dropped call, failed call and voice callwith poor quality. Recommended value is 5 dBm. Values should varybetween 0 and 10 dBm.

CDMA / EVDO Neighbor List analysisThis lets you use scanner data to optimize neighbor lists for sites within a user-

defined radius of the selected cell. The missing neighbor algorithm generates add ,

remove and retain neighbor recommendations for each site and cell based onscanner measurements, and these can be exported directly to a CSV file for easyimport and to update the switch directly.

Before you start

For this analysis, the project will need to contain scanner data.

Using the neighbor list analysis

1 To start this analysis, from the Summary Dashboard page click on theRadio Network Explorer button and click on this tab, or click on anappropriate Issue in the left-hand Issues panel.

2 If you have not done so before, check the data settings that control the

neighbor list analysis algorithm.


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3 Go to the top table and sort by the Add column.

You can now see the sector with the highest number of recommendedadditions to its neighbor list.

4 Click on the top row in the table to show information for that sector.


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The map now shows green lines to each new neighbor recommendation.The thickness of each line shows how well the suggestion meets thecriteria of the analysis. The circle represents the user-defined radius used

by the analysis to identify potential neighbors. The map also displays thedata points used in the analysis.

Note that drive test data is binned according to the selections made instep 4 of defining the project template. However, any events displayed onthe map (for example, by using the Events drop-down menu) will use theexact position rather than a binned position, so events might not align

with the data points.

5 Examine each suggested additional neighbor.

You may have reasons for refusing to accept the suggestion on

geographical grounds (for example, existing cells between the sector andthe suggested addition, as occurs several times in this example), or forreasons related to the data settings. For example, you may think that thenumber of samples was too small to justify the addition - in which case

you may also want to alter the related data setting, which will immediately

update the analysis. Also, you may know that one or more sites will begoing off-air and should not be selected.

If you disagree with a suggested addition, you may want to use the PNSearch feature to find an alternative sector to add to the neighbor list.

Note that in this case you will not be able to output your choice, and willneed to make the correction to the switch manually (for example, by

editing the CSV file).

6 If you accept all suggestions for a sector, you can click the related button

in the table to mark your choice.


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Note that the number beside the button changes to match your selection.For example, if there were 6 suggested additions in the first row, withnone currently selected for export, the number would show 0/6. If you

clicked the button, the number would read 6/6. If you do not want toselect every recommendation for a sector, you can use the table in the

side panel on the left, which shows each recommendation for a sectorindividually. So if you selected 3 additions, this would result in the number

reading 3/6. This can be useful if there are a large number ofrecommendations and you need to keep track of how many you havealready selected.

7 Repeat this process for each row in the top table, as necessary.

8 You can now go through the same process for the 'Removals' column.Note that by default the map does not show lines for removalrecommendations.

9 Once you are satisfied with the recommendations that you have selected,

you can output them to a CSV file. From the top of the page, click theExport data link.


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• Top Panel - Summary information is displayed in the top panel. It includes

in a tabular form number of addition, removals and retains neighborrecommendations for every site. Clicking on a row in this table causesneighbor information for the selected cell to be displayed in the side panel,and lines to neighbors to be drawn on the map.

• Map - When a row is clicked in the top panel or a site is clicked on themap, lines to neighbors are drawn from that site. The circle represents theuser defined radius (Maximum Intersite Distance) used by the analysis to

identify potential neighbors.

• Side Panel - Details of the neighbor recommendations are displayed on the

side panel. Check boxes next to a recommendation can be selected forexport to a CSV file.


•

Attributes – List of most commonly used attributes that can be plotted onthe map. Currently plotted attributes are shown in red in the list. The

currently selected attributes will be kept as you move between Spotlight'sanalysis pages.

• Events – List of the event attributes that can be plotted on the map.Currently plotted events are shown in red in the list.

• Export data – Select this link to export neighbor recommendations to aCSV file.

• PN Search – Visualize a PN on the map. Input a PN to visualize on the mapand this feature would color red all the sites with this PN. This helps inquickly identifying co-PN locations.

• Data Settings – This link opens up a dialog box for configuring thealgorithm that Spotlight uses for the missing neighbor analysis, which can

be used to build lists of suggested neighbor cells to add and remove. All ofthe options take effect immediately after you click OK. See below for moreinformation.

Data Settings

Setting Default Description

Ec/IoThreshold(dB)

-17 Only scanner measurements above this used-defined EcIothreshold will be included in the analysis.

Maximum

Neighbors

13 Defines the maximum number of cells in the neighbor list.

Addition

Threshold (%)

1 Defines the percentage of samples that must be reached

to trigger a cell being added as a suggested neighbor. Thisis used to reduce the effect of stray signals.


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RemovalThreshold (%)

0.2 Defines the minimum percentage of samples that cells inthe current neighbor list must achieve in order to be

recommended for retention in the list. When the

percentages of samples fall below this threshold, cells willbe recommended for removal from the list.

Minimum

Measurements

50 Only sectors which have been measured above the Ec/Io

Threshold at least this many times will be included in theanalysis. Note that the algorithm works off Binned data.

MaximumIntersiteDistance(meters)

20000 Defines the maximum line-of-sight distance in metersbetween two cells for one to be considered for inclusion onthe other's neighbor list. For rural areas where theaverage intersite distance is naturally greater than a

dense urban environment, use a higher value. To disablethis feature, set this value to 0.

Angle to site

threshold(degrees)

90 Defines the maximum angle between the edge of a cell's

beam width and the data point, for that cell to beconsidered for inclusion in the serving cell's neighbor list.

In this example, the beam width is shown as a darker blue

arc, and the angle to site threshold in lighter blue arcs oneither side. Acceptable data points are within thisthreshold of the candidate sector's beam width, and arealso within the Maximum Intersite Distance (the bluecircle). This threshold ensures that missing neighbors are

not suggested from reflected signals or back-lobes, andalso that only cells angled towards the data point aresuggested. To disable this feature, set this value to 0.


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Includeexisting

neighbors

Selected Select this option for the current neighbor list in thecellrefs file to be considered for additions and removals.

Only processfirst best PN

Selected Select this option to analyze the neighbors of the best cellonly. De-select this option if you want to analyze theneighbor list of all of the cells within the reporting range.

Max NeighborList Size

32 Allows you to define the maximum number ofrecommended neighbors. Note that the more potential

neighbors you add, the longer it will take a handset to findappropriate neighbors, conceivably resulting in a droppedcall.

Once a potential neighbor list has been calculated for each data point, they areaggregated by serving cell to produce the recommended neighbor list. This iscompared with the existing list to calculate which are additions, retentions and

removals.


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CDMA / EVDO Pilot Pollution analysisThis lets you quickly identify pilot pollution in the inbound (how the selectedsector is being polluted by other sectors) and outbound (how the selected sector

is polluting other sectors) directions, and view the offending sectors on the map.

You can determine the relative degree of pollution for each cell and prioritizewhich cells in the network are strong candidates for downtilts and coverageoptimization.

Before you start

You can use scanner or handset data for this analysis.

Using the pilot pollution analysis

1 To start this analysis, from the Summary Dashboard, click on an

appropriate Issue in the left-hand Issues panel, such as Too Many Servers(a pilot pollution issue). Alternatively, click on the Radio Network Explorerbutton and click on the Cell Pilot Pollution tab.

The map shows the drive test data and the Pilot Pollution events. Note

that drive test data is binned according to the selections made in step 4 ofdefining the project template. However, events plotted on the map (forexample, by using the Events drop-down menu) will use their exact


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position rather than a binned position, so events might not align with thedata points.

2 Sort the top table by Pilot Pollution Events and click on the top row

(that is, the sector with the most associated pilot pollution problems). Inthis example that is CDMA_Site_41, Sector 3, which has 183 pilot pollution

events.

The map now highlights the selected sector. Outbound pollution lines are

drawn in red from the selected sector to the sectors being polluted. Thearrow on each line points from the polluting sector to the polluted sector.The thickness of the lines indicates the degree to which pilot pollution was

detected for the selected sector, based on the loaded data. Inbound pilotpollution lines are drawn in blue. Rolling over a line with the cursor showsa pop-up message box giving more information on the pollution.

The left hand panel displays details of the outbound pollution for the

selected sector. In this example the selected sector is polluting three othersectors.


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3 Now de-select the Outbound Pilot Pollution Total box to hide the

outbound polluting lines and select the Inbound Pilot Pollution Total box.

The left hand panel displays details of the inbound pollution for the selectedsector. In this example, the selected sector is being polluted by five other sectors.

Note that you can also sort this table - for example by distance, which helps youidentify distant sectors that might need downtilting, or if the serving cell needsuptilting for greater coverage.


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• Top Panel - Shows summary information. It includes in a tabular form the

number of pilot pollution events for each site and the total number ofinbound/outbound polluters. Click on a column title to sort the table bythis value. Clicking on a row in this table displays pilot pollutioninformation for the selected cell in the side panel, and draws lines to

polluters on the map.

• Map - When you click a row in the top table or on a site on the map, linesto inbound as well as outbound pollution are drawn from that site. All the

pilot pollution events involving the site are also plotted on the map. Thelines to polluters have a direction arrow suggesting inbound or outboundpollution.

• Side Panel - Shows details of the inbound and outbound pollution for theselected site.


• Attributes – Lists the most commonly used attributes. Select one or more

to plot on the map. Currently plotted attributes are shown in red in thelist. The currently selected attributes will be kept as you move betweenSpotlight's analysis pages.

• Events – Lists event attributes, Select one or more to plot on the map. So,

while looking at pilot pollution you could dump the CDMA Dropped Call /EVDO Dropped Connections event on the map and quickly find out if theconnection was dropped due to pilot pollution. Currently plotted events areshown in red in the list.

• Analysis – Select Scanner or Handset analysis.

•

Overview – Click to display an overview of pilot pollution for the entiredrive.

• PN Search – Visualize a PN on the map. Select a PN to color red all thesites with this PN so you can quickly identify co-PN locations.


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EVDO System Performance analysisEVDO system coverage tests are intended to characterize network performanceand coverage, and verify that the system meets the following recommended

performance criteria:

•

Signal to Interference &

Noise Ratio (SINR)

• Packet Error Rate (PER)

• Mobile Tx Power

•

Mobile Rx Power

• RLP Rx Throughput

• RLP Tx Throughput

• DRC Rate

Before you start

For this analysis, the project will need to contain handset data.

Using the system performance analysis

1

Before using this analysis, from the Summary Dashboard, select theEVDO Report. Examine the report to obtain an overview of the systemperformance.

2 Click on the Radio Network Explorer icon and then the SystemPerformance tab.


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The System Performance page provides information on whether aparticular performance metric has been met for the various sectors shownin the top table.

Note that drive test data is binned according to the selections made instep 4 of defining the project template. However, any Events displayed on

the map (for example, by using the drop-down menu) will use the exactevent position rather than a binned position, so events might not alignwith the data points.

3 Select from the Metrics drop-down menu the performance metric that you

want to examine.

4 Click the column title # < Threshold to show the sectors with the highest

number of samples that exceed the performance threshold. Check the #

Samples column to make sure that you are looking at data that isstatistically significant - for example, with 50 or more samples.

The Performance Met column shows whether the currently selected metrichas been achieved or failed for each sector.

5

Click on a row in the table to show various KPI values for the selected siteand a distribution chart for the currently selected metric.


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6 Click on the sector icon next to the Performance Met column heading to

show on the map those sectors that are not performing adequately.


• Top Panel - Shows summary information. When no rows are selected,overview information is displayed in the side panel and on the map, andby default the SINR analysis is presented. You can select the metric onwhich to run the test from the Metrics drop-down menu. A table shows

information on individual sites, including information such as the Averagemetric, total samples, performance met/not met result etc. Clicking on arow in this table causes the side panel to display more information about

the site and a distribution chart for the metric.

• Map - When you click a row in the top table or on a site on the map, the

map shows the corresponding metric for the selected site.

• Side Panel - Displays various KPI values for the selected site and a

distribution chart for the currently selected metric.


• Attributes – List of most commonly used attributes that can be plotted onthe map. Currently plotted attributes are shown in red in the list. Thecurrently selected attributes will be kept as you move between Spotlight's

analysis pages.


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• Events – List of the event attributes that can be plotted on the map.Currently plotted events are shown in red in the list.

• Metrics – Select the performance metric to be used for the analysis. Youcan easily switch between metrics.

• Overview – Click on this link to display an overview of system performance

for the entire drive.

• PN Search – Visualize a PN on the map. Specify a PN to color red all the

sites with this PN, to quickly identify Co-PN locations.

Performance metrics

Metric Notes

SINR Compares Consolidated_SINR_For_Nth_Best_Pilot_0 with

the user-defined SINR thresholdAverage_SINR_PN0_Threshold.

Low SINR % = (Measurement bins with SINR < Thresh) /(Total Measurement bins)) X 100

Performance criteria met, if:(1 - % of Low SINR) >(EVDO_SINR_Recommended_Performance_Threshold) %

PER Compares PER_Instantaneous with the user-defined PER

threshold Average_PER_Threshold.

High PER % = (Measurement bins with PER > Thresh) /

(Total measurement bins) X 100

Performance criteria met, if:((1 - % of High PER) >(EVDO_PER_Recommended_Performance_Threshold) %

Mobile Rx Power Compares AGCPower_Received_Antenna0 with the user-defined Rx Power threshold

EVDO_MobileRxPower_Threshold.

Low Rx Power % = (Meas Bins with Rx Power < Thresh) /(Total measurement bins) X 100

Performance criteria met, if:(1 - % of Low RX) >(EVDO_RXPWR_Recommended_Performance_Threshold) %

Mobile Tx Power Compares TotalPower_Transmitted with the user-defined TXPwr threshold EVDO_MobileTxPower_Threshold.

High TX Power % = (Meas Bins with TX Power > Thresh) /(Total measurement bins) X 100

Performance criteria met, if:(1 - % of High TX) >(EVDO_TXPWR_Recommended_Performance_Threshold) %


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Metric Notes

RLP Rx Throughput Compares EVDO_RLP_Rx_Throughput_Instantaneous withthe user-defined RLP threshold

Average_RxRlpThputInst_Threshold.

Low RLP Rx Thpt % = (Meas Bins with RLP Rx Thpt <Thresh) / (Total measurement bins) X 100

Performance criteria met, if:(1 - % of Low RLP Rx) >

(RLPRxThpt_Recommended_Performance_Threshold) %

RLP Tx Throughput Compares EVDO_RLP_Tx_Throughput_Instantaneous withthe user-defined RLP thresholdAverage_TxRlpThputInst_Threshold.

Low RLP TX Thpt % = (Meas Bins with RLP TX Thpt <Thresh) / (Total measurement bins) X 100

Performance criteria met, if:

(1 - % of Low RLP TX) >

(RLPTxThpt_Recommended_Performance_Threshold) %DRC Rate Compares DataRate_Requested_ShortTermAverage_Kbps

with the user-defined DRC Rate thresholdEVDO_DRC_Rate_Requested_Threshold.

Low DRC % = (Bins with DRC < Thresh) / (Totalmeasurement bins) X 100

Performance criteria met, if:(1 - % of Low DRC) >

(EVDO_DRC_Recommended_Performance_Threshold) %


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GSM Cell Coverage analysisYou can use this analysis to:

• Determine the coverage footprint for each cell.

•

Visualize where a cell is the best server.

• Determine the relative grade of service as regards to EcIo, Mobile Rx

Power and Mobile TX Power for selected cell(s), based on a user-definedthreshold.

• Visualize where cells are overshooting their coverage design boundary asdefined by SL_Overspill_Dist_Threshold (drawn as a red circle on themap).

• Visualize the neighbor BCCH, TCH and BSIC plans, within the rangeG_Interference_Radius (drawn as a dotted blue circle on the map).

Before you startYou can use scanner or handset data for this analysis.

Example of No Dominance

The Summary Dashboard shows an Important Issue: '% area with No Serving

Cell Dominance'. See Coverage criteria to see how this was derived.

1 From the Summary Dashboard, click on an appropriate 'issue' link to open

the Cell Coverage analysis page, for example the issue shown above.

2 Note that several rows in the top table have a low sample count, '#', and

so are unreliable to use in this investigation.


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3 To remove rows with low sample counts, apply a Filter with a threshold

of, say, 50 counts. Click Add Filter and OK.

4 From the Attribute drop-down menu, select an attribute to plot on themap, base on the related Important Issue from the Summary Dashboard

(for this example, No Serving Cell Dominance):

Important Issue Attribute

Poor Voice Quality ServRxQualSub

Poor Signal Strength ServRxLevSub

No Serving Cell Dominance NumNeighbors within 5 dB

The attribute is used in the calculation to identify the issue, as explained in

Coverage criteria.

Note that drive test data is binned according to the selections made in

step 4 of defining the project template. However, any events displayed onthe map (for example, by using the Events drop-down menu) will use theexact position rather than a binned position, so events might not align

with the data points.


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5 Examine the top table of the analysis for indications of poorly performing

cells relating to the Important Issue, and select likely candidate rows.

In the example below, a problem row has been selected. The first mapimage shows the 'NumNeighbors within 5 dB' attribute plotted, whichhighlights an area of poor dominance (drawn in red). The second map

image shows RxLev (Where Seen) plotted for the same sector, whichshows that it covers an unnecessarily large area. This could be correctedby applying some downtilt to the sector.


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Example of GSM visualization

This analysis can also be used to highlight and investigate interference issues,

based on the information held in the cellrefs file. In this example, the Quality tabof the side panel shows a high percentage of Poor RxQual at the same time as

Good RxLev, which is usually an indicator of interference.

1 Use the top table to locate and select cells exhibiting this combination ofpoor RxQual and good RxLev.

2 Now from the side panel, select the Visualization tab.

Depending on the information available, up to four radio buttons are

displayed at the top of the panel with which you can pick the required typeof cell plan visualization.

If you have interference, you may need to see if there are any cells in thearea that have the same frequencies. On the map you can see theselected sector in gray, together with colored co-channel, adjacent lowerand adjacent higher interference sectors. The cell coverage radius is

shown as a red circle, and the cell plan visualization radius is shown as adotted blue circle.

If TCH information is present in the cellrefs file, radio buttons will bedisplayed for the two TCH display options, and TCHList information willappear in the pop-up sector information.


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• Map - When you click a row in the top table or on a site on the map, the

map shows the coverage wedge for the selected cell, EcIo & RSCP. The redcircle represents the user-configured coverage design boundary, and datapoints outside this circle represent overspill.

• Analysis – The page can operate in two analysis modes: Best Server and

Where Seen. Best Server mode shows the Ec/Io attribute when theselected cell was the best server (and also RxQual). Where Seen modeshows RxLev whenever the cell was measured, and lets you visualize the

coverage footprint for only those cells that were the best servers in thedrive.

• SC Search – Visualize a SC on the map. Input a SC to visualize on the mapand this feature would color red all the sites with this SC. This quicklyidentifies co-SC locations.


• Events – Lists the event attributes that can be plotted on the map.

Currently plotted events are shown in red in the list.

• Attributes – Lists the most commonly used attributes that can be plottedon the map. Currently plotted attributes are shown in red in the list. Thecurrently selected attributes will be kept as you move between Spotlight's

analysis pages.

• Top Panel - Shows a table of summary information. Clicking on a row in

this table causes the side panel to display more information about the siteand the map zooms to the site and displays its coverage. The tablecontaining the following information:

▫

Handset (Where Seen / Best Server)

BCCH# - Number of samples. Ensure that the site you are looking at has

a statistically viable number of samples.> D(ist.) - Number of samples greater than the coverage designboundary (defined by SL_Overspill_Dist_Threshold).RxQual, RxLev, (Average, Max, Min). Note that clicking on the icon

only displays the Average value.

% > Beam – Percentage of points outside the cell beamwidth.% >180 Beam – Percentage of points outside a hypotheticalbeamwidth of 180 degrees.Link Diff – This is the difference between UL and DL pathloss and is

used to highlight cell with possible LNA (TMA) issues, if thedifference is greater the 8 dB, where:UL = UE Tx Power - BTS Sensitivity + BTS Antenna GainDL = BTS EIRP - RxLevSub


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Poor Ql, Poor Lv and No Dom - see Coverage criteria below fordetails.

▫ Scanner (Where Seen / Best Server)

As Handset but no RxQual or Link Diff information in the top table.

•

Side Panel - Each tab displays various KPIs for the selected site. Note that

if you have the Visualization tab selected and you select a sector notincluded in the visualization, you will lose the other tabs, and will need toclick on a row in the top table to show them again.

▫ Quality tab - (Handset data only) Shows the percentage of Goodand Poor RxQual and RxLev in the data (see Coverage criteria for

details).


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• Distance tab - Displays a histogram of the distances at which the cell wasmeasured. A red line at the top indicates the maximum range for theanalysis (equating to the red circle on the map), as defined by

SL_Overspill_Dist_Threshold (changeable from the Tools, DisplayThresholds command). Note that the side panel only shows Best Server

data, so if you set the Analysis (see below) to 'Where Seen', the map willonly show Where Seen data, so there may appear to be a discrepancy

between the two views.

• Visualization tab - Displays BCCH, TCH (if available in the cellrefs file) and

Co BSIC co- and adjacent channel interference on the map by coloring inthe interfering sectors, out to a distance defined by the thresholdG_Interference_Radius (which can be changed using the Tools, Display

Thresholds command). See also the previous worked example of GSMvisualization.

Note that the color is determined by the first satisfied condition, in thefollowing order: BCCH co-interference, TCH co-interference, BCCH

adjacent upper, BCCH adjacent lower, TCH adjacent upper, TCH adjacentlower.


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%Intrf or %Interference in the visualization table is the ratio between thenumber of interfering channels in common and the sum of all the channelson the cell. So in the BCCH example below, there is 1 BCCH channel and 3

TCH channels used by the sector. Each row shows only one interferingBCCH channel, and so the %Intrf is 100% x 1/4 = 25%.

In the TCH example below, there is 1 BCCH channel and 3 TCH channelsused by the sector. Each row shows three interfering TCH channels, and sothe %Intrf is 100% x 3/4 = 75%.


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TCH Co/adjacent Channel % is shown below. This type ofvisualization is inappropriate for frequency hopping - that is, wherebaseband or synthesized traffic channels are being used.

Co BSIC visualization is shown below. This is used to distinguishbetween two different cells which are on the same BCCH. Orange

sectors show that there is another cell on the same BSIC (co BSICchannel interference), and red sectors show that the cell also hasthe same BCCH.


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Coverage criteria

Condition Top table columnor Quality tab*

Criteria

Poor Voice Quality Poor Quality, Poor Ql ServRxQualSub <G_RxQualSub_Max threshold

Poor SignalStrength

Poor Leverl, Poor Lv ServRxLevSub <G_RxLevSub_Min threshold

No Serving CellDominance

No Dom If the sum of all these conditionsis > 2:((ServRxLevSub-

NborRxLev[n])


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GSM 2G Missing Neighbors analysisThis lets you use scanner data to optimize neighbor lists for sites within a user-defined radius (Maximum Intersite Distance) of the selected cell.

Where the serving cell cannot carry a call due to interference or poor radioconditions, the call needs to be moved to a better cell.

If the cellrefs file contains neighbor information, the analysis examines therelationship between the existing neighbors and the potential neighbors as seen

by the scanner, and generates add, remove and retain recommendations for eachsite and cell.

You can export the suggestions made by the analysis directly to a CSV file for

easy import and to update the switch directly.

Before you start

You will need to have loaded a suitable GSM scanner stream.

Using the neighbor list analysis1 To start this analysis, from the Summary Dashboard page, click on the

Radio Network Explorer button and click on this tab, or click on anappropriate link in the left-hand Issues panel.


neighbor list analysis algorithm. In this example, we will be interested inthe Minimum Samples and the Addition Threshold. If you alter a datasetting, the analysis will immediately update.

3 Sort the top table by the Add column.

You can now see the sector with the highest number of recommended

additions to its neighbor list. Check that the Server Count column showsan acceptable value (you can also define a cutoff threshold using MinimumSamples in the Data Settings dialog as shown above).


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4 Click on the top row in the table to show information for that sector.

The map now shows lines to the recommended additions (there are manyadditions in this example as the cellrefs file does not contain any 3G-2Gneighbor definitions - therefore there are also no retentions or removals

suggested). The thickness of each line shows how well the suggestionmeets the criteria of the analysis. The circle represents the radius of theMaximum Intersite Distance (defined in the Data Settings dialog) used bythe analysis to identify potential neighbors.

The map also displays the data points used in the analysis. The side panel

on the left shows each recommendation for a sector individually, sorted bythe % of data points that meet the recommendation algorithm.

Note that drive test data is binned according to the selections made in

step 4 of defining the project template. However, any events displayed onthe map (for example, by using the Events drop-down menu) will use theexact position rather than a binned position, so events might not alignwith the data points.


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5 Examine each suggested additional neighbor.

If you accept all suggestions for a sector, you can click the related buttonin the table to mark your choice.

Note that the number beside the button changes to match your selection.

For example, if there were 12 suggested additions in the first row, withnone currently selected for export, the number would show 0/12. If youclicked the button, the number would read 12/12. If you do not want to

select every recommendation for a sector, you can use the table in theside panel on the left. So if you selected 5 additions, this would result inthe number reading 5/12. This can be useful if there are a large number of

recommendations and you need to keep track of how many you havealready selected.

You may have reasons for refusing to accept the suggestion ongeographical grounds (for example, existing cells between the sector andthe suggested addition), or for reasons related to the data settings. Also,you may know that one or more sites will be going off-air and should not

be selected. Note that the more potential neighbors you add, the longer itwill take for a handset to find appropriate neighbors, conceivably resultingin a dropped call. You may well have an upper limit already defined by

your internal guidelines, but you can also control this using the DataSettings link at the top of the screen and specify a new Max Neighbor ListSize value.

6 Repeat this process for each row in the top table, as necessary.


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7 You could now go through the same process for the 'Removals' column

(this example contains no 'removals' suggestions). Note that by defaultthe map does not show lines for removal recommendations.

8 Once you are satisfied with the recommendations that you have selected,

you can output them to a CSV file. From the top of the page, click theExport data link.


• Top Panel - Shows add, removal and retention neighbor recommendationsfor every site, together with related site information. Clicking on a row in

this table displays neighbor information for the selected cell in the sidepanel, and draw lines to neighbors on the map. The box beside eachrecommendation type shows which color it will be drawn in on the map -click on the check box to show or hide that particular recommendationtype (by default, Removals are not shown).

• Map - When you click a row in the table or a site on the map, lines to

neighbors are drawn from that site. The circle represents the user-definedradius (Maximum Intersite Distance) used by the analysis to identify

potential neighbors. The map also shows the data points used in theanalysis.

• Side Panel - Shows details of the neighbor recommendations. Check boxesnext to a recommendation can be selected for export to a CSV file.


• Attributes – Lists the most commonly used attributes that can be plottedon the map. Currently plotted attributes are shown in red in the list. Thecurrently selected attributes will be kept as you move between Spotlight's

analysis pages.

•

Events – Lists the event attributes that can be plotted on the map.

Currently plotted events are shown in red in the list.

• Export data – Select this link to export neighbor recommendations to a

CSV file.

• Data Settings – This link opens up a dialog box for configuring thealgorithm that Spotlight uses for the missing neighbor analysis, which canbe used to build lists of suggested neighbor cells to add and remove. All of

the options take effect immediately after you click OK. See below for moreinformation.


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Data settings for this page


RxLev

Threshold(dB)

-95 The RxLev of the serving cell must be better than this

value before the cell will be considered in the analysis.

Reporting

Range(dB)

5 The RxLev of the serving cell must be no further than this

from the RxLev Threshold before the cell will beconsidered in the analysis (so no worse than -100 dB ifusing the default values).

AdditionThreshold(%)

1 Defines the percentage of samples that must be reachedto trigger a cell being added as a suggested neighbor. Thisis used to reduce the effect of stray signals.

RemovalThreshold

(%)

0.2 Defines the minimum percentage of samples that cells inthe current neighbor list must achieve in order to be

recommended for retention in the list. When the

percentages of samples fall below this threshold, cells willbe recommended for removal from the list.

MinimalSamples

50 Only sectors which have been measured above the Ec/IoThreshold at least this many times will be included in the

analysis. Note that the algorithm works off Binned data.

MaximumIntersiteDistance

(meters)

5000 Defines the maximum line-of-sight distance in metersbetween two cells for one to be considered for inclusion onthe other's neighbor list. For rural areas where the

average intersite distance is naturally greater than adense urban environment, use a higher value. To disablethis feature, set this value to 0.

Only

processfirst bestARFCN

Selected Select this option to analyze the neighbors of the best cell

only. De-select this option if you want to analyze theneighbor list of all of the cells meeting the other criteria.

MaxNeighbor

List Size

32 Allows you to define the maximum number ofrecommended neighbors. Note that the more potential

neighbors you add, the longer it will take for a handset tofind appropriate neighbors, conceivably resulting in adropped call.


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Angle tosite

threshold

(degrees)

90 Defines the maximum angle between the edge of a cell'sbeam width and the data point, for that cell to be

considered for inclusion in the serving cell's neighbor list.

In this example, the beam width is shown as a darker blue

arc, and the angle to site threshold in lighter blue arcs oneither side. Acceptable data points are within thisthreshold of the candidate sector's beam width, and are

also within the Maximum Intersite Distance (the bluecircle). This threshold ensures that missing neighbors arenot suggested from reflected signals or back-lobes, andalso that only cells angled towards the data point aresuggested. To disable this feature, set this value to 0.

Once a potential neighbor list has been calculated for each data point, they areaggregated by serving cell to produce the recommended neighbor list. This iscompared with the existing list to calculate which are additions, retentions and

removals.


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UMTS / HSDPA 3G Neighbor List analysisThis lets you use scanner data to optimize neighbor lists for sites within a user-defined radius (Maximum Intersite Distance) of the selected cell.

Where the serving cell cannot carry a call due to interference or poor radioconditions, the call needs to be moved to a better cell.

If the cellrefs file contains neighbor information, the analysis examines therelationship between the existing neighbors and the potential neighbors as seen

by the scanner, and generates add, remove and retain recommendations for eachsite and cell.

You can export the suggestions made by the analysis directly to a CSV file for

easy import and to update the switch directly.

Before you start

You will need to have loaded a suitable GSM scanner stream.

Using the neighbor list analysis1 To start this analysis, from the Summary Dashboard page, click on the

Radio Network Explorer button and click on this tab, or click on anappropriate link in the left-hand Issues panel.


neighbor list analysis algorithm. In this example, we will be interested inthe Minimum Samples and the Addition Threshold. If you alter a datasetting, the analysis will immediately update.

3 Sort the top table by the Add column.

You can now see the sector with the highest number of recommended

additions to its neighbor list. Check that the Server Count column showsan acceptable value (you can also define a cutoff threshold using MinimumSamples in the Data Settings dialog as shown above).


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Actix Spotlight User Guide 1_2

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