Appendix AIntegrated Network Planning

Tool: Nokia NetAct Planner

Ari NiininenNokia Networks

A.1 OVERVIEW OF NETACT PLANNER

NetAct Planner is a multi-user environment planning tool based on a Windows® platform.It has several interfaces to other planning systems, measurement tools and the Nokia NetActnetwork management system for deploying plans into the network and back into the planningtool, as shown in Figure A. 1. Table A. 1 provides a summary and is displayed at the end ofthis section.

A.2 THE RADIO PLANNER

Radio Planner is an efficient and flexible solution for radio network planning. It offers effec-tive support in all phases of the radio network planning process for multi-user organisationsin an office environment. Furthermore, PC compatibility with laptop computers enablesfield use and provides planning engineers with real mobility.

Radio Planner is specially developed for the planning of all types of GSM and TETRAnetworks. Radio Planner was designed using a systems approach, which helps to provide

Fundamentals of Cellular Network Planning & Optimisation A.R. Mishra.© 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ISBN: 0-470-86267-X

228 INTEGRATED NETWORK PLANNING TOOL: NOKIA NETACT PLANNER

Figure A. 1 Nokia NetAct Planner integration

mobile subscribers with continuous coverage, capacity, quality and service content. RadioPlanner supports standard GSM features such as frequency hopping, dual band as well asNokia GSM system specific features.

GPRS and EDGE planning are key challenges for many operators. Radio Planner sup-ports packet-switched radio network capacity planning. With Radio Planner, you can cal-culate the needed GPRS and EDGE capacities in the network based on the selected qualityof service criteria and data rates.

Coverage can be calculated with the four included propagation models: Okumura-Hata,a Nokia version of Okumura-Hata, Walfisch-Ikegami, and Microcell. There is also an openinterface to external propagation models, which means that you can utilise your own prop-agation models if needed. All of these models can be tuned with drive test measurements.Radio Planner also provides coverage planning and analysis support for dual-band networks(shown in Figure A.2).

Capacity calculation is based on real network traffic imported from Nokia NetAct(Network Management System). You can distribute this real network traffic data on user-definable clutter or vector weights, enabling accurate capacity calculation, which is espe-cially important in dual-band and GPRS/EDGE planning.

The frequency allocation tool minimises interference efficiently by optimising the sepa-ration cost and interference table cost. Allocation accuracy is based on allocation time. Theprogress of allocation can be followed with statistical or graphical views. The frequencyallocation tool supports both RF and base-band frequency hopping.

Information management is becoming increasingly important in radio network planning,especially in projects such as microcell planning, where the major part of planning activitiescan be carried out in the field. Radio Planner has a user-friendly site database, which enables

WCDMA PLANNER 229

Figure A.2 GSM radio network planning

fast entering and editing of all network parameters. Radio Planner reporting tools provideflexible and extensive network reports.

A.3 WCDMA PLANNER

WCDMA Planner offers excellent assistance with radio network planning when a 3G Wide-band Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) network is built. It is a flexible and user-friendly planning system capable of meeting your initial WCDMA radio network planningneeds.

The WCDMA planning process in WCDMA Planner is designed to be very fluent andeasy to follow (see Figure A.3). Furthermore, powerful editing and data handling featuresmake the whole network planning process faster and easier. All this results in superiorusability.

In addition to high-quality radio network planning features such as advanced and tun-able propagation models, WCDMA Planner has a revolutionary approach to planning andoptimising WCDMA networks based on UMTS service and traffic requirements. WCDMA

230 INTEGRATED NETWORK PLANNING TOOL: NOKIA NETACT PLANNER

Figure A.3 WCDMA radio network planning

Planner supports the modelling of several services and their mixtures through flexible trafficand service modelling tools.

The WCDMA Planner traffic modelling function provides you with various methodsfor defining traffic forecasts and for the effective management of traffic data via trafficlayers. The realistic modelling of non-homogenous traffic distribution information sub-stantially improves the accuracy of the detailed analyses. WCDMA Planner uses state-of-the-art simulation techniques such as Monte Carlo to estimate the interference in thesystem.

WCDMA Planner comprises several analyses to provide an in-depth understanding ofthe plan. For example, you can calculate the probability with which each service can beprovided, or visualise the area in which a soft handover occurs. Analysis results are displayedin tables, reports and as map displays that can be printed.

NetAct Planner enables common planning for 2G and 3G networks. As WCDMA Planneris part of the Nokia WCDMA system solution, it is the most suitable tool for planning Nokiaradio access networks, along with networks from other vendors.

A.4 LINK PLANNER

Link Planner is an efficient and flexible solution for microwave link planning. Link Plannerprovides line-of-sight (LOS) checking, link frequency allocation, interference analysis,advanced link database and a traffic routing tool. Link Planner calculates link budgets,outage, availability and reliability values (see Figure A.4).

TRANSMISSION PLANNER 231

Figure A.4 Microwave link planning

Height profiling is able to perform LOS checks between: site to site, site to point, pointto point, point to multi-point. It also does calculations related to Fresnel zones, reflec-tions, minimum antenna height, clearance/obstruction, hop length, diffraction loss, etc.Link Planner supports ITU-R recommendations (P.530-7 and P.530-10) and ITU-T recom-mendations (G.821 and G.826) performance estimations. Also it supports diversity cases:space, frequency, space + frequency and angle diversity.

Interference analyses are done using a module called an interference wizard. It performscalculation such as cumulative analyses of interference, co-channel and adjacent-channelinterference. Also part of the module are preparation of related reports, visualisation of theinterference in a 2D view, its subsequent effect on link budget calculation, etc.

Link Planner shares a common database with other modules of NetAct Planner, whichenables seamless data usage between Link Planner and other NetAct Planner modules.This means that both the transmission and radio network planning teams have real-timeinformation of each other's project work, and both teams can synchronise different planningproject phases smoothly.

A.5 TRANSMISSION PLANNER

Transmission Planner is a complete transmission network planning tool solution with so-phisticated, easy-to-use information management functionality, routing facilities, and ma-nipulation of physical and logical networks as well as capacity and equipment type and sizeidentification accordingly.

Transmission Planner provides advanced support for planning and dimensioning of mo-bile, TETRA, PSTN and Data Operator's networks. SDH, primary rate (n x 2Mbps) andgeneric data transmission as well switching and SS7 signalling networks planning are sup-ported.

Mobile access transmission network planning (« x 2 Mbps) is supported in all details.Transmission Planner combines sophisticated design algorithms with an intuitive, easy-to-use graphical user interface. Design algorithms are useful but they cannot handle all

232 INTEGRATED NETWORK PLANNING TOOL: NOKIA NETACT PLANNER

Figure A.5 Capacity planning and modules in Transmission Planner

complexities of real networks. A user-friendly interface is important for visualisation andfor manual modifications to provide maximal flexibility for the network planner.

The Transmission Module supports efficient transmission network architecture planningin interactive sessions. Applications are available for key tasks, such as network topology andcapacity manipulation with different traffic scenarios. It gives results of network capacityutilisation as well as information of non-routed traffic. As a result, the network topologyand required transmission capacities are presented, as well as the number and size of nodes(see Figure A.5).

The Transmission Module's Detailed-view provides a detailed level of informationabout the actual physical devices in 2G and 3G transmission networks. Other modules intransmission network layers are: IP, ATM, Lightpath, SDH, and PDH. The Traffic Modulemodels all traffic for mobile networks.

The Traffic Module is a logical layer with visible nodes including: BTSs, BSCs, MSCsand their 3G equivalents and their logical connections. Other service network layers are:TETRA, PSTN Access, Interswitch, and SS7 signalling.

The main driver for creating IP and ATM modules is the increasing importance ofpacket-based networks. Most of the modern data services are implemented in the variouspacket-switched networks and the IP module was created to provide a means of modellingthese. In addition to well-established packet networks that are based on IP or ATM packetnetworks, Nokia's aim is to provide a basic transmission capacity dimensioning tool bothfor GPRS networks and eventually for third-generation mobile networks.

The IP module is used to define traffic demands for an IP network. As planning results,equipment capacities and estimates of the network usage are provided. The IP modulecan provide valuable information about bottlenecks in the network and easy ways to solvethem with the user-friendly graphical interface. It provides an easy way to estimate packetthroughputs; and to give more realistic results, packet loads of equipment and protocoloverheads can be included in the capacity calculations.

IP traffic can be easily routed to lower transport layers such as ATM, SDH or PDH andthe required capacities on those layers can be analysed in corresponding modules.

QUALITY PLANNER 233

Figure A.6 Drive-test results analysis using Quality Planner

A.6 QUALITY PLANNER

It is essential that mobile network operators measure the performance of the radio net-work and carry out optimisation of the system. Only by making field trial measurementsare operators able to determine the performance of the radio network as seen by sub-scribers. Quality Planner provides an automated analysis of the test mobile measurementfiles and produces diagnostic reports to resolve problems within the radio network (seeFigure A.6).

Quality Planner is an efficient and flexible solution for analysing GSM networkair interface measurements, providing effective support in all analysis tasks includingGPRS and EDGE network measurement analysis, for network planning organisations. PCcompatibility with laptop computers enables field use and provides planning engineers withreal mobility.

Quality Planner has a common database with other NetAct Planner modules, therebyenabling seamless data usage between radio planning and optimisation. Drive test measure-ments can be analysed in the same map view as coverage, traffic or interference predictions,enabling a unique and accurate network analysis. Quality Planner also offers efficient prob-lem solving and diagnostic capabilities.

The drive test replay functionality of Quality Planner enables a broad range of informationto be displayed in the 2D map window during the drive test measurement analysis, includinglayer 3 messages, serving cell information, radio environment data, serving and neighbourgraphs.

Quality Planner supports a thorough analysis of radio network performance. The call suc-cess analysis is an important part of the field test measurements. This function summarisesthe status of each call made within the field trial measurements. Handover analysis pro-vides the ability to analyse cost-effective methods for both inter- and intra-cell handovers.The neighbour analysis performs a checking routine based on the real BSC neighbourlists. Possible missing or not measured neighbours are registered as problems. The signal

234 INTEGRATED NETWORK PLANNING TOOL: NOKIA NETACT PLANNER

level analysis clarifies the network field strength levels and the quality analysis co- andadjacent-channel interference levels.

Quality Planner's Probe module is a network analysis tool that enables you to bench-mark the quality of your network and easily compare it against your own network's pastperformance.

Whereas the analysis functionality of Quality Planner is designed to pinpoint specificproblems and faults in the network so that you can locate and fix them, Probe gives a widerpicture of one or more networks, providing statistics that show the system's problems as awhole. By using Probe, you can also perform trend analyses on key performance indicatorssuch as handover, level, quality and network performance. Additionally, you can queryselective data.

A.7 ROLLOUT PLANNER

Rollout Planner is a project management system for telecom network rollouts and expan-sions. It handles the project management for implementation projects.

Rollout Planner is a complete, efficient and flexible solution for project management andsite tracking. The Rollout Planner platform is suitable for multi-user projects and organisa-tions; it also supports field use and therefore provides real mobility for users (see Figure A.7).

Figure A.7 Rollout Planner

ROLLOUT PLANNER 235

Rollout Planner provides advanced support for project management, including:

detailed information at site level

planning of project milestones and tracking of different tasks

management of site acquisition and site candidates

status information of the project on a per-site basis

management of task-related documents

productivity and deviation reports on individual or group of sites

control of lead times between tasks and milestones.

Rollout Planner has a common database with other modules of Net Act Planner, to enableseamless data usage between project management and network planning, including siteacquisition and implementation status. This means that the project management and networkplanning teams have real-time knowledge of each other's project work and all departmentscan smoothly synchronise different planning project phases.

Table A. 1 Summary of Net Act Planner

Module

Radio Planner

WCDMA Planner

Link Planner

Transmission Planner

Functionality

Radio Planner is developed especially for the planning of alltypes of GSM and TETRA networks and is also suitable forNMT networks. It supports present GSM features such asfrequency hopping and dual-band planning. HSCSD, GPRSEDGE technologies are also supported.

WCDMA Planner is designed for WCDMA radio networkplanning. This planning system is part of the NokiaWCDMA system solution and has been developed incooperation with both Nokia and a leading planning toolsupplier, therefore enabling the latest WCDMA technologyutilisation. In addition to high-quality radio networkplanning functionality, WCDMA Planner offers anevolutionary approach to planning and optimising networksbased on data service requirements.

Link Planner is an efficient and flexible solution for microwavelink planning. Link Planner uses the most modern ITUformulas and includes interference calculations forfrequency assignment.

Transmission Planner is designed for transport and switchingnetwork planning. It supports the planning of 2G/3G mobile,ATM/IP and PSTN networks, including dimensioning andnetwork architecture comparisons.

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236 INTEGRATED NETWORK PLANNING TOOL: NOKIA NETACT PLANNER

Table A.I (Co/if.)

Module

Quality Planner

Rollout Planner

Functionality

Quality Planner for field measurement analysis is an intelligentsoftware package that provides automated analysis of testmobile measurement files and produces diagnostic reports toresolve problems within the radio network.

Rollout Planner is a site acquisition and projectprocess-tracking tool for network rollout and expansionprojects, providing full visibility of project milestones,progress and productivity.