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TDMA/FDMA User GuideVersion 4.3.1

December 2007

Cover Page

Copyright © 2007Mentum S.A. All rights reserved.

Notice

This document contains confidential and proprietary information of Mentum S.A. and may not be copied, transmitted, stored in a retrieval system, or reproduced in any format or media, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of Mentum S.A. Information contained in this document supersedes that found in any previous manuals, guides, specifications data sheets, or other information that may have been provided or made available to the user. This document is provided for informational purposes only, and Mentum S.A. does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, quality, validity, completeness or suitability for any purpose the information contained in this document. Mentum S.A. may update, improve, and enhance this document and the products to which it relates at any time without prior notice to the user. MENTUM S.A. MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THIS DOCUMENT OR THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN.

Trademark Acknowledgement

Planet is a registered trademark owned by Mentum S.A. MapInfo Professional is a registered trademark of PB MapInfo Corporation. WaveSight is a trademark of Wavecall. This document may contain other trademarks, trade names, or service marks of other organizations, each of which is the property of its respective owner.

ContentsContents

PLANET PRODUCTS

List of products 2

CONTACTING MENTUM

Getting technical support 4Send us your comments 4

INTRODUCTION Using this documentation 6Online Help 6Documentation library 8Notational conventions 9Organization of this user guide 10

CHAPTER 1Overview of TDMA/FDMA Technologies

Overview of supported technologies 12Optional tools 12

Workflow for TDMA/FDMA network planning 12Suggested reading 14

CHAPTER 2Creating a Mobile Technology Project for TDMA/FDMA

Understanding Mobile Technology projects 16Workflow for creating Mobile Technology projects 16Gathering project information 16Creating a project for TDMA/FDMA 17

To create a project for TDMA/FDMA 17Migrating a Cellular/PCS project 19Importing Planet 2.8 or Planet DMS data 19Opening a project 20

To open a project 20Creating a default settings file for TDMA/FDMA 20

To create a default settings file for TDMA/FDMA 21

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ContentsTDMA/FDMA User Guide

CHAPTER 3Defining Network Technologies and Services

Understanding TDMA/FDMA network technologies and services 24General TDMA/FDMA settings 24Noise settings 25GPRS and EGPRS 28HCL settings 29Illegal color codes 31

Workflow for defining TDMA/FDMA network technologies and services 32Defining the technologies in your network 32

To choose technologies 33Defining GSM settings 34

To define general settings for GSM 34To define noise settings for GSM 35To define HCL settings for GSM 36To define GPRS settings 38To define EGPRS settings 39To define illegal color codes for GSM 40

Defining IS-136 settings 41To define general settings for IS-136 42To define noise settings for IS-136 42To define HCL settings for IS-136 42To define illegal color codes for IS-136 44

Defining NAMPS settings 45To define general settings for NAMPS 45To define noise settings for NAMPS 46To define HCL settings for NAMPS 46To define illegal color codes for NAMPS 48

Defining iDEN settings 49To define general settings for iDEN 49To define noise settings for iDEN 49To define HCL settings for iDEN 50To define illegal color codes for iDEN 51

Defining user-defined technology settings 52To define general settings for a user-defined technology 52To define noise settings for a user-defined technology 53To define HCL settings for a user-defined technology 53

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To define illegal color codes for a user-defined technology 55Defining TDMA/FDMA services using the Data Service Definition panel 56

To define TDMA/FDMA services using the Data Service Definition panel 56

Defining TDMA/FDMA services using the Subscriber Manager 57To define coding schemes 57To assign coding schemes to services 58To import service information 58

Exporting and importing Mobile Technology network settings files 60To export a Mobile Technology network settings file 60To import a Mobile Technology network settings file 60

CHAPTER 4Defining Network Configuration

Understanding TDMA/FDMA network configuration 64Spectrum allocation 64TDMA/FDMA carriers 65Carrier groups 65Carrier types 65MALs 66Transceivers 66

Workflow for defining TDMA/FDMA network configuration 67Allocating spectrum and defining carriers for TDMA/FDMA 67

To import an existing band configuration 68To define bands 68To refresh TDMA/FDMA carriers 70To remove TDMA/FDMA bands 71To export a TDMA/FDMA band configuration 71

Viewing TDMA/FDMA carriers 71To view TDMA/FDMA carriers 71

Defining carrier groups 72To change view style for carrier groups 72To create carrier group names automatically 74To create TDMA/FDMA carrier group names manually 75To view details about TDMA/FDMA carriers, carrier types, and carrier groups 75To delete a carrier group 76

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To assign TDMA/FDMA carriers to carrier groups 77To view the groups to which a TDMA/FDMA carrier is assigned 78To import an existing carrier group plan 78

Filtering TDMA/FDMA carrier display 79To filter TDMA/FDMA carrier display 79

Defining carrier types 81To change view style for carrier types 81To create carrier types 82To delete a carrier type 82To assign TDMA/FDMA carriers to carrier types 82To view the types to which a TDMA/FDMA carrier is assigned 84

Defining mobile allocation lists 84To change view style for mobile allocation lists 85To create a mobile allocation list using a custom naming scheme 85To create a mobile allocation list using the default naming scheme 87To view details about TDMA/FDMA carriers and mobile allocation lists 87To delete a mobile allocation list 87To assign TDMA/FDMA carriers to mobile allocation lists 88To view the mobile allocation lists to which a carrier is assigned 89

Importing groups, types, and MALs from a converted project 89To define TDMA/FDMA technologies, bands, and carriers 90To import carrier groups, carrier types, and MALs 90

Defining transceivers 92To add a row for a transceiver 93To modify the number of time slots required for a transceiver 93

CHAPTER 5Configuring and Placing TDMA/FDMA Sites

Understanding TDMA/FDMA sites and sectors 96Workflow for configuring and placing TDMA/FDMA sites 96Placing TDMA/FDMA sites 97

To place a TDMA/FDMA site 97Calculating base station link budgets for TDMA/FDMA sectors 99

Losses and gains 99To calculate base station link budgets for TDMA/FDMA sectors 101

Globally editing base station link budget settings for TDMA/FDMA sectors 105

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To globally edit base station link budget settings for TDMA/FDMA sectors 106

Defining TDMA/FDMA technology sector settings 108Color codes 108To define TDMA/FDMA technology sector settings 109

Defining TDMA/FDMA HCL settings 111To define TDMA/FDMA sector-specific HCL settings 112

Defining TDMA/FDMA packet data settings 112To define TDMA/FDMA packet data settings 113

Defining TDMA/FDMA frequency hopping settings 114Discontinuous transmission (DTX) 114Downlink power control (DLPC) 114To define TDMA/FDMA frequency hopping settings 115

Defining TDMA/FDMA traffic settings 116Traffic 116BCCH and TCH allocation 116To define traffic settings for GSM 117To define traffic settings for IS-136 119To define traffic settings for all other TDMA/FDMA technologies 120

Defining TDMA/FDMA carrier settings 122Non-hopping transceivers 122Baseband hopping transceivers 122Synthesized hopping transceivers 123Choosing the correct procedure for defining TDMA/FDMA carrier settings 123To define carrier settings for non-hopping GSM transceivers 123To define carrier settings for other non-hopping transceivers 126To define carrier settings for baseband hopping transceivers 129To define carrier settings for synthesized hopping transceivers 131To change the hopping type in a TDMA/FDMA sector 132

Defining TDMA/FDMA frequency planning settings 133To define frequency planning requirements for non-hopping sectors 134To define frequency planning requirements for baseband hopping sectors 135To define frequency planning requirements for synthesized hopping sectors 136To import frequency planning requirements for TDMA/FDMA sites 137

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To define frequency planning exceptions for a TDMA/FDMA sector 141To define illegal carriers for a group of TDMA/FDMA sites 142To define illegal HSNs for a TDMA/FDMA sector 143

Defining illegal color codes for TDMA/FDMA sectors 145To define illegal color codes for TDMA/FDMA sectors 145

Exporting and importing TDMA/FDMA sector settings 146To export TDMA/FDMA sector settings 147To import TDMA/FDMA sector settings 147

Updating TDMA/FDMA sector traffic values using traffic map information 147

To update TDMA/FDMA sector traffic values using traffic map information 148

Viewing TDMA/FDMA frequency assignment and interference information 149

To view TDMA/FDMA frequency assignment and interference information 150

Viewing carrier allocation information for TDMA/FDMA sectors 153To view carrier allocation information for a TDMA/FDMA sector 153

Calculating carrier requirements for TDMA/FDMA sectors 154To generate a TDMA/FDMA Traffic Analysis and Dimensioning report 155To update the TDMA/FDMA carrier requirements for your project 157

Globally editing TDMA/FDMA sector properties 158To globally edit TDMA/FDMA sector properties 158

CHAPTER 6Adding Repeaters to TDMA/FDMA Sectors

Understanding repeaters 162Repeaters and TDMA/FDMA predictions 162

Workflow for adding repeaters to TDMA/FDMA sectors 163Adding repeaters to TDMA/FDMA sectors 163

To add repeaters to TDMA/FDMA sectors 163To define service antenna settings for repeaters 166To define donor antenna settings for repeaters 168To define repeater prediction settings 170To define repeater equipment settings 171To edit repeater settings 172

Locating repeaters in a Map window 173

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To locate repeaters in a Map window 173

CHAPTER 7Generating TDMA/FDMA Analysis Layers

Understanding TDMA/FDMA analysis layers 176Best server analysis for TDMA/FDMA 176Interference analysis for TDMA/FDMA 178Traffic settings for TDMA/FDMA 181Service quality metrics for TDMA/FDMA 181Service coverage analysis for TDMA/FDMA 183Required mobile power analysis for TDMA/FDMA 183

Generating path loss and signal strength predictions for TDMA/FDMA 183

To generate predictions for TDMA/FDMA 184Viewing path loss and signal strength predictions for TDMA/FDMA 185

To view TDMA/FDMA site predictions from the Project Explorer 185To view TDMA/FDMA sector predictions from the Project Explorer 185To view TDMA/FDMA repeater predictions from the Project Explorer 185

Workflow for generating and viewing TDMA/FDMA analysis layers 186Defining default TDMA/FDMA analysis settings 186

To define default TDMA/FDMA analysis settings 186To define the default TDMA/FDMA analysis layer list 187

Creating a new TDMA/FDMA analysis 187To create a new TDMA/FDMA analysis 188To define the analysis layers to use in a TDMA/FDMA analysis 188

Defining TDMA/FDMA analysis settings 189To define TDMA/FDMA analysis settings 189To specify the TDMA/FDMA technologies to be analyzed 190To define settings for best server analysis for TDMA/FDMA 191To define general interference analysis settings for TDMA/FDMA 192To define interference analysis settings for GSM technology 194To define interference analysis settings for other TDMA/FDMA technologies 195To define BER settings for TDMA/FDMA technologies 196To define FER settings for GSM technology 197To define FER settings for other TDMA/FDMA technologies 198To define SQE settings for iDEN technology 199

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To define traffic settings for TDMA/FDMA analyses 199To define coverage settings for TDMA/FDMA 202To define required mobile power settings for TDMA/FDMA 204To define analysis options for TDMA/FDMA analyses 204

Generating a TDMA/FDMA analysis 206To generate a TDMA/FDMA analysis 206

Generating analysis layers for flag-specific information 206To generate an analysis for sectors chosen by flags 207

Viewing TDMA/FDMA analysis layers 207To view TDMA/FDMA analysis layers 207

Recoloring best serving sector layers 208To recolor best serving sector layers 208

Modifying TDMA/FDMA analysis settings 209To modify analysis settings 209

Deleting analyses 209To delete analyses 209

Analyzing interference between two TDMA/FDMA sectors 210C/I result layers 210C/I statistics 210C/I histogram 211CDF graph 212To perform a 2-sector C/I analysis for TDMA/FDMA 213To view the results of a 2-sector C/I analysis 216

CHAPTER 8Generating Frequency Plans Automatically

Understanding automatic frequency planning 218Automatic frequency planning and color code planning 218Inputs for automatic frequency planning 219Constraints for automatic frequency planning 219Costs for automatic frequency planning 219Optimization methods for automatic frequency planning 220

Workflow for automatic frequency planning 221Creating a frequency plan 222

To create a frequency plan 222Defining general frequency planning settings 224

To define general frequency planning settings 224Defining AFP optimization settings 226

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To define AFP optimization settings 226Defining AFP constraints and costs 228

AFP carrier type constraints 228AFP violation costs 228To define AFP carrier type constraints and violation costs 229

Defining AFP HSN and MAIO settings 232To define AFP HSN and MAIO settings 232

Generating a frequency plan 234To generate a frequency plan 234

Applying a frequency plan to TDMA/FDMA sectors 236

CHAPTER 9Working with Frequency and Color Code Plans

Understanding frequency and color code planning 238Workflow for frequency and color code planning 238Importing frequency and color code plans using pre-defined importers 239

Importing plans from switch data 240To import a plan from Planet DMS or Planet 2.8 240To import a plan from Ericsson GSM switch data 241To import a plan from Ericsson or CSV TDMA switch data 243To import a plan from Nortel TDMA switch data 245

Importing frequency plans using the Import/Export Wizard 247To create a new frequency plan using the Import/Export Wizard 247

Generating and viewing color codes 248Constraints for color code planning 248Costs for color code planning 249To generate color codes 249To view color codes for TDMA/FDMA sectors in a Map window 252To view color code properties 253

Using basic frequency and color code planning functions 253To open a frequency and color code plan 254To save frequency and color code assignments 254To view a frequency and color code plan report 255To apply a frequency and color code plan 255To export a frequency and color code plan 257

Comparing frequency and color code plans 257

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To compare frequency and color code plans 258To modify the column display on the Detailed Results tab 258To filter the rows on the Detailed Results tab 259To export a frequency and color plan comparison 259

Viewing sector-to-sector interference based on a frequency plan 260To view interferers for a TDMA/FDMA sector based on a frequency plan 260

CHAPTER 10Generating Frequency Plans Interactively

Understanding interactive frequency planning 262Interference costs for interactive frequency planning 262Violations for interactive frequency planning 263Inputs for interactive frequency planning 265

Understanding the IFP dialog box 265IFP sector summary table 266IFP Properties table 267IFP Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table 268IFP Cost Breakdown table 269

Workflow for interactive frequency planning 270Creating a frequency plan using the IFP tool 270

To create an interactive frequency plan 271To include victim and interferer costs in the interactive frequency plan 272To clear or enable automatic cost calculation in an interactive frequency plan 272To filter the interactive frequency plan display 273To sort table rows in the interactive frequency plan 273To define cost color assignments in the interactive frequency plan 274To view details about a transceiver in the interactive frequency plan 275

Modifying a frequency plan using the IFP tool 276To view cost information for carrier or MAL assignments 276To change carrier or MAL assignments 278To change the carrier type for a transceiver 278To change the MAIO for a synthesized hopping transceiver 278To add or remove transceivers from the interactive frequency plan 279To modify IFP settings 279

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Saving and applying an interactive frequency plan 282To save an interactive frequency plan 282To apply an interactive frequency plan 282

CHAPTER 11Generating TDMA/FDMA Reports

Understanding TDMA/FDMA reports 286Workflow for generating TDMA/FDMA reports 286Designing a TDMA/FDMA report 286

To design a TDMA/FDMA report 287To define the data columns for a TDMA/FDMA report 289To define the export settings for a TDMA/FDMA report 290To save the TDMA/FDMA report design 291To modify an existing TDMA/FDMA report design 291To delete a TDMA/FDMA report design 291

Generating a TDMA/FDMA report 291To generate a TDMA/FDMA report 292

Calculating statistics for TDMA/FDMA analysis layers 293To calculate TDMA/FDMA layer statistics 293To display TDMA/FDMA layer statistics in table format 296To add TDMA/FDMA layer statistics to a report design 297

CHAPTER 12Generating Performance Analyses

Understanding the Performance Simulator 300Voice traffic analysis 300Packet traffic analysis 300

Preparing data for performance analysis 301Network data 301Traffic map 301Interference matrix 302Network configuration 303Packet data statistics 303AMR codecs 303

Workflow for performance analysis 304Creating composite traffic maps 307

To create a composite traffic map 307Importing packet data statistics for use in a performance analysis 308

To import packet throughput information 309

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To import packet throughput information using time slot data 310Creating a performance analysis 314

To create a performance analysis 314To open a performance analysis file 315

Defining performance analysis settings 315To define performance analysis settings 315To define interference matrix settings for a performance analysis 317To define voice traffic and AMR settings for a performance analysis 318To define codecs for a performance analysis 320To use packet data statistics in a performance analysis 322To define advanced performance analysis settings 322To save performance analysis settings 324To load saved performance analysis settings 324

Running a performance analysis 325To run a performance analysis 325

Working with performance analysis results 327Sample interpretation of performance analysis results 327To view performance analysis results 328To choose which columns are displayed in performance analysis results 331To export performance analysis results 331To save a performance analysis 333Interpreting exported performance analysis results 333Excel macros for performance analysis worksheets 337

APPENDIX A 339TDMA/FDMA Site Table Columns

INDEX 347

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Planet Products

This chapter contains the following section:■ List of products

The Planet Product portfolio provides a range of

products for planning and maintaining wireless

networks.

This section describes the products that are available

as part of the portfolio. For additional details about

any of these products, see the Mentum web site at

http://www.mentum.com.

1

http://www.mentum.com

Planet ProductsTDMA/FDMA User Guide

2

List of productsThe following table describes wireless network planning products. The table does not provide details about Planet features and tools. For more information about technologies and tools, see the introductory chapters in the User Guide for the specific product or visit the Planet web site at http://www.mentum.com.

Product Description

Planet A Windows-based wireless network planning and analysis tool. You can add technologies and tools to support the planning functions that you require. Depending on the options that you choose, Planet provides support for the following technologies:■ TDMA/FDMA—GSM (including GPRS and EGPRS),

IS-136, AMPS, NAMPS, and iDEN

■ CDMA—W-CDMA (UMTS, including HSDPA), cdma2000 (including IS-95, 1xRTT, EV-DO)

Ellipse An integrated software solution for the optimal planning and design of point-to-point and point-to-multipoint radio transmission links.

Universal Model Propagation model that automatically adapts to all engineering technologies (micro, mini, small and macro cells), to all environments (dense urban, urban, suburban, mountainous, maritime, open), and to all systems (GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, WIFI, WIMAX) in a frequency range that spans from 400MHz to 5GHz.

Optimiser Optimisation tool that enables engineers to improve upon manual optimisation techniques by allowing them to consider and adjust multiple input parameters simultaneously. The result is a quicker and more cost-effective convergence towards a 'best network' configuration.

Renaissance Frequency planning tool that uses evolutionary algorithms to find the very best frequency plan that will minimize interference across the network.

Wavesight Propagation model that uses deterministic ray-tracing methods to model the network.


Contacting Mentum

This chapter contains the following sections:■ Getting technical support■ Send us your comments

Mentum is committed to providing fast, responsive

technical support. This section provides an extensive

list of contacts to help you through any issues you

may have.

We also welcome any comments about our

documentation. Customer feedback is an essential

element of product development and supports our

efforts to provide the best products, services, and

support we can.

3

Contacting MentumTDMA/FDMA User Guide

4

Getting technical supportYou can get technical support by phone or email, or by going to http://www.mentum.com/mentum/customercare.php. Email is the best way of getting technical support.

North AmericaEmail: [email protected]: +1 (800) 522 9670

Europe, Middle East, and AfricaEmail: [email protected]: +46 (8) 764 15 12

Asia PacificEmail: [email protected]: +60 (3) 8314 6390

Web support is also available. A Technical Assistance Center (TAC) Analyst will provide you with information on participating in an online technical support session.

When you call for technical support, ensure that you have your product ID number and know which version of the software you are running. You can obtain this information using the About command from the Help menu.When you request technical support outside of regular business hours, a TAC Analyst will respond the next working day by telephone or email, depending upon the nature of the request.

Send us your commentsFeedback is important to us. Please take the time to send comments and suggestions on the product you received and on the user documentation shipped with it. Send your comments to:[email protected]

http://www.mentum.com/mentum/customercare.php

mailto:[email protected]




Introduction

This chapter contains the following sections:■ Using this documentation

This user guide provides the necessary information to

plan networks that contain GSM and other TDMA

and FDMA technologies. It outlines a typical

workflow for planning and analyzing a network. For

more information, see “Organization of this user

guide” on page 10.

This chapter describes how to use the documentation.

5

IntroductionTDMA/FDMA User Guide

Using this documentationBefore using this documentation, you should be familiar with the Windows environment. It is assumed that you are using the standard Windows XP desktop, and that you know how to access ToolTips and shortcut menus, move and copy objects, select multiple objects using the Shift or Ctrl key, resize dialog boxes, expand and collapse folder trees. It is also assumed that you are familiar with the basic functions of MapInfo Professional®. MapInfo Professional functions are not documented in this User Guide. For information about MapInfo Professional, see the MapInfo online Help and MapInfo Professional User Guide.All product information is available through the online Help. You access online Help using the Help menu or context-sensitive Help from within a dialog box by pressing the F1 key. If you want to view the online Help for a specific panel or tab, click in a field or list box to activate the panel or tab before you press the F1 key. The following sections describe the structure of the online Help.

Online HelpFrom the Help menu, you can access online Help for Wireless Network Planning software and for MapInfo Professional. This section describes the structure of the Wireless Network Planning online Help. The online Help provides extensive help on all aspects of software use. It provides

■ help on all dialog boxes■ procedures for using the software■ an extensive Planet documentation library in PDF format■ User Guides

The following sections provide details about the resources available through the online Help.

Resource RoadmapWhen you first use the online Help, start with the Resource Roadmap. It describes the types of resources available in the online Help and explains how best to use them. It includes a step-by-step guide that walks you through the available resources.

6


PrintingYou have two basic options for printing documents:

■ If you want a good quality print of a single procedure or section, you can print from the Help window. Click Print in the Help window.

■ If you want a higher quality print of a complete User Guide, use Adobe Reader to print the supplied print-ready PDF file contained in the Planet documentation library. Open the PDF file and choose File ➤ Print.

Library SearchYou can perform a full-text search on all PDF files contained in the Planet documentation library if you are using a version of Adobe Reader that supports full-text searches. The PDF files are located in the Planet 4\Help folder.

Frequently Asked QuestionsThe Frequently Asked Questions section provides answers to common questions about Planet. For easy navigation, the section is divided into categories related to product functionality.

“How To” Help“How To” Help provides detailed procedures for performing all required product functions. The organization of this section reflects a typical network planning workflow.The procedures in this section are also available in the User Guides.

“What’s This?” Help“What’s This?” Help provides detailed explanations of all dialog boxes.

User GuidesAll User Guides for Planet software is easily accessible as part of the online Help.

You can also perform a search on all online Help topics by clicking the Search tab in the Help window. Type a keyword, and click List Topics to

display all Help topics that contain the keyword. The online Help duplicates the information found in the User Guide PDF files in order to provide more complete results. It does not duplicate the information in the Release Notes, or Glossary.

7


Documentation libraryPlanet comes with an extensive library of User Guides in PDF format. The following table provides details about the documentation supplied with Planet. Additional documents, including Application Notes and Technical Notes, are available on the Mentum Web site: http://www.mentum.com.

Document Enables you to

Planet User Guide Plan and analyze simulated wireless communication networks.

Grid Analysis User Guide Perform operations on spatial data that is stored in grids, and display, analyze, and export digital elevation models (DEM) and other grid-based data.

TDMA/FDMA User Guide Plan and analyze TDMA/FDMA networks.

CDMA User Guide Plan and analyze W-CDMA (UMTS) and cdma2000 networks.

Data Manager User Guide Learn how to use the Data Manager.The Data Manager enables users to work with centralized Planet data stored in an Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server database.

Data Manager Server Administrator Guide

Learn how to install and configure the Data Manager Server on database and file servers in a network environment, and how to manage access to project data.

Installation Guide Install Wireless Network Planning software.

Glossary Search for commonly used technical terms.

Release Note Learn about new features and known issues with the current release of software.

Data Manager Server Release Note

Learn about new features and known issues with the current release of Data Manager Server software.

MapInfo Professional User Guide

Learn about the many features of MapInfo Professional, as well as basic and advanced mapping concepts.

8



Notational conventionsThis section describes the textual conventions and icons used throughout this documentation.

Textual conventionsSpecial text formats are used to highlight different types of information. The following table describes the special text conventions used in this document.

IconsThroughout this documentation, icons are used to identify text that requires special attention.

bold text Bold text is used in procedure steps to identify a user interface element such as a dialog box, menu item, or button. For example:In the Select Interpolation Method dialog box, choose the Inverse Distance Weighting option, and click Next.

courier text Courier text is used in procedures to identify text that you must type. For example:In the File Name box, type Elevation.grd.

bright blue text Bright blue text is used to identify a link to another section of the document. Click the link to view the section.

➤ Menu arrows are used in procedures to identify a sequence of menu items that you must follow. For example, if a step reads “Choose File ➤ Open,” you would click File and then click Open.

< > Angle brackets are used to identify variables.For example, if a menu item changes depending on the chosen unit of measurement, the menu structure would appear as Display ➤ <unit of measurement>.

This icon identifies a workflow summary, which explains a series of actions that you will need to carry out in the specified order to complete a complex task.

This icon identifies a cautionary statement, which contains information required to avoid potential loss of data, time, or resources.

9


Organization of this user guideThis user guide is organized according to the workflow that you would typically follow to plan and analyze a wireless network.Each chapter in this guide provides details about how to perform a step in the planning process and explains how it relates to the other steps. Before you begin, you should read the “Understanding...” sections in each chapter for an overview of the planning process.

This icon identifies a tip, which contains shortcut information, alternative ways of performing a task, or methods that save time or resources.

This icon identifies a note, which highlights important information or provides information that is useful but not essential.

10

EN/LZT xxx xxxx Rxx

Chapter 1: Overview of TDMA/FDMA Technologies

1.
Overview of TDMA/FDMA Technologies
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Overview of supported

technologies■ Workflow for TDMA/FDMA

network planning■ Suggested reading

This chapter provides an overview of the supported

TDMA/FDMA technologies and summarizes a

typical workflow used for TDMA/FDMA planning.

You can plan and configure networks that use

TDMA/FDMA technologies, such as GSM.

11

Chapter 1TDMA/FDMA User Guide

Overview of supported technologiesPlanet supports networks containing any combination of the following TDMA/FDMA technologies:

■ GSM—Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), an open, non-proprietary TDMA system that is constantly evolving. One of its great strengths is international roaming capability, which provides seamless and standardized same number contact ability in more than 170 countries. GSM support includes GPRS and EGPRS.

■ IS-136—a widely-used TDMA technology. Many IS-136 networks are being upgraded to support GSM.

■ NAMPS—analog FDMA technology.■ iDEN—a Motorola proprietary TDMA technology.■ user-defined—almost any TDMA or FDMA technology that is

not explicitly supported by Planet.For information on W-CDMA or cdma2000, see the CDMA User Guide.

Optional toolsYou can purchase the following optional tools for Planet:

■ Automatic Frequency Planning tool—enables you to perform automatic frequency planning.

■ Interactive Frequency Planning tool—enables you to optimize your frequency plans by managing interference costs and violations at the transceiver level.

■ Performance Simulator—enables you to perform performance analyses of your network.

This user guide includes information for these optional tools.

Workflow for TDMA/FDMA network planningThe workflow outlined in this section shows the typical order of steps only. Depending on your work practices, you may not complete the steps in the same order.Before you begin this workflow, you should review the list of Planet activities listed in Chapter 1, “Getting Started with Planet”, in the Planet User Guide.

12

Overview of TDMA/FDMA TechnologiesTDMA/FDMA User Guide

You should also read the “Understanding...” sections in each chapter for an overview of the planning process.

Step 1 Create a project. See “Chapter 2: Creating a Mobile Technology Project for TDMA/FDMA” on page 15.

Step 2 Define network technologies and services. See “Chapter 3: Defining Network Technologies and Services” on page 23.

Step 3 Define network configuration. See “Chapter 4: Defining Network Configuration” on page 63.

Step 4 Optionally, edit the propagation models supplied with Planet. See Chapter 4, “Working with Propagation Models”, in the Planet User Guide.

Step 5 Configure and place sites and repeaters if required. See “Chapter 5: Configuring and Placing TDMA/FDMA Sites” on page 95 and “Chapter 6: Adding Repeaters to TDMA/FDMA Sectors” on page 161.

Step 6 Optionally, analyze survey data or tune propagation models. See Chapter 5, “Managing Survey Data”, in the Planet User Guide.

Step 7 Optionally, if you have purchased the Planet Optimizer, optimize your sites using the workflow described in the Planet Optimizer online Help.

Step 8 Generate analysis layers. See “Chapter 7: Generating TDMA/FDMA Analysis Layers” on page 175.

If you have an existing Planet 2.8 or Planet DMS project, and you want to import the information for use with Planet, contact your local

Technical Assistance Center (TAC). See “Contacting Mentum” on page 3.

13


Step 9 Optionally, add a frequency and color code plan. See “Chapter 9: Working with Frequency and Color Code Plans” on page 237, or, if you have purchased optional frequency planning tools, see:■ “Chapter 8: Generating Frequency Plans

Automatically” on page 217■ “Chapter 10: Generating Frequency Plans

Interactively” on page 261

Step 10 Optionally, create reports.

■ To create reports about project data, see “Chapter 11: Generating TDMA/FDMA Reports” on page 285.

■ To create coverage maps and FCC Service Area Boundary reports, see Chapter 13, “Generating Reports”, in the Planet User Guide.

Step 11 Optionally, generate performance analyses. See “Chapter 12: Generating Performance Analyses” on page 299.

Suggested readingAndersson, Christoffer. GPRS and 3G Wireless Applications. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2001.Steele, Raymond & Lee, Chin-Chun & Gould, Peter. GSM, cdmaOne and 3G Systems. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2001.Bates, Regis J. “Bud”. GPRS (General Packet Radio Service). New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002.Halonen, T. & Romero, J. & Melero, J. GSM, GPRS and EDGE Performance. Second Edition. John Wiley and Sons, Ltd., 2003.Mouly, Michel & Pautet, Marie-Bernadette. The GSM System for Mobile Communications. ISBN 2-9507190-0-7

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Chapter 2: Creating a Mobile Technology Project for TDMA/FDMA

2.
Creating a Mobile Technology Project for TDMA/FDMA
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Understanding Mobile

Technology projects■ Workflow for creating Mobile

Technology projects■ Gathering project information■ Creating a project for TDMA/

FDMA■ Migrating a Cellular/PCS

project■ Importing Planet 2.8 or Planet

DMS data■ Opening a project■ Creating a default settings file

for TDMA/FDMA

This chapter explains how to create a Mobile

Technology project.

Once you have created a project, you can define

network settings and carrier settings, as described in

the following chapters.

15


Understanding Mobile Technology projectsA Mobile Technology project defines which elevation, clutter, and site files to use for analyses. You need to create a project before you can define network and carrier settings, place sites, or generate analysis layers.Once you create a Mobile Technology project, you can choose any of the following technologies for it:

■ TDMA/FDMA technologies■ GSM■ IS-136 digital and analog (AMPS)■ NAMPS■ iDEN■ user-defined

■ CDMA technologies (for more information on CDMA technologies, see the CDMA User Guide)

Workflow for creating Mobile Technology projectsStep 1 Gather technical information to support the project. See

“Gathering project information”.

Step 2 Create the Mobile Technology project. See “Creating a project for TDMA/FDMA” on page 17.

Gathering project informationTo create a Mobile Technology project, you must have a digital elevation model (DEM) file and, optionally, a clutter file. The results of network analyses will be more accurate and complete if you start with as much information as possible. It is recommended that you also have the following:

■ technical information about sites and sectors, such as location, power, azimuth, tilt, and twist

■ manufacturer’s electronic antenna patterns

16

Creating a Mobile Technology Project for TDMA/FDMATDMA/FDMA User Guide

Creating a project for TDMA/FDMAThe Project Wizard leads you through the process of creating a project and, by default, is automatically displayed upon startup of Planet.If you want Planet to automatically open the last project, instead of the Project Wizard, enable both the Do Not Show This Dialog Box On Startup check box in the Project Wizard and the Open the Last Project check box on the System Settings tab in the Project Settings dialog box. If you do not want the last project to open, clear the Open the Last Project check box.You can use remote project folders to store and access Planet project data. For example, you can use shared project folders for the following types of project files to conserve disk space on your local computer:

■ bin files■ signal (field) strength files

■ prediction view files (CDMA technologies only)By default, these files are saved in the local project folder. If you use shared project folders, the project files are stored in the shared folders, instead of the local project folder. The shared folders must have read/write access permissions for all Planet users accessing the shared folders.

You can choose to use a workspace, which defines the layer properties and position of each Map window, although this is not required. For more information on workspaces, see Chapter 1, “Getting Started with Planet”, in the Planet User Guide.

To create a project for TDMA/FDMA1 Start Planet.

By default, the Project Wizard opens when you start Planet. To use the wizard at any other time, choose File ➤ New Project.

2 Click Next on the first page of the Project Wizard.

If you are using shared folders and do not enable the corresponding check box in the Sharing section of the Advanced Options tab in the

Project Settings dialog box, the shared path is not stored in Data Manager when you check in the project. For any Data Manager users who perform a Get on the project, all data will be stored within their local project folder.

17


3 In the Mobile Technology dialog box, choose a default settings file and click OK.

A default settings file contains default network settings for the project. For more information on creating a default settings file, see “Creating a default settings file for TDMA/FDMA” on page 20.

4 Follow the pages of the Project Wizard and supply the appropriate information to create your project.

5 Click Finish.

The Project Settings dialog box opens.

6 If you want to use a workspace, on the Data tab, enable either of the following options:■ Use a Workspace—enables you to save the layer properties and

position of each Map window to a file so that the settings are the same the next time you open the project. To use this option, you must save a workspace file using the File ➤ Save Workspace command.

■ Workspace Autosave—automatically saves the workspace file when you close the project. If cleared, you must save the workspace file manually before you close your project.

For more information on workspaces, see Chapter 1, “Getting Started with Planet”, in the Planet User Guide.

7 In the Project Settings dialog box, click the Folders tab.8 If you want to change the default paths for bin, signal strength, prediction

view, or settings files, for any of the following boxes, click Browse, navigate to the shared folder, and click OK.■ Bin—<project>\bin folder, used for prediction files■ Signal Strength—<project>\SignalStrength folder, used for

field strength files■ Prediction View—<project>\PredictionView folder, used when

you generate a CDMA Monte Carlo simulation■ Global—Program Files\Planet 4.3\Global folder, used for

default settings files9 If you intend to use the Data Manager with shared project files, in the

Project Settings dialog box, click the Advanced Options tab, and in the

18


Sharing section, enable the check boxes for each of the file types that reference shared project data.

For information about the other options on the Advanced Options tab, press the F1 key. For more detailed information, see “Defining output settings” in Chapter 8, “Generating Predictions”, in the Planet User Guide.

10 Click OK to save your Planet project.

The Project Explorer opens, docked at the left edge of the application window.

Migrating a Cellular/PCS projectIf you created a project using the Cellular/PCS project type, you can upgrade the project for use with the current version of Planet. To upgrade the project, contact your local Technical Assistance Center (TAC). For information on contacting a TAC, see “Contacting Mentum” on page 3.

Importing Planet 2.8 or Planet DMS dataIf you have a Planet 2.8 or Planet DMS project that uses AMPS/TACS,GSM/TDMA, or IS-136 technology, you can convert the data for use with Planet. For information on importing Planet 2.8 or Planet DMS data, contact your local Technical Assistance Center (TAC). See “Contacting Mentum” on page 3.

When you create a project, a set of default propagation model files is copied to the Model folder located within the project folder. Each

propagation model references a default Clutter Property Assignment (.cpa) file containing settings appropriate for the model. Ensure that the clutter properties defined for the propagation model are set for the clutter grid file you specify in the Project Settings dialog box.

To open the Project Settings dialog box once a project is open, choose Edit ➤ Project Settings, or click the Project Settings button on the

Analysis toolbar.

19


Opening a projectYou must close an open project before opening a new one. Only projects that you have recently worked with appear in the Open Planet Project dialog box.

To open a project1 Choose File ➤ Open Project.

The Open Planet Project dialog box opens.

2 If you want to see the paths in the Most Recently Used Projects list, enable the Show Path check box.

3 Do one of the following:■ Choose a project in the Most Recently Used Projects list and

click Open.

■ Click Browse, locate the project you want to open and then click Open.

If you are opening a project that contains predictions from an earlier version of Planet, see “Opening and closing projects” in Chapter 1, “Getting Started with Planet,” in the Planet User Guide.

Creating a default settings file for TDMA/FDMAWhen you create a project, you are prompted to choose a default settings (.gsm) file. Planet includes default settings files for common technologies. You can, however, create a custom default settings file that will automatically appear in the Mobile Technologies list.A default settings file for TDMA/FDMA technologies contains the following information:

■ default network settings■ default sector settings■ default analysis settings

When you open a project, the values contained in the TDMA/FDMA settings file are loaded in the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, the TDMA/FDMA Sector Settings dialog box, and the TDMA/FDMA Analysis Settings dialog box.Before you create a default settings file, you must first define the network, sector, and analysis settings. You must then export the network settings to a

20


network settings (.gns) file, and export the sector settings to a sector settings (.gss) file. For more information, see the following sections:

■ To define custom network settings, see “Chapter 3: Defining Network Technologies and Services” on page 23. To export the settings to a network settings (.gns) file, see “To export a Mobile Technology network settings file” on page 60.

■ To define custom TDMA/FDMA sector settings, see “Chapter 5: Configuring and Placing TDMA/FDMA Sites” on page 95. To export the settings to a sector settings (.gss) file, see “Exporting and importing TDMA/FDMA sector settings” on page 146.

■ To define custom analysis settings, see “Defining default TDMA/FDMA analysis settings” on page 186. An analysis settings (.nas) file is created automatically.

To create a default settings file for TDMA/FDMA1 Copy your exported network settings (.gns) file and sector settings (.gss)

file to the Planet 4\Global\GSM\DefaultSets folder.2 Copy the DefaultAnalysisSettings.nas file from the folder of the project

where you defined your default network analysis settings to the Planet 4\Global\GSM\DefaultSets folder.

3 In the Planet 4\Global\GSM\DefaultSets folder, copy any one of the existing default settings (.gsm) files and rename it.

You must retain the .gsm extension. This will become the new default project settings file.

4 Open Notepad or any other ASCII text editor.5 Open the new default settings file, and edit the parameters to refer to your

settings files. For example,[Network Settings]Default Settings File=myNetworkSettings.gns

[Sector Settings]Default Settings File=mySectorSettings.gss

[Analysis Settings]Default Settings File=DefaultAnalysisSettings.nas

6 Save the file.

21


22

Chapter 3: Defining Network Technologies and Services

3.
Defining Network Technologies and Services
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Understanding TDMA/FDMA

network technologies and services

■ Workflow for defining TDMA/FDMA network technologies and services

■ Defining the technologies in your network

■ Defining GSM settings■ Defining IS-136 settings■ Defining NAMPS settings■ Defining iDEN settings■ Defining user-defined

technology settings■ Defining TDMA/FDMA

services using the Data Service Definition panel

■ Defining TDMA/FDMA services using the Subscriber Manager

■ Exporting and importing Mobile Technology network settings files

This chapter explains how to define the network

technologies and services that are associated with

your project.

23


Understanding TDMA/FDMA network technologies and servicesThe following sections explain the options that you have for defining network technologies and services for your project.The Network Technologies panel enables you to define which technologies you have in your network. The following technology options are available:

■ GSM—can include GPRS and EGPRS■ IS-136—includes digital and analog options■ NAMPS■ iDEN■ User Defined (other TDMA/FDMA technologies)

For each technology, the settings that you can define are divided into the following categories:

■ general settings■ noise settings■ hierarchical cell layer (HCL) settings■ illegal color codes

For GSM only, you can also define settings for GPRS and EGPRS. The following sections explain the contents of each category.

General TDMA/FDMA settingsGeneral settings consist of

■ carrier configuration, which includes ■ carrier spacing■ time slots per transceiver■ carrier separation between adjacent channels

■ interferenceCarrier spacing and time slots per transceiver are fixed based on technology type. The exceptions to this are iDEN and user-defined technology. For iDEN, you must specify the time slots per transceiver. For a user-defined technology, you must specify the carrier spacing and the time slots per transceiver. The carrier spacing, which is the carrier bandwidth in kHz, is used when you

24

Defining Network Technologies and ServicesTDMA/FDMA User Guide

create carriers. For more information on creating carriers, see “Allocating spectrum and defining carriers for TDMA/FDMA” on page 67. Carrier separation between adjacent channels enables you to create adjacent carriers with carrier numbers that differ by more than one. For example, a carrier separation of 1 will generate carrier numbers such as 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. A carrier separation of 2 will generate carrier numbers such as 1, 3, 5, etc. In this case, carriers 1 and 3 will be adjacent. This value is only used to support the carrier numbering scheme of iDEN or of a user-defined technology. iDEN uses only odd carrier numbers (1, 3, 5, 7...), which gives it a carrier separation between adjacent channels of 2.The interference settings enable you to specify the minimum interference ratios required for service. You can specify the minimum C/I (co-channel carrier-to-interference ratio) and the minimum C/A (adjacent channel carrier-to-interference) required for acceptable service. These values are used to calculate the adjacent channel interference rejection factor (IRF), which is the amount of isolation the technology filter provides to adjacent channel interference. It is given by .

Noise settingsNoise settings enable you to specify the effect of noise in your environment. Values calculated for Rx sensitivity can be used when you create analysis layers. For more information on creating analysis layers, see “Chapter 7: Generating TDMA/FDMA Analysis Layers” on page 175.

Uplink Thermal Noise FloorEquation 3.1 shows the calculation for Uplink Thermal Noise Floor.

Equation 3.1 Uplink Thermal Noise Floor

Where: is a read-only, calculated field. The Thermal Noise Floor is

the amount of noise power generated by the mobile device itself. The temperature of the device causes the random motion of electrons in the device that produces this noise power. It is typically referred to as the kTBF factor.

is a read-only value equal to -144 dBm/kHz. It is referred to as the factor, where is Boltzmann’s constant , and

is the ambient temperature in Kelvin, which is assumed to be 290K. Equation 3.2 shows the calculation for Thermal Noise Density.

C/Imin C/Amin–

Thermal Noise Floor Thermal Noise Density 10log10 B( ) BTS Noise Figure+ +=

Thermal Noise Floor

Thermal Noise DensitykT k k 1.38 10 23– J/K×=

T

25


Equation 3.2 Thermal Noise Density calculation

is the Noise Equivalent Bandwidth in kHz. For digital technologies, this value is equal to the technology’s channel symbol rate. This value is used to calculate the thermal noise density for both downlink and uplink.

is the thermal noise for the base transceiver station (BTS) in dB.

For example, for a GSM uplink, if the noise equivalent bandwidth (B) is 200 kHz and the BTS noise figure is 5 dB (a typical noise figure for the BTS), the equation for Uplink Thermal Noise Floor is . In this case, the thermal noise floor is -116 dBm.

Downlink Thermal Noise FloorEquation 3.3 shows the calculation for Downlink Thermal Noise Floor.

Equation 3.3 Downlink Thermal Noise Floor

Where: is a read-only, calculated field. The Thermal Noise Floor is

the amount of noise power generated by the mobile device itself. The temperature of the device causes the random motion of electrons in the device that produces this noise power. It is typically referred to as the kTBF factor.

is a read-only value equal to -144 dBm/kHz. It is referred to as the factor, where is Boltzmann’s constant , and

is the ambient temperature in Kelvin, which is assumed to be 290K. Equation 3.2 shows the calculation for Thermal Noise Density.

is the Noise Equivalent Bandwidth in kHz. For digital technologies, this value is equal to the technology’s channel symbol rate. This value is used to calculate the thermal noise density for both downlink and uplink.

is the noise figure for the mobile device in dB.

For example, for a GSM downlink, if the noise equivalent bandwidth (B) is 200 kHz and the mobile noise figure is 8 dB (a typical noise figure for the mobile), the equation for Downlink Thermal Noise Floor is

Thermal Noise Density 10log10= kT( ) 10log10 1.38 10 23– J× K 290K×⁄( )=

= 10log10 4 10 21– W/Hz×( )

-204 dBW/Hz -174 dBm/Hz -144 dBm/kHz===

B

BTS Noise Figure

144 dBm/kHz– 10log10 200( ) 5+ +

Thermal Noise Floor Thermal Noise Density 10log10 B( ) Mobile Noise Figure+ +=

Thermal Noise Floor

Thermal Noise DensitykT k k 1.38 10 23– J/K×=

T

B

Mobile Noise Figure

26


. In this case, the thermal noise floor is -113 dBm.

Uplink Rx SensitivityThe Uplink Thermal Noise Floor and the Required C/N are used to calculate the Uplink Rx Sensitivity, as shown in Equation 3.4.

Equation 3.4 Uplink Rx Sensitivity

Where: is a read-only, calculated field that represents the minimum

signal level that the BTS needs to receive in order to provide acceptable voice quality. It is calculated using the uplink thermal noise floor and required carrier-to-interference ratio (C/N). For GSM, the C/N definition is more complex due to the availability of a wide range of adaptive multi-rate (AMR) codecs and the individual C/N requirement for each codec. In practice, it is appropriate to use a single C/N requirement that represents a worst-case scenario. This is typically the Enhanced Full Rate (EFR), non-AMR codec that is used as a reference.

is the thermal noise floor for the uplink. The calculation is shown in Equation 3.1.

is the required carrier-to-noise ratio.

Dowlink Rx SensitivityThe Downlink Thermal Noise Floor and the Required C/N are used to calculate the Downlink Rx Sensitivity, as shown in Equation 3.5.

Equation 3.5 Downlink Rx Sensitivity

Where: is a read-only, calculated field that represents the

minimum signal level that the mobile needs to receive in order to provide acceptable quality. It is calculated using the downlink thermal noise floor and required C/N.

is the thermal noise floor for the downlink. The calculation is shown in Equation 3.3.

is the required carrier-to-noise ratio.

144 dBm/kHz– 10log10 200( ) 8+ +

Uplink Rx Sensitivity Uplink Thermal Noise Floor Required C/N+=

Uplink Rx Sensitivity

Uplink Thermal Noise Floor

Required C/N

Downlink Rx Sensitivity Downlink Thermal Noise Floor Required C/N+=

Downlink Rx Sensitivity

Downlink Thermal Noise Floor

Required C/N

27


GPRS and EGPRSIf you enable GPRS or EGPRS as part of your network, you must define the minimum required C/I for each GPRS or EGPRS coding scheme, or accept the defaults. Default values are provided based on the frequency hopping TU50 mobility model at 10% block erasure rate (BLER). As part of the process of configuring and placing sites, you can specify the maximum supported coding scheme for GPRS and EGPRS on a per-sector basis. For more information on configuring and placing sites, see “Chapter 5: Configuring and Placing TDMA/FDMA Sites” on page 95. Coding schemes are used when you create service coverage analysis layers. For more information, see “Service coverage analysis for TDMA/FDMA” on page 183.Coding schemes determine the data rate of a particular data channel. The data rate of a data channel is directly affected by the amount of error correction applied to the transmitted data. The greater the error correction, the lower the data rate; the less error correction, the higher the data rate.It is important to note that the data rate represents the channel performance and not the perceived performance from an end-user perspective. Because all mobile users share a certain number of time slots available for packet transmission, the user data rate is highly influenced by the loading of the serving cell.The coding schemes are designed to vary depending on the error rate experienced on the link. For example, if there is a high amount of interference (as indicated by a low C/I ratio), a lower data rate coding scheme is used. The packet switched traffic calculations use these coding schemes as an input because the coding schemes affect the resources required to support the level and quality of traffic required.Four coding schemes are available for GPRS, as shown in Table 3.1.Table 3.1 GPRS coding schemes

Coding scheme Code rate Modulation Data rate (kbps)

CS-4 1.0 GMSK 21.4

CS-3 0.75 GMSK 15.6

CS-2 0.66 GMSK 13.4

CS-1 0.5 GMSK 9.05

28


Nine coding schemes are available for EGPRS, as shown in Table 3.2.

If you enable GPRS or EGPRS as part of your network, you can define the data services that you want to model, for example, email or Internet browsing. For information on defining data services, see “Defining TDMA/FDMA services using the Data Service Definition panel” on page 56.The services that you define at the network level are used when you generate service coverage analyses. For more information on service coverage analyses, see “Chapter 7: Generating TDMA/FDMA Analysis Layers” on page 175.

HCL settingsHCLs enable you to use information in addition to the strongest received signal strength to determine which server is the best server for a cell. You can use HCLs for all technologies.By enabling HCLs, you can define a priority for a sector that causes it to be considered before or after other sectors without considering whether it has a stronger signal. This enables you, for example, to balance traffic by increasing the coverage area for a sector with a weaker signal and less traffic and decreasing the coverage area for a sector with a stronger signal but with more traffic.HCLs also enable you to manage and prioritize coverage for microcells and macrocells in your network. For example, a microcell covering a portion of the macrocell area may provide a weaker signal but still be the preferred

Table 3.2 EGPRS coding schemes

Coding scheme Code rate Modulation Data rate (kbps)

MCS-9 1.0 8-PSK 59.2

MCS-8 0.92 8-PSK 54.4

MCS-7 0.76 8-PSK 44.8

MCS-6 0.49 8-PSK 29.6

MCS-5 0.37 8-PSK 22.4

MCS-4 1.0 GMSK 17.6

MCS-3 0.8 GMSK 14.8

MCS-2 0.66 GMSK 11.2

MCS-1 0.53 GMSK 8.8

29


sector. Therefore, the best server can be determined using criteria other than only signal strength. For example, a microcell can have a priority=1, the macrocell a priority=2 as long as the signal strength is > -75 dBm. Therefore, if the signal strength > -75 dBm, the microcell is the best server regardless of the macrocell’s signal.You enable and define HCL settings at the network level for each technology. However, you can override network HCL settings at the sector level. For more information on HCL settings for sectors, see “To define TDMA/FDMA sector-specific HCL settings” on page 112. If you enable HCL, all best server analysis layers are created based on HCL rules. For more information on best server analysis layers, see “Best server analysis for TDMA/FDMA” on page 176.When you enable HCLs, you must define a default priority for all sectors and a minimum signal level that a sector must achieve to be a candidate for best server. If a sector does not meet the minimum signal level, then it is not identified as a best server regardless of its priority, unless it is the only server for the area.

HCL example 1Assume that you have a macrocell and microcell at the same location. The microcell is at a lower height and covers a high traffic area close to the site. The handover criteria are such that the macrocell needs to have an RSSI that is 4 dB better in order to hand over a call from the microcell. In this case, the HCL parameters for the two sectors can be set as shown in Table 3.3.

If the microcell has an RSSI = –70 dBm, then the macrocell has to have an RSSI > –66 dBm in order to become the server.

Table 3.3 HCL settings for example 1

Parameter Setting for Microcell Setting for Macrocell

Priority 0 0

Signal Offset 4 0

Max Range 35 (assuming GSM) 35 (assuming GSM)

Min Signal Level –104 dBm –104 dBm (using the default GSM Access level signal. This value can be set lower if you want to obtain a server below the –104 dBm level)

30


HCL example 2The scenario for example 2 is the same as for example 1 except that the handover criterion is based strictly on RSSI. The calls must be on the microcell as long as the microcell has an RSSI greater than -70 dBm. In this case, the HCL parameters can be set as shown in Table 3.4.

Illegal color codesYou can define illegal color codes for each technology at the network level. Illegal color codes are color codes that cannot be allocated for the technology in the network. You can override these settings on a per-sector basis. For information on illegal color code settings for sectors, see “To define illegal color codes for TDMA/FDMA sectors” on page 145. For details about which color codes are available for each technology, see “Color codes” on page 108. For more information on color code planning, see “Chapter 9: Working with Frequency and Color Code Plans” on page 237.

Table 3.4 HCL settings for example 2

Parameter Setting for Microcell Setting for Macrocell

Priority 0 1

Signal Offset 0 0

Max Range 35 (assuming GSM) 35 (assuming GSM)

Min Signal Level –70 dBm –104 dBm (using the default GSM Access level signal. This value can be set lower if you want to obtain a server below the –104 dBm level)

31


Workflow for defining TDMA/FDMA network technologies and services

Step 1 Define which technologies are in your network. See “Defining the technologies in your network” on page 32.

Step 2 Define specific settings for each technology in your network:

■ GSM—See “Defining GSM settings” on page 34.■ IS-136—See “Defining IS-136 settings” on

page 41.■ NAMPS—See “Defining NAMPS settings” on

page 45.■ iDEN—See “Defining iDEN settings” on page 49.■ user-defined—See “Defining user-defined

technology settings” on page 52.

Step 3 Optionally, define data services. See “Defining TDMA/FDMA services using the Data Service Definition panel” on page 56.

Defining the technologies in your networkThe first part of the network definition process is to define which technologies and which other operators are in your network and assign colors for each technology and network operator. The colors are used when you allocate portions of spectrum for each technology to illustrate how the spectrum is divided.Depending on the default settings file you chose when you created the project, one or more technologies are automatically added to the Network Technologies panel in the Network Settings dialog box, and spectrum and carriers are allocated. You can add other technologies as required.Network operators are the companies that share the same or neighboring geographic area. One operator, the Home operator, is included by default. This operator represents the network of the company for which you work. You can also assign a color for other operators in your network. Assigning colors to the other operators enables you to visually indicate how the total spectrum in an area is divided. You cannot assign a color to the Home operator because it might contain multiple technologies, each of which can have a color assigned. For more information, see “Allocating spectrum and defining carriers for TDMA/FDMA” on page 67.

32


To choose technologies1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click

TDMA/FDMA Analyses and choose Network Settings.

The Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box opens, with the Network Technologies panel selected by default. One or more technologies will be enabled, depending on the default settings file that you chose when you created the project.

2 In the Technologies section, click Add, choose a technology from the Technology list, and then click OK.

You can add as many technologies as you require, including up to two user-defined technologies.

When you add a technology, it is added to the tree view of the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box under the node for the technology group to which it belongs. For example, GSM is added to the TDMA/FDMA node, whereas W-CDMA or cdma2000 are added to the CDMA node.

3 To change the color for a technology that you have enabled, click the Browse (...) button in the Select Color column, choose the color that you want in the Color dialog box, and then click OK.

4 To add a network operator, click Add below the Network Operators table.

5 If you want to rename the operator, click in the Name column for the operator and type a new name.

33


6 If you want to change the color for an operator that you have added, click the Browse (...) button in the Select Color column, choose the color that you want in the Color dialog box and click OK.

You cannot assign a color to the Home operator. The color assigned for the technology is used for the Home operator.

7 Do one of the following:■ Click OK to save your settings and close the Network Settings

dialog box.■ Choose another item in the tree view.

Defining GSM settingsThis section explains how to define settings for each tab on the GSM panel. If you did not choose GSM as part of your network, this section does not apply. For more information on any of the fields in this procedure, see “Understanding TDMA/FDMA network technologies and services” on page 24.GSM is only available in the tree view if you have enabled it in your network. For more information on enabling technologies, see “To choose technologies” on page 33.

To define general settings for GSM1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click

TDMA/FDMA Analyses and choose Network Settings.2 In the tree view of the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog

box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose GSM.

The GSM panel opens with the General tab selected by default.

You can also access the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box from the Edit menu or by clicking the Network Settings button on

the Mobile Technology toolbar.

34


3 In the Interference section, type values in the Min C/I and Min C/A boxes, or accept the defaults.

For more information on Minimum C/I and Minimum C/A, see “General TDMA/FDMA settings” on page 24.

4 Click OK to save your settings, or choose another item in the tree view.

To define noise settings for GSM1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click




3 On the GSM panel, click the Noise tab.

35


4 On the Noise tab, type a value for Noise Equivalent Bandwidth and a value for Required C/N, or accept the defaults.

For more information on noise calculations, see “Noise settings” on page 25.

5 In the Downlink section, type a value for Mobile Noise Figure, or accept the default.

6 In the Uplink section, type a value for BTS Noise Figure, or accept the default.

The values for Mobile Noise Figure and BTS Noise Figure are used in the noise calculations as described in “Noise settings” on page 25. The BTS Noise Figure is also used as the default Base Station Link Budget BTS Noise Figure for all newly created sites and sectors. For more information, see “Calculating base station link budgets for TDMA/FDMA sectors” on page 99.


To define HCL settings for GSMYou enable or clear HCL at the network level. If you enable HCL, you must define network-level HCL settings for the GSM technology. You can override any of these settings on a per-sector basis for a specific analysis. For more information on defining HCL settings for a sector, see “To define TDMA/FDMA sector-specific HCL settings” on page 112.

36


1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click TDMA/FDMA Analyses and choose Network Settings.

2 In the tree view of the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose GSM.


3 On the GSM panel, click the HCL tab.

4 On the HCL tab, enable the Use HCL (Hierarchical Cell Layers) check box.

This indicates that you use HCL in your network and enables you to define network-level settings for the GSM technology.

5 In the Priority box, type a value between 1 and 10, or accept the default.

This is the default priority that will be used throughout the network when you do an analysis. A lower number means a higher priority. You can override this value on a per-sector basis to reflect specific network configurations. For more information on how priority is used, see “HCL settings” on page 29.

6 In the Signal Offset box, type a value between 0 and 100, or accept the default.

When priorities are equal, the choice of best server is calculated using the Signal Offset. In this situation, the offset is added to the true signal strength. The server with the highest total signal strength, including the offset, is used as the best server. Equipment from some manufacturers

37


uses this method of prioritization (instead of using the priority field). You can also override this value on a per-sector basis.

7 In the Max Range box, type a value between 0 and 150, or accept the default.

The maximum range is a value in km that can be used to model range limitations imposed by either the technology or the handover system. For example, the range limitation for GSM is 35 km. Sectors that are further away than the maximum range are not used as the best server.

You can use the Max Range box as an equivalent method of setting a timing advance limit. Timing advance is a measure in time (in microseconds) of the distance between the base station and the mobile. A signal is sent by the BTS to the mobile which the mobile uses to advance the timing of transmissions to the BTS to compensate for propagation delay. By specifying the distance, you can achieve the same effect as specifying the time.

8 In the Minimum Signal Level box, type a value between -200 and 0, or accept the default.

The minimum signal level is the value in dBm of the minimum signal required for a sector to be selectable as best server. A sector below this value will not be identified as best server unless it is the only server for the area.

9 Choose one of the following options in the If No Server Exists From HCL Rules section:■ Assume No Server—if no best server can be identified using

HCL rules, no server will be shown in the best server analysis■ Use Strongest Server—if no best server can be identified using

HCL rules, the server with the strongest signal will be shown in the best server analysis


To define GPRS settings1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click




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3 On the GSM panel, click the GPRS tab.

4 On the GPRS tab, enable the Enable GPRS check box.

This indicates that GPRS is part of your network, which enables you to define the minimum required C/I for each coding scheme, configure packet data settings in the sector, and produce packet data analysis layers.

5 For each coding scheme, in the Required C/I box, type a value for the minimum required C/I, or accept the default.


To define EGPRS settings1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click




3 On the GSM panel, click the EGPRS tab.

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4 On the EGPRS tab, enable the Enable EGPRS check box.

This indicates that EGPRS is part of your network, which enables you to define the minimum required C/I for each coding scheme, configure packet data settings in the sector, and produce packet data analysis layers.

5 For each coding scheme, in the Required C/I box, type a value for the minimum required C/I, or accept the default.


To define illegal color codes for GSMYou can define illegal color codes for each technology at the network level. Illegal color codes are color codes that cannot be allocated for the technology in the network.When you generate color codes, you can either keep any color codes that you have defined at the network level or overwrite them. For more information on generating color codes, see “Chapter 9: Working with Frequency and Color Code Plans” on page 237.


2 In the tree view of the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose GSM.


3 On the GSM panel, click the Illegal Color Codes tab.

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4 On the Illegal Color Codes tab, in the BSIC section, enable the check box beside each color code that you do not want to be allocated for GSM in the network.


Defining IS-136 settingsIS-136 is only available in the tree view if you have enabled it in your network. If you did not enable IS-136 in your network, this section does not apply. For more information on enabling technologies, see “To choose technologies” on page 33.This section explains how to define settings for each tab on the IS-136 panel. For more information on any of the fields in these procedures, see “Understanding TDMA/FDMA network technologies and services” on page 24.When you define IS-136 settings, you have digital and analog options. These options support the sharing of spectrum between AMPS (analog) and IS-136 (digital).

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To define general settings for IS-1361 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click


box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose IS-136.

The IS-136 panel opens with the General tab selected by default.

3 In the Interference section, type values in the Min C/I and Min C/A boxes for digital and analog, or accept the defaults.



To define noise settings for IS-1361 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click


box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose IS-136.


3 On the IS-136 panel, click the Noise tab.4 On the Noise tab, type a value for Noise Equivalent Bandwidth and a

value for Required C/N, or accept the defaults.5 In the Downlink section, type a value for Mobile Noise Figure, or accept

the default.6 In the Uplink section, type a value for BTS Noise Figure, or accept the

default.

The values for Mobile Noise Figure and BTS Noise Figure are used in the noise calculations as described in “Noise settings” on page 25.


To define HCL settings for IS-136You enable or clear HCL at the network level. If you enable HCL, you must define network-level HCL settings for IS-136 technology. You can override any of these settings on a per-sector basis for a specific analysis. For more

42


information on defining HCL settings for a sector, see “To define TDMA/FDMA sector-specific HCL settings” on page 112.


2 In the tree view of the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose IS-136.


3 On the IS-136 panel, click the HCL tab.4 On the HCL tab, enable the Use HCL (Hierarchical Cell Layers) check

box.

This indicates that you use HCL in your network and enables you to define network-level settings for IS-136 technology.




When priorities are equal, the choice of best server is calculated using the Signal Offset. In this situation, the offset is added to the true signal strength. The server with the highest total signal strength, including the offset, is used as the best server. Equipment from some manufacturers uses this method of prioritization (instead of using the priority field). You can also override this value on a per-sector basis.



You can use the Max Range box as an equivalent method of setting a timing advance limit. Timing advance is a measure in time (in microseconds) of the distance between the base station and the mobile. A

43


signal is sent by the BTS to the mobile which the mobile uses to advance the timing of transmissions to the BTS to compensate for propagation delay. By specifying the distance, you can achieve the same effect as specifying the time.







To define illegal color codes for IS-136You can define illegal color codes for each technology at the network level. Illegal color codes are color codes that cannot be allocated for the technology in the network.When you generate color codes, you can either keep any color codes that you have defined at the network level or overwrite them. For more information on generating color codes, see “Chapter 9: Working with Frequency and Color Code Plans” on page 237.


2 In the tree view of the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose IS-136.


3 On the IS-136 panel, click the Illegal Color Codes tab.

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4 On the Illegal Color Codes tab, in each of the following sections, enable the check box beside each color code that you do not want to be allocated for IS-136 in the network:■ DCC—Digital Color Code■ SAT—Supervisory Audio Tone (0=5970 Hz, 1=6000 Hz,

2=6030 Hz)■ DVCC—Digital Verification Color Code


Defining NAMPS settingsNAMPS is only available in the tree view if you have enabled it in your network. If you did not enable NAMPS in your network, this section does not apply. For more information on enabling technologies, see “To choose technologies” on page 33.This section explains how to define settings for each tab on the NAMPS panel. For more information on any of the fields in this procedure, see “Understanding TDMA/FDMA network technologies and services” on page 24.

To define general settings for NAMPS1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click


box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose NAMPS.

The NAMPS panel opens with the General tab selected by default.




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To define noise settings for NAMPS1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click


box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose NAMPS.


3 On the NAMPS panel, click the Noise tab.4 On the Noise tab, type a value for Noise Equivalent Bandwidth and a



default.



To define HCL settings for NAMPSYou enable or clear HCL at the network level. If you enable HCL, you must define network-level HCL settings for NAMPS technology. You can override any of these settings on a per-sector basis for a specific analysis. For more information on defining HCL settings for a sector, see “To define TDMA/FDMA sector-specific HCL settings” on page 112.


2 In the tree view of the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose NAMPS.


3 On the NAMPS panel, click the HCL tab.4 On the HCL tab, enable the Use HCL (Hierarchical Cell Layers) check

box.

This indicates that HCL is part of your network and enables you to define network-level settings for NAMPS technology.

46











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HCL rules, the server with the strongest signal will be shown in the best server analysis.


To define illegal color codes for NAMPSYou can define illegal color codes for each technology at the network level. Illegal color codes are color codes that cannot be allocated for the technology in the network.When you generate color codes, you can either keep any color codes that you have defined at the network level or overwrite them. For more information on generating color codes, see “Chapter 9: Working with Frequency and Color Code Plans” on page 237.


2 In the tree view of the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose NAMPS.


3 On the NAMPS panel, click the Illegal Color Codes tab.4 On the Illegal Color Codes tab, in each of the following sections, enable

the check box beside each color code that you do not want to be allocated for NAMPS in the network:■ DCC—Digital Color Code■ DSAT—Digital Supervisory Audio Tone


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Defining iDEN settingsiDEN is only available in the tree view if you have enabled it in your network. If you did not enable iDEN in your network, this section does not apply. For more information on enabling technologies, see “To choose technologies” on page 33.This section explains how to define settings for each tab on the iDEN panel. For more information on any of the fields in this procedure, see “Understanding TDMA/FDMA network technologies and services” on page 24.

To define general settings for iDEN1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click


box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose iDEN.

The iDEN panel opens with the General tab selected by default.

3 From the Time Slots Per Transceiver list, choose the number of time slots assigned for each carrier, or accept the default.

4 In the Carrier Separation Between Adjacent Channels box, type a value to indicate the separation between carriers, or accept the default.

For more information on how to use this box, see “General TDMA/FDMA settings” on page 24.




To define noise settings for iDEN1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click


box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose iDEN.3 On the iDEN panel, click the Noise tab.

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4 On the Noise tab, type a value for Noise Equivalent Bandwidth and a value for Required C/N, or accept the defaults.

5 In the Downlink section, type a value for Mobile Noise Figure, or accept the default.

6 In the Uplink section, type a value for BTS Noise Figure, or accept the default.



To define HCL settings for iDENYou enable or clear HCL at the network level. If you enable HCL, you must define network-level HCL settings for iDEN technology. You can override any of these settings on a per-sector basis for a specific analysis. For more information on defining HCL settings for a sector, see “To define TDMA/FDMA sector-specific HCL settings” on page 112.


2 In the tree view of the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose iDEN.

3 On the iDEN panel, click the HCL tab.4 On the HCL tab, enable the Use HCL (Hierarchical Cell Layers) check

box.

This indicates that you use HCL in your network and enables you to define network-level settings for iDEN technology.




When priorities are equal, the choice of best server is calculated using the Signal Offset. In this situation, the offset is added to the true signal

50


strength. The server with the highest total signal strength, including the offset, is used as the best server. Equipment from some manufacturers uses this method of prioritization (instead of using the priority field). You can also override this value on a per-sector basis.










To define illegal color codes for iDENYou can define illegal color codes for each technology at the network level. Illegal color codes are color codes that cannot be allocated for the technology in the network.

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When you generate color codes, you can either keep any color codes that you have defined at the network level or overwrite them. For more information on generating color codes, see “Chapter 9: Working with Frequency and Color Code Plans” on page 237.


2 In the tree view of the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose iDEN.

The iDEN panel opens with the General tab selected by default.

3 On the iDEN panel, click the Illegal Color Codes tab.4 On the Illegal Color Codes tab, in the CC section, enable the check box

beside each color code (CC) that you do not want to be allocated for iDEN in the network.


Defining user-defined technology settingsUser-defined technology is only available in the tree view if you have enabled it in your network. If you did not enable a user-defined technology in your network, this section does not apply. For more information on enabling technologies, see “To choose technologies” on page 33.This section explains how to define settings for each tab on the User Defined panel. For more information on any of the fields in this procedure, see “Understanding TDMA/FDMA network technologies and services” on page 24.

To define general settings for a user-defined technology1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click


box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose User Defined.

The User Defined panel opens with the General tab selected by default.

3 In the Carrier Spacing box, type the carrier spacing to use for the technology, or accept the default.

4 From the Time Slots Per Transceiver list, choose the number of time slots assigned for each carrier, or accept the default.

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5 In the Carrier Separation Between Adjacent Channels box, type a value to indicate the separation between carriers, or accept the default.

For more information on how to use this box, see “General TDMA/FDMA settings” on page 24.




To define noise settings for a user-defined technology1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click


2 In the tree view of the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose User Defined.

3 On the User Defined panel, click the Noise tab.4 On the Noise tab, type a value for Noise Equivalent Bandwidth and a



default.



To define HCL settings for a user-defined technologyYou enable or clear HCL at the network level. If you enable HCL, you must define network-level HCL settings for the user-defined technology. You can override any of these settings on a per-sector basis for a specific analysis. For more information on defining HCL settings for a sector, see “To define TDMA/FDMA sector-specific HCL settings” on page 112.

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3 On the User Defined panel, click the HCL tab.4 On the HCL tab, enable the Use HCL (Hierarchical Cell Layers) check

box.

This indicates that you use HCL in your network and enables you to define network-level settings for the technology.








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To define illegal color codes for a user-defined technologyYou can define illegal color codes for each technology at the network level. Illegal color codes are color codes that cannot be allocated for the technology in the network.When you generate color codes, you can either keep any color codes that you have defined at the network level or overwrite them. For more information on generating color codes, see “Chapter 9: Working with Frequency and Color Code Plans” on page 237.



The User Defined panel opens with the General tab selected by default.

3 On the User Defined panel, click the Illegal Color Codes tab.4 On the Illegal Color Codes tab, in the CC section, enable the check box

beside each color code that you do not want to be allocated for a user-defined technology in the network.


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Defining TDMA/FDMA services using the Data Service Definition panel

Data services are services in your network that communicate only data information, for example, e-mail or Internet browsing. They are used when you generate service coverage analysis layers. To define data services for your GSM network, you must have enabled GPRS or EGPRS. For more information on GPRS and EGPRS, see “GPRS and EGPRS” on page 28.You can define data services using only the Data Service Definition panel or you can define data services using the Subscriber Manager and import them into the Data Service Definition panel. For more information on defining data services using the Subscriber Manager, see “Defining TDMA/FDMA services using the Subscriber Manager” on page 57.

To define TDMA/FDMA services using the Data Service Definition panel1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click


box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose Data Service Definition.

The Data Service Definition panel opens, with one default service defined.

3 If you want to modify the default service, click in the Service Name column, and type the new name for the service.

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4 If you want to modify the connection data rate for the default service, click in the Minimum Connection Data Rate (kbps) column and type the new data rate for the service.

The minimum connection data rate is computed as the per-time slot data rate multiplied by the number of available packet time slots. The minimum connection data rate is used to identify per-service coverage.

5 For each additional service that you want to add, do the following:■ Click Add. A new row is added to the list of services.■ Modify the service name and data rate as described in Step 3 and

Step 4.6 Click OK to save your settings, or choose another item in the tree view.

For information on importing service information using the Add GSM Services From Subscriber Types button, see “To import service information” on page 58.

Defining TDMA/FDMA services using the Subscriber ManagerTo define data services using the Subscriber Manager, you need to

■ define coding schemes■ assign the coding schemes to services■ import the service information into the Data Service Definition

panel (see “Defining TDMA/FDMA services using the Data Service Definition panel” on page 56)

To define coding schemes1 In the Project Explorer, in the Subscriber Manager category, right-

click Bearers and choose New.2 In the New Bearer dialog box, from the Select the Type of Bearer

Required list, choose Coding Scheme, and click OK.

The Create New - Coding Scheme dialog box opens.

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3 In the Name box, type a name for the coding scheme.4 In the Comment box, type a description for the coding scheme.5 From the Technology Type list, choose GSM.6 In the Number of Time Slots box, type the number of time slots for the

bearer.7 In the Time Slot Data Rate box, type the data rate for each time slot.

The Service Data rate updates automatically. It is computed as the time slot data rate multiplied by the number of time slots. When you import services, the Service Data Rate is imported into the Minimum Connection Data Rate column.

8 Click OK.

To assign coding schemes to servicesTo assign coding schemes to services, you need to add the coding scheme to a band associated with an equipment type, and then assign the equipment type to a subscriber type and service. For details on this process, see Chapter 4, “Defining W-CDMA Subscribers”, or Chapter 14, “Defining cdma2000 Subscribers,” in the CDMA User Guide.

To import service informationYou can import any services that use a GSM technology band from the Subscriber Manager.

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2 In the tree view of the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand TDMA/FDMA and choose Data Service Definition.

The Data Service Definition panel opens.

3 Click Add GSM Services From Subscriber Types.

The New GSM Data Services dialog box opens. This dialog box lists GSM services, quality types, and equipment types as defined in the Subscriber Manager. The data rate for the bearer is shown next to the equipment type.

4 Click Update.

The services are added to the list of services in the Data Service Definition panel.

If the same service is offered with multiple data rates, the service is only added once, with the lowest data rate assigned.


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Exporting and importing Mobile Technology network settings files

A Mobile Technology network settings file (.gns) contains the settings that you define using the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box. You can export your current Mobile Technology network settings for use with another project or import an existing Mobile Technology network configuration file to use with your current project.

To export a Mobile Technology network settings file1 Choose Edit ➤ Network Settings.

The Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box opens.

2 In the tree view, choose Configuration.

3 On the Configuration panel, click Export.4 In the Export Network Settings dialog box, type a file name, navigate to

the folder where you want to save the file, and click Save.5 In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

The network settings for the project are saved to the file.

To import a Mobile Technology network settings file1 Choose Edit ➤ Network Settings.

The Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box opens.

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2 In the tree view, choose Configuration.3 On the Configuration panel, click Import.4 In the Import Network Settings dialog box, navigate to the network

settings file that you want to import, and click Open.5 In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

The network settings for the project are updated with the settings in the file.

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62

Chapter 4: Defining Network Configuration

4.
Defining Network Configuration

network configuration■ Workflow for defining TDMA/

FDMA network configuration■ Allocating spectrum and

defining carriers for TDMA/FDMA

■ Viewing TDMA/FDMA carriers■ Defining carrier groups■ Filtering TDMA/FDMA carrier

display■ Defining carrier types■ Defining mobile allocation lists■ Importing groups, types, and

MALs from a converted project

■ Defining transceivers

This chapter explains how to define network

configuration for TDMA/FDMA technologies.

You define network configuration after you have

defined network technologies and services.

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Understanding TDMA/FDMA network configurationNetwork configuration means assigning spectrum, creating carriers, assigning carriers to groups and types, and defining transceiver configurations and mobile allocation lists (MAL) for the technologies that you defined in “Chapter 3: Defining Network Technologies and Services” on page 23. The concepts involved in defining carriers are explained in the following sections.The carriers that you define will be used when you define sites and sectors for your project. For more information on assigning carriers to transceivers in a sector, see “Chapter 5: Configuring and Placing TDMA/FDMA Sites” on page 95.

Spectrum allocationSpectrum allocation involves assigning bands to technologies and network operators, and defining the spectrum range and carriers for each band. If the band is assigned to the Home operator (which represents the wireless operator for which you work), you must define

■ the technology■ the start and end downlink center frequencies, which must be

within the ranges allowed for the technology in your area■ the starting carrier number, which will correspond to the first

carrier at the start of the allocated bandIf the band is assigned to another network operator (one of your competitors), you can only define the start and end downlink center frequencies, not the technology or the carriers.For bands assigned to the Home operator, carriers are created based on the carrier spacing for the technology and the frequency that you allocated. For more information on carrier spacing, see “Understanding TDMA/FDMA network technologies and services” on page 24.A technology can occupy more than one band. This type of configuration is necessary when the technology occupies spectrum in separate bands or blocks of spectrum within one band, but not contiguous carrier numbers. You can define as many as 15 bands.When you assign carriers to technologies across multiple bands, you need to ensure that the carrier numbers are unique within each technology. For example, you can have carrier number 1 in GSM and a carrier number 1 in IS-136, but you can have carrier number 1 in GSM only once.

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Defining Network ConfigurationTDMA/FDMA User Guide

Pre-configured bandsMany pre-configured bands are provided with mobile technologies. These bands conform to the IS-136 and 3GPP standards.

TDMA/FDMA carriersCarriers are the frequencies that carry signals for each band. Once you define the start and end downlink center frequencies for a band and technology type and identify the starting carrier, the carriers are generated automatically based on the carrier spacing for the technology. For more information on carrier spacing, see “Understanding TDMA/FDMA network technologies and services” on page 24.The carriers that you define will be used when you define sites and sectors for your project. For more information on assigning carriers to transceivers in a sector, see “Chapter 5: Configuring and Placing TDMA/FDMA Sites” on page 95.

Carrier groupsCarrier groups are an option that you can use in frequency planning. Carrier groups enable to you to use specific groups of frequencies in a reuse pattern. When you assign carriers to transceivers in a sector, you can specify which group to choose the carriers from. For more information on assigning carriers to sectors, see “Defining TDMA/FDMA carrier settings” on page 122.Carriers can be assigned to no groups, one group, or multiple groups.

Carrier typesCarrier types are used by the Automatic Frequency Planning tool to limit the carriers considered in a frequency plan. One common use of carrier types is to distinguish between control (i.e., BCCH) and traffic (i.e., TCH) channels. For more information on frequency planning, see “Chapter 8: Generating Frequency Plans Automatically” on page 217.During frequency planning, you can choose the carrier types that you want to use and define the settings for each carrier type. When you define settings for carrier types, you define a cost factor, which scales the cost based on whether the carrier is an interferer or a victim of interference. You also define the spacing to be used between carriers on the same sector, on different sectors of the same site, between neighboring sectors, and between neighbors of neighbor sectors.

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In addition, you need to define the coverage area and the amount of traffic in each sector that you consider acceptable to be affected by interference. This value can be a percentage or an absolute value.Carriers can be assigned to no types, one type, or multiple types.

MALsMALs are only used for GSM. A MAL, also known as a hopset, is a set of carriers over which the mobile must hop. MALs are used when you are assigning transceivers to sectors that are configured for synthesized frequency hopping. For more information on assigning MALs to transceivers, see “Defining TDMA/FDMA carrier settings” on page 122.Carriers can be assigned to no MALs, one MAL, or multiple MALs.

TransceiversConfiguring transceivers means defining the number of time slots that are allocated for signaling based on the number of transceivers (TRX) in a sector.Signaling time slots are used for control channels (Broadcast Control Channels (BCCH), Stand-alone Dedicated Control Channels (SDCCH) in GSM). Traffic time slots are used for voice (Traffic Channels (TCH) in GSM) or packet traffic channels (Packet Data traffic Channels (PDTCH) in GPRS). Traffic time slots are allocated at the sector level when you define sector settings. The number of time slots available for traffic is a function of the technology type and the number of transceivers in a sector:

Equation 4.1 Traffic time slots available

Where: is the number of time slots available for voice and packet traffic.

is the number of transceivers in the sector.

is the number of time slots per transceiver.

is the number of time slots allocated for signaling.

For example, if you have a sector that is configured for GSM (where each transceiver has 8 full rate time slots) and has 5 transceivers with a total of 3 time slots allocated for signaling, the equation is . In this case, you will have 37 time slots available for traffic.

Traffic TS Number TRX TS per TRX Signaling TS–×=

Traffic TS

Number TRX

TS per TRX

Signaling TS

Traffic TS 5 8 3–×=

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For more information on transceiver settings, see “Defining transceivers” on page 92. Transceiver configuration information is used as input for traffic simulations, performance simulations, and analysis layers (interference, service quality, and service coverage).

Workflow for defining TDMA/FDMA network configurationStep 1 Define network technologies and services. See “Chapter 3:

Defining Network Technologies and Services” on page 23.

Step 2 If required, allocate spectrum and assign carriers for each technology. See “Allocating spectrum and defining carriers for TDMA/FDMA” on page 67.

Step 3 Define carrier groups. See “Defining carrier groups” on page 72.

Step 4 Define carrier types. See “Defining carrier types” on page 81.

Step 5 If the network that you are planning supports synthesized frequency hopping, define MALs. See “Defining mobile allocation lists” on page 84.

Step 6 Define transceivers. See “Defining transceivers” on page 92.

Allocating spectrum and defining carriers for TDMA/FDMAWhen you created your project, spectrum was allocated and default carriers were defined based on the default settings file you chose. You can define additional spectrum bands and carriers if required.You use the Spectrum Allocation panel to assign bands to each technology. Typically, you import an existing band configuration and then manually define any additional bands. For information on importing band configurations, see “To import an existing band configuration” on page 68. For information on creating additional bands, see “To define bands” on page 68. When you allocate spectrum, keep in mind that GPRS and EGPRS are part of GSM. You must choose GSM as the technology type. You cannot choose GPRS or EGPRS.

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To import an existing band configurationWhen you import an existing spectrum band configuration (.bcf) file, the contents of the file will be added to any configuration that you have created in the current session, provided there are no conflicting bands. If there are conflicts, a dialog box opens that informs you of the conflict and enables you to choose which configuration to use. The default option is to use the current configuration.You also have the option of importing one of the pre-configured bands that are provided with mobile technologies. These bands are available in the \Planet 4\Global\GSM\Bands folder.


The Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box opens. Any technologies that you have enabled are checked. For more information on enabling technologies, see “Defining the technologies in your network” on page 32.

2 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, choose Spectrum Allocation.

3 On the Spectrum Allocation panel, click Import.4 In the Import dialog box, navigate to the .bcf file that you want to open,

and click Open.

To define bands1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click


The Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box opens. Any technologies that you have enabled are checked. For more information on enabling technologies, see “Defining the technologies in your network” on page 32.


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3 On the Spectrum Allocation panel, click Add.

A new band is added to the list.

4 If you want to allocate spectrum to another network operator, choose the operator from the list in the Operator column.

The list of available operators is the list that you defined in “To choose technologies” on page 33. The default operator is the Home operator. If you allocate spectrum to an operator other than the Home operator, you can view the spectrum assigned to the operator, but not the carriers or the technologies. This enables you to visually model the ranges of spectrum that belong to your competitors or other adjacent operators.

5 In the Band Name column, type a name for the band, or accept the default.

6 In the Downlink Center Frequency column, type a value in the Start and End boxes to indicate the lower and upper frequencies for the band.

As you allocate spectrum, your choices are displayed graphically in the Downlink section of the panel.

7 In the Carrier Start column, type the starting carrier number for the band, or accept the default.

This column is only available for the Home operator.

The Carrier End column updates automatically based on carrier spacing.

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8 In the Technology Type column, choose the technology for the new band, or accept the default.

This column is only available for the Home operator.

9 Repeat Step 3 to Step 8 for each band that you want to add.

To refresh TDMA/FDMA carriersWhen you add or modify bands, you will be prompted to refresh the carriers when you exit the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box. You can also manually refresh carriers.


2 On the Spectrum Allocation panel, modify the band limits or carrier start number as required, and click Refresh Carriers.

If you are making changes that will affect any currently allocated carrier groups, carrier types, or MALs, the Refresh Carriers dialog box is displayed, listing the affected items.

3 Click OK to accept the changes.

For more information on modifying carrier definitions, see “To define bands” on page 68.

The frequency values entered in the Start and End boxes in the Downlink Center Frequency column are the center frequencies of the

first and last carriers in the list you are allocating. The Spectrum graph showsthe actual spectrum occupied by all these carriers. Therefore, the start frequency displayed in the graph is half the carrier bandwidth lower than the center frequency defined for the first carrier, and the end frequency is half the carrier bandwidth higher than the center frequency defined for the last carrier in the table.

You can also access the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box by clicking the Network Settings button on the Mobile Technology

toolbar.

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To remove TDMA/FDMA bands1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, choose

Spectrum Allocation.2 On the Spectrum Allocation panel, choose the band by clicking

anywhere in the row, and then click Remove.

To export a TDMA/FDMA band configurationA band configuration that you export will be saved as a spectrum band configuration (.bcf) file. By default, the file is saved to the \Planet 4\Global\GSM\Bands folder.


2 On the Spectrum Allocation panel, click Export.3 In the Export dialog box, type a name for the file in the File Name box,

navigate to the folder where you want to save the file, and click Save.

This will save all bands that are currently configured.

Viewing TDMA/FDMA carriersOnce you have created carriers, you can view them using the Carrier Display panel in the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box. A separate Carrier Display panel is used for each chosen network technology.

To view TDMA/FDMA carriers■ In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand

TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, expand the technology for which you want to view carriers, and choose Carrier Display.

The carriers assigned to the chosen technology are displayed on the Carrier Display panel.

You cannot edit carriers using this panel. To edit carriers, you need to update the definitions on the Spectrum Allocation panel and click

Refresh Carriers again to overwrite the existing configuration. For more information on editing carriers, see “To define bands” on page 68.

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Defining carrier groupsYou assign carriers to carrier groups using the Carrier Groups panel in the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box. You define carrier groups separately for each technology type.The Carrier Groups panel displays existing carrier groups and carriers in Tree display style or Table display style. Some functions are available only in one display style. Table 4.1 lists the available functions and indicates whether each function is available in Tree or Table display style.

To change view style for carrier groups1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand

TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, expand the technology for which you want to change the view style, and choose Carrier Groups.

2 On the Carrier Groups panel, click the arrow beside the Style button, and choose one of the following display styles:■ Tree■ Table

In Tree display style (Figure 4.1 on page 73), the name of the carrier group is shown under the Carrier Groups category, and the carriers in the carrier group are shown on the right-hand side of the panel.

Table 4.1 Carrier group functions

Function Tree display Table display

Create carrier group names automatically ✓ not available

Create carrier group names manually ✓ not available

Delete carrier groups ✓ ✓

Rename carrier groups ✓ not available

Assign carriers to carrier groups ✓ ✓

Filter carrier display ✓ not available

Import an existing carrier group plan not available ✓

Delete a carrier from a carrier group ✓ ✓

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Figure 4.1 Carrier groups displayed using Tree style

In Table display style (Figure 4.2), the name of the carrier group is shown at the top of a table column, and the carriers in the carrier group are listed beneath the carrier group name.

Figure 4.2 Carrier groups displayed using Table style

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To create carrier group names automaticallyYou can generate carrier group names automatically by defining a naming scheme. The naming scheme consists of the following elements:

■ the reuse characters■ the reuse size■ a group ID

The reuse characters and the reuse size combine to create a two-part label for the carrier group, for example A1. The ID is an extension that you can use to further define the label, for example, to define a geographic location such as East or West.You must specify the range of characters to use in the carrier group names, for example A to C, and the reuse size, for example, 3. The reuse size is the number of times the reuse characters are repeated. If you specify A to C for reuse characters and 3 for reuse size, your carrier group labels will be A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, C3. If you specify A to D for reuse characters and 2 for reuse size, your carrier group labels will be A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, D1, D2.

1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, expand the technology for which you want to create carrier group names, and choose Carrier Groups.

2 On the Carrier Groups panel, using the Tree display style, click Carrier Groups, and then click the Create button.

The Create dialog box opens.

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3 From the Naming Scheme list, choose one of the following naming schemes:■ <ID>_<Reuse Character><Digit>■ <ID>_<Digit><Reuse Character>

4 In the Reuse Character section, choose the start and end letters for the carrier group reuse characters.

5 In the Reuse Size box, type the number of times the reuse characters will be repeated.

For example, if you specify 3, then the numbers used will be 1, 2, and 3.

6 If you want to assign a Group ID to the group, type an ID in the ID box.7 Click OK.

The carrier groups are created and displayed in the Carrier Groups panel.

To create TDMA/FDMA carrier group names manually1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand

TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, expand the technology for which you want to create carrier group names, and choose Carrier Groups.

2 On the Carrier Groups panel, using the Tree display style, click Carrier Groups, and then click the Add button.

A new carrier group is added under Carrier Groups with a default name.

3 Change the default name if required.

To view details about TDMA/FDMA carriers, carrier types, and carrier groupsBy default, carriers and carrier groups are shown in List format. You can change this to Detail format. For carrier groups and carrier types, the Name, ID, and Number of Carriers is displayed. For carriers, the Carrier Number and Center Frequency is displayed.

You can also create groups automatically by right-clicking Carrier Groups in the Carrier Group Explorer and choosing Create.

You can also create carrier groups manually by right-clicking Carrier Groups in the Carrier Group Explorer and choosing Add.

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1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, expand the technology for which you want to details, and choose one of the following nodes:■ Carrier Groups■ Carrier Types

2 Depending on the item you chose in Step 1, in the Carrier Group Explorer, do one of the following:■ To view carrier group details, choose the Carrier Groups node

in the tree view, and then choose a carrier group in the right pane.

■ To view carrier type details, choose the Carrier Types node in the tree view, and then choose a carrier type in the right pane.

■ To view details for individual carriers, choose All under the Carriers node in the tree view, and then choose any carrier in the right pane.

3 On the Carrier Groups/Types toolbar, click the arrow beside the View button, and choose Details.

The display in the Carrier Group Explorer changes to show details for the carrier group, carrier type, or carrier.

To delete a carrier group1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand

TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, expand the technology for which you want to delete carrier groups for, and choose Carrier Groups.

2 On the Carrier Groups panel, in either Tree or Table display style, click the carrier group name, and then click the Delete button.

You can also change between List and Detail options by right-clicking in the right pane and choosing View ➤ List or View ➤ Details.

You can also delete a carrier group by right-clicking it in the Carrier Group Explorer and choosing Delete.

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To assign TDMA/FDMA carriers to carrier groupsYou can assign a carrier to no carrier groups, one carrier group, or multiple carrier groups.

1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, expand the technology for which you want to assign carriers to carrier groups, and choose Carrier Groups.

2 On the Carrier Groups panel, in Tree display style, expand Carriers in the Carrier Group Explorer, and choose one of the following categories of carriers to display:■ All—displays a list of all carriers■ Assigned—displays carriers that have been assigned to one or

more carrier groups■ Overlapped—displays carriers that have been assigned to

multiple carrier groups■ Unassigned—displays carriers that have not been assigned to a

carrier group■ Filter—applies the conditions defined in the carrier selection

filter and then displays all carriers that meet the conditions. For more information on using the carrier selection filter, see “Filtering TDMA/FDMA carrier display” on page 79.

3 If you want to allow carriers to be assigned to multiple carrier groups, enable the Allow Overlap Between Groups check box.

4 Drag the carrier from the right pane on top of the carrier group in the Carrier Group Explorer.

You can select multiple carriers at a time by holding down the Ctrl or Shift key. You can also use Ctrl+A to select all carriers displayed.

If you clear the Allow Overlap Between Groups check box, any carriers that are members of multiple carrier groups will be removed from all

carrier groups except the first carrier group that they appear in. Ensure that you unassign carriers from multiple carrier groups before you clear the Allow Overlap Between Groups check box.

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To view the groups to which a TDMA/FDMA carrier is assigned1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand

TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, expand the technology for which you want to carrier group assignments, and choose Carrier Groups.

2 On the Carrier Groups panel, in Tree display style, expand Carriers in the Carrier Group Explorer, and choose one of the following categories of carriers to display:■ All—displays a list of all carriers■ Assigned—displays carriers that have been assigned to one or


multiple carrier groups

■ Unassigned—displays carriers that have not been assigned to a carrier group

■ Filter—applies the conditions defined in the carrier selection filter and then displays all carriers that meet the conditions. For more information on using the carrier selection filter, see “Filtering TDMA/FDMA carrier display” on page 79.

3 Double-click a carrier number in the right pane.

The Frequency Carrier dialog box opens, listing the groups to which the carrier belongs.

To import an existing carrier group planA carrier group plan is a document that identifies carrier groups and indicates which carriers are assigned to each carrier group. If you have a carrier group plan in a Microsoft® Excel file or in a delimited text file, you can copy and paste the carrier group plan into the Carrier Groups panel in the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box. The Carrier Groups panel must be in Table display style, and you must ensure that the source data is ordered in the same way as the Carrier Groups table.Figure 4.3 shows an example Excel file that could be copied into the Carrier Groups panel. In the example, the Excel file contains three rows and three columns. You would copy the information in the rows and columns and paste it (using Ctrl+V) into the three columns and first three rows of the Carrier Groups panel.

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Figure 4.3 Example of an Excel file that could be copied and pasted into the Carrier Groups panel.

Filtering TDMA/FDMA carrier displayYou can use the Carrier Selection Filter dialog box to define specific settings for carrier display. Limiting the number of displayed carriers simplifies the process of assigning the carriers to carrier groups, carrier types, and MALs.

To filter TDMA/FDMA carrier displayThe filter option is available on the following panels:

■ Carrier Groups■ Carrier Types■ Mobile Allocation Lists

1 Click Filter under the Carriers node, and then click the Filter button.

The Filter dialog box opens.

You can import a carrier type plan or mobile allocation list plan the same way you import a carrier group plan.

Excel file

Carrier Groups panel

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2 From the From Carrier list, choose the starting carrier number.3 From the To Carrier list, choose the ending carrier number.4 From the Interval list choose the interval between carriers.5 Choose which carriers to include:

■ All—all carriers■ Assigned—only carriers that have been assigned to one or more

carrier groups■ Overlapped—only carriers that are assigned to multiple carrier

groups■ Unassigned—only carriers that are not assigned to a carrier

group

The Number of Carriers Qualified field updates automatically according to the numbers you entered. For example, if you specify carriers 1-6 with an interval of 2, and choose the All option, the Number of Carriers Qualified field will be 3.

6 Click OK.

The list of carriers displayed under the Filter node is reduced according to your filter options.

You can also open the Filter dialog box by double-clicking Filter under the Carriers node.

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Defining carrier typesYou assign carriers to carrier types using the Carrier Types panel in the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box. You define carrier types separately for each technology type.You create carrier type names manually.The Carrier Types panel displays existing carrier groups and carriers in Tree display style or Table display style.Some functions are available only in one display style. Table 4.2 lists the available functions and indicates whether each function is available in Tree or Table display style.

To change view style for carrier types1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand

TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, expand the technology for which you want to change the carrier type view style, and choose Carrier Types.

2 On the Carrier Types panel, click the arrow beside the Style button, and choose one of the following display styles:■ Tree■ Table

The difference between the two display styles is shown in “To change view style for carrier groups” on page 72.

Table 4.2 Carrier type functions


Create carrier type names manually ✓ not available

Delete carrier types ✓ ✓

Rename carrier types ✓ not available

Assign carriers to carrier types ✓ ✓


Import an existing carrier type plan not available ✓

Delete a carrier from a carrier type ✓ ✓

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To create carrier types1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand

TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, expand the technology for which you want to create carrier types, and choose Carrier Types.

2 On the Carrier Types panel, using the Tree display style, click Carrier Types, and then click the Add button.

A new carrier type is added under Carrier Types with a default name.


To delete a carrier type1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand

TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, expand the technology for which you want to delete carrier types, and choose Carrier Types.

2 On the Carrier Types panel, in either Tree or Table display style, click the carrier type name, and then click the Delete button.

To assign TDMA/FDMA carriers to carrier typesYou can assign a carrier to no carrier types, one carrier type, or multiple carrier types. You do not need to allow overlap to assign carriers to multiple carrier types, as you do with carrier groups or with MALs.When you are assigning carriers to carrier types, you can use the filtering option to simplify carrier selection. For more information, see “Filtering TDMA/FDMA carrier display” on page 79.

You can also create carrier types by right-clicking Carrier Types in the Carrier Type Explorer and choosing Add.

You can also delete a carrier type by right-clicking it in the Carrier Type Explorer and choosing Delete.

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1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, expand the technology for which you want to assign carriers to carrier types, and choose Carrier Types.

2 On the Carrier Types panel, in Tree display style, expand Carriers in the Carrier Type Explorer, and choose one of the following categories of carriers to display:■ All—displays a list of all carriers■ Assigned—displays carriers that have been assigned to one or


multiple carrier groups■ Unassigned—displays carriers that have not been assigned to a

carrier group■ Filter—applies the conditions defined in the carrier selection


3 Drag the carrier from the right pane on top of the carrier type in the Carrier Type Explorer.


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To view the types to which a TDMA/FDMA carrier is assigned1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand

TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, expand the technology for which you want to view carrier type assignments, and choose Carrier Types.

2 On the Carrier Types panel, in Tree display style, expand Carriers in the Carrier Type Explorer, and choose one of the following categories of carriers to display:■ All—displays a list of all carriers■ Assigned—displays carriers that have been assigned to one or


multiple carrier groups

■ Unassigned—displays carriers that have not been assigned to a carrier group


3 Double-click a carrier number.

The Frequency Carrier dialog box opens, listing the types to which the carrier belongs.

Defining mobile allocation listsMobile allocation lists (MAL) are only used for GSM. You assign carriers to a MAL using the Mobile Allocation Lists panel in the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box. The Mobile Allocation Lists panel displays existing carriers in Tree display style or Table display style.

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Some functions are available only in one display style. Table 4.3 lists the available functions and indicates whether each function is available in Tree or Table display style.

To change view style for mobile allocation lists1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand

TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, expand GSM and choose Mobile Allocation Lists.

2 On the Mobile Allocation Lists panel, choose Tree or Table from the View list.

The difference between the two display styles is shown in “To change view style for carrier groups” on page 72.

To create a mobile allocation list using a custom naming schemeYou can generate MAL names automatically by defining a naming scheme. The naming scheme consists of the following elements:

■ the reuse characters■ the reuse size■ a group ID

The reuse characters and the reuse size combine to create a two-part label for the MAL, for example A1. The ID is an extension that you can use to further

Table 4.3 MAL functions


Create MAL names automatically ✓ not available

Create MAL names manually ✓ not available

Delete MALs ✓ ✓

Rename MALs ✓ not available

Assign carriers to MALs ✓ ✓


Import an existing MAL plan not available ✓

Delete carriers from a MAL ✓ ✓

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define the label, for example, to define a geographic location such as East or West.You must specify the range of characters to use in the MAL names, for example A to C, and the reuse size, for example, 3. The reuse size is the number of times the reuse characters are repeated. If you specify A to C for reuse characters and 3 for reuse size, your labels will be A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, C3. If you specify A to D for reuse characters and 2 for reuse size, your labels will be A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, D1, D2.

1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, expand GSM and choose Mobile Allocation Lists.

2 On the Mobile Allocation Lists panel, using the Tree display style, click Mobile Allocation Lists, and then click the Create button.

The Create dialog box opens.

3 From the Naming Scheme list, choose one of the following naming schemes:■ <ID>_<Reuse Character><Digit>■ <ID>_<Digit><Reuse Character>

4 In the Reuse Characters section, select the start and end letters for the MAL reuse characters.

5 In the Reuse Size box, type the number of times the reuse characters will be repeated. If you specify 3, then the numbers used will be 1, 2, and 3.

6 If you want to assign an ID to the MAL, type an ID in the ID box.7 Click OK.

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The MAL names are created and displayed in the Mobile Allocation Lists panel.

To create a mobile allocation list using the default naming scheme1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand


2 On the Mobile Allocation Lists panel, using the Tree display style, click Mobile Allocate Lists, and then click the Add button.

A new MAL is added under Mobile Allocation Lists with a default name.


To view details about TDMA/FDMA carriers and mobile allocation lists

The process for viewing details on carriers and MALs is the same as for viewing details on carriers and carrier groups. See “To view details about TDMA/FDMA carriers, carrier types, and carrier groups” on page 75.

To delete a mobile allocation list1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand


2 On the Mobile Allocation Lists panel, in either Tree or Table display style, click the MAL, and then click the Delete button.

You can also create MALs automatically by right-clicking Mobile Allocation Lists in the Mobile Allocation List Explorer and choosing

Create.

You can also create MALs manually by right-clicking Mobile Allocation Lists in the Mobile Allocation List Explorer and choosing Add.

You can also delete a MAL by right-clicking it in the Mobile Allocation List Explorer and choosing Delete.

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To assign TDMA/FDMA carriers to mobile allocation listsYou can assign a carrier to no MALs, one MAL, or multiple MALs.When you are assigning carriers to MALs, you can using the filtering option to simplify carrier selection. For more information, see “Filtering TDMA/FDMA carrier display” on page 79.

1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, choose GSM and choose Mobile Allocation Lists.

2 On the Mobile Allocation Lists panel, in Tree display style, expand Carriers in the Mobile Allocation List Explorer, and choose one of the following categories of carriers to display:■ All—displays a list of all carriers■ Assigned—displays carriers that have been assigned to one or

more MALs■ Overlapped—displays carriers that have been assigned to

multiple MALs■ Unassigned—displays carriers that have not been assigned to a

MAL■ Filter—applies the conditions defined in the carrier selection


3 Drag the carrier from the right pane on top of the MAL name in the Mobile Allocation List Explorer.


4 If you want to allow carriers to be assigned to multiple MALs, enable the Allow Overlap Between Mobile Allocation Lists check box.

If you clear the Allow Overlap Between Mobile Allocation Lists check box, any carriers that are members of multiple MALs will be removed

from all MALs except the first MAL that they appear in. Ensure that you unassign carriers from multiple MALs before you clear the Allow Overlap Between Mobile Allocation Lists check box.

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To view the mobile allocation lists to which a carrier is assigned1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand

TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, choose GSM, and choose Mobile Allocation Lists.

2 On the Mobile Allocation Lists panel, in Tree display style, expand Carriers in the Mobile Allocation List Explorer, and choose one of the following categories of carriers to display:■ All—displays a list of all carriers■ Assigned—displays carriers that have been assigned to one or

more MALs■ Overlapped—displays carriers that have been assigned to

multiple MALs

■ Unassigned—displays carriers that have not been assigned to a MAL


3 Double-click a carrier number.

The Frequency Carrier dialog box opens, listing the MALs to which the carrier belongs.

Importing groups, types, and MALs from a converted projectIf you have converted a Planet 2.8 or Planet DMS project for use with Planet, you can import settings for carrier groups, carrier types, and hopsets, which are known as mobile allocation lists (MAL) for Planet TDMA/FDMA technologies.Before you import carrier groups, carrier types, and MALs, you must define technologies, bands, and carriers, and the settings must be the same as in the original project.

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To define TDMA/FDMA technologies, bands, and carriers1 To open the project, choose File ➤ Open Project.2 In the Open Planet Project dialog box, click Browse and navigate to the

folder where the converted Planet project is stored.3 Choose the project (.dBP) file and click Open.4 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click

TDMA/FDMA Analyses and choose Network Settings.5 On the Network Technologies panel, enable the technologies that are

appropriate for the imported project. For information on how to choose technologies, see “To choose technologies” on page 33.

6 Create bands for the project.

Bands are used to allocate spectrum for each technology in your project. You must allocate spectrum the same way it is allocated in the original Planet 2.8 or Planet DMS project. For information on how to create bands, see “To define bands” on page 68.

7 Define carriers for the project.

The carriers must be the same as the carriers in the original Planet 2.8 or Planet DMS project. For information on how to create carriers, see “Allocating spectrum and defining carriers for TDMA/FDMA” on page 67.

To import carrier groups, carrier types, and MALsAfter you define technologies, bands, and carriers, you can import carrier groups, carrier types, or MALs from your Planet 2.8 or Planet DMS project.


2 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, choose Configuration in the tree view.

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3 On the Configuration panel, in the Import Planet Project Files section, choose the technology for which you want to import information from the Technology list.

4 Click Validate Carriers. 5 In the Open Carrier Name File dialog box, navigate to the .names file

that contains the carrier configuration from the original Planet 2.8 or Planet DMS project, and click Open.

The .names file is stored in a folder called ImportGSMdata that was created when you saved your project as a Planet project.

The configuration that you defined in “To define TDMA/FDMA technologies, bands, and carriers” on page 90 is checked against the .names file. Results are displayed in the Results box. If there are discrepancies, you must modify the configuration that you defined and try again to validate the carriers.

If you cannot locate the .names file, contact your local Technical Assistance Center (TAC). See “Contacting Mentum” on page 3.

6 From the File Type list, choose one of the following options:■ Carrier group■ Carrier type■ Hopset

7 Click Import.

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8 In the Open window, navigate to the file that you want to import, and click Open.

Depending on the type of file that you chose in Step 6, you are prompted to open a .groups file, a .types file, or a .hopset file.

These files are stored in a folder called ImportGSMdata that was created when you saved your project as a Planet project.

If you cannot locate the .groups file, .types file, or .hopset file, contact your local Technical Assistance Center (TAC). See “Contacting Mentum” on page 3.

9 Click OK.

Defining transceiversYou define transceivers using the Transceiver Configuration panel in the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box. The Transceiver Configuration panel displays a table that defines the number of signaling time slots required for the number of transceivers in a sector. In the example in Figure 4.4, if a sector has 4 transceivers, it will have 2 signaling time slots.

Figure 4.4 Example transceiver configuration

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To add a row for a transceiver1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand

TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, expand the technology for which you want to add transceivers, and choose Transceiver Configuration.

2 On the Transceiver Configuration panel, click Add.

A row is added to the bottom of the table. The Number of Transceivers in Sector field increases by one.

To modify the number of time slots required for a transceiver1 In the Mobile Technology - Network Settings dialog box, expand

TDMA/FDMA in the tree view, expand the technology for which you want to modify the number of time slots required, and choose Transceiver Configuration.

2 On the Transceiver Configuration panel, type a new value from 1 to 8 in the Total Number of Signaling Time Slots Required box.

The value that you type must be equal to or greater than the previous row.

To remove the last row in the table, click Remove Last Row.

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Chapter 5: Configuring and Placing TDMA/FDMA Sites

5.
Configuring and Placing TDMA/FDMA Sites

sites and sectors■ Workflow for configuring and

placing TDMA/FDMA sites■ Placing TDMA/FDMA sites■ Calculating base station link

budgets for TDMA/FDMA sectors

■ Defining TDMA/FDMA technology sector settings

■ Defining TDMA/FDMA HCL settings

■ Defining TDMA/FDMA packet data settings

■ Defining TDMA/FDMA frequency hopping settings

■ Defining TDMA/FDMA traffic settings

■ Defining TDMA/FDMA carrier settings

■ Defining TDMA/FDMA frequency planning settings

■ Defining illegal color codes for TDMA/FDMA sectors

■ Exporting and importing TDMA/FDMA sector settings

■ Globally editing TDMA/FDMA sector properties

This chapter describes how to configure and place a

site, define sector settings specific to TDMA/FDMA

technologies, and export and import site and sector

configuration information.

After you have created a Mobile Technology project,

you can configure and place the sites in your

network. The correct placement of configured sites

ensures maximum network performance, efficient

coverage, and the conservation of network resources.

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Understanding TDMA/FDMA sites and sectorsWhen you define the sectors in a site, you need to define the following settings specific to TDMA/FDMA technologies:

■ technology sector settings■ hierarchical cell layer (HCL) settings■ packet data settings■ frequency hopping settings■ traffic settings■ carrier settings■ frequency planning settings■ color code planning settings■ configuration settings

For information about general site and sector settings, see Chapter 2, “Working with Sites and Sectors”, in the Planet User Guide.

Workflow for configuring and placing TDMA/FDMA sites

Step 1 Define network technologies and services and network configuration. See “Chapter 3: Defining Network Technologies and Services” on page 23 and “Chapter 4: Defining Network Configuration” on page 63.

Step 2 Configure and place sites. See “To place a TDMA/FDMA site” on page 97.

Step 3 If you want to use information from a traffic map to update the packet throughput or the carried Erlangs for the sectors in your project, capture the information from the traffic map. See “Updating TDMA/FDMA sector traffic values using traffic map information” on page 147.

Step 4 If required, export sector settings. See “To export TDMA/FDMA sector settings” on page 147.

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Configuring and Placing TDMA/FDMA SitesTDMA/FDMA User Guide

Placing TDMA/FDMA sitesThis section describes how to configure and place a TDMA/FDMA site using a new site configuration.You can also place sites based on an existing site configuration. For more information, see Chapter 2, “Working with Sites and Sectors”, in the Planet User Guide.

To place a TDMA/FDMA site1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click Sites and

choose New.2 In the Site Configuration dialog box, choose the Create a New

Configuration option, and click Continue.3 In the Site Properties dialog box, on the Site tab, type a prefix for the site

in the Site ID box.4 If you want to add additional site information, type additional identifiers

or descriptions in the Site UID, Site Name, or Site Name 2 boxes.5 Define the remaining site settings.

General site settings are described in Chapter 2, “Working with Sites and Sectors”, in the Planet User Guide.

6 Click the Sectors tab. 7 Define the remaining general sector settings.

For more information about general sector settings, see Chapter 2, “Working with Sites and Sectors”, in the Planet User Guide.

If you want to define the effective radiated power for the sector, you must place the site first. Complete this procedure and then follow the procedure in “Calculating base station link budgets for TDMA/FDMA sectors” on page 99.

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8 Click <Technology> Settings, where <Technology> is the technology that you chose for the sector.

For TDMA/FDMA, the technology will be one of the following:

■ GSM■ IS-136■ NAMPS■ iDEN■ User Defined■ User Defined 2

W-CDMA and cdma2000 are also available. For more information on these options, see the CDMA User Guide.

9 In the Sector Settings dialog box, define the settings specific to TDMA/FDMA technologies, as described in the procedures that follow in this chapter, and click OK.

10 In the Site Properties dialog box, click Add Sector to add as many sectors to the site as required.

If you configure sector settings before adding other sectors, the settings you used for the last sector will be automatically applied to new sectors that you add.

11 Click in the Map window to add a site at that location using the current configuration.

The site is displayed in the Map window and a site having the name <Site_ID>_1 is added to the Sites category in Project Explorer.

12 If you want to save the current configuration, in the Site Properties dialog box, choose File ➤ Save Configuration As, type a file name, and click Save.

The site configuration (.dsc) file is saved in the Config\GSM subfolder of the project folder. For more information about site configuration (.dsc) files, see Chapter 2, “Working with Sites and Sectors”, in the Planet User Guide. When you save the file, any sector settings are also saved in the same location in individual sector settings files (.gss). One .gss file is saved for each sector in the site.

For the .dsc file to work correctly, you need to ensure that you do not move the .dsc file or .gss files.

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13 Click Close.

Calculating base station link budgets for TDMA/FDMA sectorsThe Base Station Link Budget tool enables you to calculate the radiated power for a sector based on the power output of the sector’s power amplifier (PA) plus or minus system gains and losses. You can also use the Base Station Link Budget Global Edit tool to define settings for specific sites, sector groups, or flags. For more information, see “Globally editing base station link budget settings for TDMA/FDMA sectors” on page 105.The values for PA Power and ERP or EIRP on the Sectors tab of the Site Properties dialog box and the values for PA Power and Total EIRP in the Base Station Link Budget dialog box are interdependent. A change in one location is automatically propagated to the other. Total EIRP is calculated as follows:

Equation 5.1 Total EIRP calculation

When you generate predictions, the power value used is the value in the ERP or EIRP box for the sector.

Losses and gainsThe Base Station Link Budget tool enables you to define specific losses and gains for the sector and updates the total power for the sector using these values. For both the downlink and uplink, a default antenna gain value is added based on the antenna type assigned to the sector. You cannot modify this value.All new sites are also given a default Feeder value on both the downlink and uplink to account for cable and connector losses.

To place a site, you can also enable the Manual Entry check box in the Site Properties dialog box, choose the coordinate units from the Units

list, type the coordinates in the X/Long and Y/Lat boxes and click Place Site.

You can save the sector settings in a .gss file. For more information, see “To export TDMA/FDMA sector settings” on page 147. When you

save settings for an individual sector, they are not associated with a .dsc file.

Total EIRP PA Power Antenna boresight gain Downlink losses and gains+ +=

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A default BTS Noise Figure value is assigned to the uplink to account for base station receiver noise gain. You should modify the BTS Noise Figure according to the hardware manufacturer's specifications.You can add additional losses and gains as required. Because the Friis noise formula (see Equation 5.2) is used to calculate the Uplink Noise Figure, the order of the items on the Base Station Losses & Gains tab in the Base Station Link Budget dialog box must match the hierarchy of the sector hardware (see Figure 5.1 and Figure 5.2). By default, the BTS Noise Figure will always be the last item in the list.

Figure 5.1 Example sector hardware configuration

The hardware configuration shown in Figure 5.1 would be represented in the Base Station Link Budget dialog box in Planet as shown in Figure 5.2.

Figure 5.2 Example Uplink Losses & Gains settings

Antenna

Antenna Feeder TailTower Mounted Amplifier (TMA)

FeederFeeder Tail

BTS Amplifier

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The Uplink Noise Figure (Composite System Noise Figure (NFs)) is calculated as follows, using the Friis noise formula:

Equation 5.2 Uplink Noise Figure calculation

Where:All terms are in their linear form.

is the Composite System Noise Factor (linear ratio).

is the Composite System Noise Figure.

is the Noise Factor of individual elements (linear ratio).

is the numerical gain of individual elements (linear ratio).

Note that a loss (in dB) is taken as negative gain:

So, for passive elements:

To calculate base station link budgets for TDMA/FDMA sectors1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the site for

which you want to modify the base station link budget settings, and choose Edit.

2 In the Site Properties dialog box, click the Sectors tab.

If you are using an Excel spreadsheet to import base station link budget data, you must use the Index column to specify the order of the items in

the Losses and Gains list. For more information, see “Importing and exporting project data” in Chapter 13, “Working With Network and Project Data”, in the Planet User Guide.

fs f1f2 1–

G1-------------

f3 1–G1G2--------------

f4 1–G1G2G3--------------------- …

fn 1–G1G2G3…G n 1–( )---------------------------------------------+ + + + +=

fs

NFs 10log10fs=

f1…fn

G1…Gn

G 10G db( )

10----------------

=

f 10NF db( )

10-------------------

=

f 1G----=

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3 In the PA Power box, type a value for the power output of the sector’s power amplifier (PA), or accept the default.

The ERP or EIRP box immediately below the PA Power box updates based on the changes that you make to the PA power.

4 Click in the ERP or EIRP box, and then click the Base Station Link Budget (...) button.

The Base Station Link Budget dialog box opens with the Uplink tab selected.

5 On the Base Station Losses & Gains tab, do the following to modify the Feeder value for the uplink or accept the default:■ From the Type list, choose Loss or Gain.■ In the Name box, type a name for the loss or gain.■ In the Value box, type a value for the loss or gain.■ If the type is a gain, in the Noise Figure box, type the thermal

noise associated with the gain.6 To modify the BTS Noise Figure value, type a value in the Noise Figure

box.

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7 Do the following to define any additional losses and gains for the uplink:■ Click Add.■ From the Type list, choose Loss or Gain.■ In the Name box, type a name for the loss or gain.■ In the Value box, type a value for the loss or gain.■ If the type is a gain, in the Noise Figure box, type the thermal

noise associated with the gain.■ If required, use the Move Up or Move Down buttons to change

the order of the items in the list of losses and gains.

The Uplink Composite Noise Figure box at the bottom of the Base Station Link Budget dialog box updates to reflect the new values.

8 To remove an item from the Uplink tab, choose the item and click Remove.

9 Click the Downlink tab and do the following to modify the Feeder value for the downlink or accept the default:■ From the Type list, choose Loss or Gain.■ In the Name box, type a name for the loss or gain.■ In the Value box, type a value for the loss or gain.

10 Do the following to define any additional losses and gains for the downlink:■ Click Add.■ From the Type list, choose Loss or Gain.■ In the Name box, type a name for the loss or gain.■ In the Value box, type a value for the loss or gain.

The Total EIRP box automatically updates to reflect the loss or gain values.

11 To remove an item from the Downlink tab, choose the item and click Remove.

12 Click the Link Balancing tab.

The slider on the Link Balancing tab indicates whether an imbalance exists between the uplink and the downlink.

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13 If you want to correct an imbalance, do one or both of the following:■ Type a new value in the Mobile EIRP box.■ Modify the Total EIRP value as described in Step 4 to Step 11.

14 Click OK.

The PA Power and ERP or EIRP values are updated for the sector.

In the Base Station Link Budget dialog box, you can type a value directly in the Total EIRP box, and the PA Power will be recalculated

using the new value. You can also type a value in the PA Power box, and the Total EIRP will be recalculated.

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Globally editing base station link budget settings for TDMA/FDMA sectors

The Base Station Link Budget Global Edit tool enables you to define base station link budget settings and apply them to specific sites, sector groups, or flags. You can add, remove, or update settings using the following options:

■ Insert—adds additional losses/gains in the order specified, but leaves existing settings intact.

■ Remove—removes any losses/gains that match the specified name/order. You can choose to exclude individual losses/gains.

■ Replace—replaces the values for the specified losses/gains.■ Update—updates values for losses/gains that match the specified

name/order. You can choose to update the name, the associated value, or both.

For example, you could use the Base Station Link Budget Global Edit tool with a newly created project to define a common set of losses and gains according to the hardware used most often in your network. Using these common settings as a base, you could then define individual or unique sector settings as required.Before using the Base Station Link Budget Global Edit tool, you should be familiar with the Base Station Link Budget tool. For more information, see “Calculating base station link budgets for TDMA/FDMA sectors” on page 99.

The Base Station Link Budget Global Edit tool is not technology-dependent and will update all of the sectors you choose with the same

settings. Depending on the options you choose, existing settings may be lost.

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To globally edit base station link budget settings for TDMA/FDMA sectors1 In the Project Explorer, do one of the following:

■ To edit all sites, in the Sites category, right-click Sites and choose Global Edit ➤ Base Station Link Budget.

■ To edit one or more sites, in the Sites category, choose the sites, right-click and choose Global Edit ➤ Base Station Link Budget.

■ To edit the sites in a group, in the Sites category, right-click the group and choose Global Edit ➤ Base Station Link Budget.

■ To edit sites selected by flag condition, in the Sites category, enable the flag conditions you want, right-click Flags, and choose Global Edit ➤ Base Station Link Budget.

The Base Station Link Budget Global Edit dialog box opens, displaying the Uplink/Reverse settings for the first sector in the group, the first sector with the specified flag condition, or the first sector chosen in the Project Explorer.

2 From the Action list, choose the type of action that you want to perform.

You can only choose one action each time you apply changes to the base station link budget settings. If you want to perform multiple actions, use

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the Apply button each time you define power settings for a specific action. If you choose another action before applying the new settings, the changes for the current action will be lost.

3 If you chose either Remove or Update in Step 2, choose one of the following filters from the Action Options list:■ By Name & Order—removes/updates only existing losses/

gains that match both the name and specified order.■ By Name Only—removes/updates only existing losses/gains

with the same name.■ By Order Only—removes/updates only existing losses/gains

that match the specified order.4 On the Uplink/Reverse tab, do any of the following.

■ If you chose Insert in Step 2, click Add, then from the Type list choose Loss or Gain, type a name in the Name box and a value in the Value box. If you are adding a gain, a type a value in the Noise Figure box. You can add additional losses/gains as required.

■ If you chose Remove in Step 2, enable the check box beside each item that you want to remove.

■ If you chose Replace in Step 2, modify the values for the losses/gains that you want to replace as required

■ If you chose Update in Step 2, enable the check box and modify the values for each field that you want to update.

The options that are available will depend on the action that you chose in Step 2.

5 If required, use the Move Up or Move Down buttons to change the order of items in the list of losses and gains.

6 If required, click the Downlink/Reverse tab and repeat Step 2 to Step 5.7 Do one of the following:

■ To apply your changes and exit from the Base Station Link Budget Global Edit dialog box, click OK.

■ To apply your changes and choose a new action from the Action list, click Apply and repeat Step 3 to Step 7.

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Defining TDMA/FDMA technology sector settingsEach sector can support only one technology.The Technology Sector Settings panel enables you to define the settings that indicate the sector’s place in the network, such as identifiers and color codes.For additional information on any of the settings on the Technology Sector Settings panel, press the F1 key.

Color codesColor codes are used to help base stations and mobiles properly differentiate frequencies that are reused in a network. A base station uses the color codes associated with a carrier to determine if the information it receives from a mobile is intended for it or another base station. For example, if the same carrier is used by two sectors in different locations, color codes can be used to determine which is the appropriate base station to handle the incoming information. As a result, proper color coding reduces problems such as dual originations, dual registrations, and improper neighbor measurements.When you reuse color codes in a network, assignments should be made so that the least amount of same carrier/color code interference is generated. The Color Code Planning tool enables you to plan the assignment of color codes with the best possible reuse. Color codes can be planned for sectors that use GSM, NAMPS, IS-136, iDEN, and user-defined technologies.For more information on color code planning, see “Generating and viewing color codes” on page 248.

Color code structureThe structure of the color codes depends on the technology assigned to the sectors. For GSM, a Base Station Identity Code (BSIC) is assigned to the Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) for each sector. For non-GSM

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technologies, a color code is assigned for each sector. Table 5.1 lists the color code types for each technology and valid ranges for the color codes.

To define TDMA/FDMA technology sector settings1 In the Sector Settings dialog box, choose Technology Sector Settings in

the tree view.

The table displays the values associated with the technology. You can choose from the following sorting options:

■ To sort the values into categories, click the Categorized button.■ To sort the values alphabetically, click the Alphabetic button.

Table 5.1 Color code types and ranges

Technology Color code type Color code range

GSM BSIC—a concatenation of:■ Network Color Code (NCC) ■ Base Station Color Code (BCC)

NCC: 0-7BCC: 0-7

NAMPS ■ DCC—transmitted on the analog control channel

■ Digital Supervisory Audio Tone (DSAT)—for each voice channel

DCC: 0-3DSAT: 0-6

IS-136 ■ DCC—transmitted on the analog control channel

■ Digital Verification Color Code (DVCC)—transmitted on digital voice channels

■ SAT—transmitted on analog voice channels

DCC: 0-3DVCC: 1-255SAT: 0-2

iDEN Color Code (CC) CC: 0-15

User-defined CC, by default CC: 0-255

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2 If you want to assign area codes, in the Area Codes section, type a value for each area code that applies to the sector.

3 If you want to assign color codes manually, in the Color Codes section, type a value for each color code type that applies to the sector.

Available color code types vary depending on the technology assigned to the sector. If you create a color code plan later, you can choose to keep or override any values that you have assigned. For more information on color code plans, see “Chapter 9: Working with Frequency and Color Code Plans” on page 237.

4 In Misc section, in the Target Receive Level (dBm) box, type a value for target receive level for the mobile that can be used when generating the Required Mobile Power analysis layer, or accept the default.

For more information on analysis layers, see “Chapter 7: Generating TDMA/FDMA Analysis Layers” on page 175.

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5 In the Timing Advance Limit (km) box, type a value for the timing advance limit.

The timing advance limit is used for best server analysis. It is the maximum distance in km from a sector that a mobile user may be served. In cases where you specify both a timing advance limit and a maximum range, the more restrictive of the two values is used for the best server analysis. For more information, see “Best server analysis for TDMA/FDMA” on page 176.

Timing Advance Limit is not present in NAMPS technology.

6 Do one of the following:■ Click OK to save your settings and close the Sector Settings

dialog box.

■ Choose another item in the tree view.

Defining TDMA/FDMA HCL settingsIf you have enabled HCL at the network level, you can override the network-level HCL settings for each sector. For more information on network-level HCL settings, see “HCL settings” on page 29.

The Property Pages button is not used in this release.

You cannot modify the following values using the Sector Settings dialog box: LAC, RAC, ILA, DLA, MSC, BSC

To modify these settings, use Tabular Edit or the Import/Export tool. For details on Tabular Edit, see “Using Tabular Edit” in Chapter 2, “Working with Sites and Sectors”, in the Planet User Guide. For details on the Import/Export tool, see “Importing, replacing, and exporting project data” in Chapter 13, “Working with Network and Project Data”, in the Planet User Guide.

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To define TDMA/FDMA sector-specific HCL settings1 In the Sector Settings dialog box, choose Hierarchical Cell Layers in

the tree view.

2 If you want to override network-level HCL settings for this sector, enable the Override Default Settings check box.

3 Type the override values that you want, or accept the defaults. For more information on HCL settings, see “HCL settings” on page 29.


Defining TDMA/FDMA packet data settingsPacket data settings are only applicable if you have chosen GSM as the technology for the sector and enabled GPRS, EGPRS, or both, for the network. You can define the maximum supported coding scheme for GPRS and EGPRS. For more information on coding schemes, see “GPRS and EGPRS” on page 28.

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If required, you can also enable multislot and define the number of time slots required. Multislot enables you to multiplex time slots for a single mobile user to increase the bandwidth available for a service. This is useful for high-speed data services.

To define TDMA/FDMA packet data settings1 In the Sector Settings dialog box, choose Packet Data Settings in the

tree view.

2 In the Packet Traffic section, type a value in the Packet Throughput box to indicate the mean effective data rate of packet data that is handled by time slots in the sector.

This value represents the amount of packet traffic carried by the sector divided by the amount of time it took to make the measurement.

You can also update this value for all sectors in your project using the values from a traffic map. For more information, see “Updating TDMA/FDMA sector traffic values using traffic map information” on page 147.

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3 If you have enabled GPRS for the network, in the Maximum Supported Coding Scheme section, choose the maximum coding scheme available for the sector from the GPRS list, or accept the default.

For more information on enabling GPRS for the network, see “To define GPRS settings” on page 38.

4 If you have enabled EGPRS for the network, choose the maximum coding scheme available for the sector from the EGPRS list, or accept the default.

For more information on enabling EGPRS for the network, see “To define EGPRS settings” on page 39.

5 If you want to multiplex time slots, enable the Multislot check box, and type the number of time slots to multiplex in the Maximum Number of Time Slots box, or accept the default.


Defining TDMA/FDMA frequency hopping settingsFrequency hopping is available only with GSM.Frequency hopping is a method of achieving frequency diversity, which is used to minimize the fading and interference that can affect cellular communication. When frequency hopping is used, a signal hops from carrier to carrier during a call. Changing frequencies reduces the probability of a call being continuously affected by fading and interference, thereby improving the quality of the transmission link.

Discontinuous transmission (DTX)DTX is a method of minimizing interference. Enabling DTX means that a mobile stops transmitting during silent periods in a conversation, which reduces the average signal power and, therefore, the average co-channel interference. When you enable DTX, you must define the DTX activity factor to indicate the percentage of time that the mobile is transmitting during a conversation.

Downlink power control (DLPC)DLPC is the ability of the Base Station Controller, using received signal strength and/or bit error rate (BER) information from the mobile, to determine

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whether to increase or decrease downlink power. If you enable downlink power control, you must define the gain, which is a reduction in the average interference to other cells due to reduced transmit power on the downlink.

To define TDMA/FDMA frequency hopping settings1 In the Sector Settings dialog box, choose Frequency Hopping in the tree

view.

2 From the Frequency Hopping list, choose one of the following hopping types:■ No Hopping■ Baseband Hopping—each transceiver in the sector has a fixed

frequency. When a call is assigned service, the call hops from transceiver to transceiver with every burst in a random sequence.

■ Synthesized Hopping—a call is assigned to a single transceiver and hops through the frequencies available on the transceiver. The assigned mobile allocation list (MAL)—also known as a hopset—determines the frequencies that are available.

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3 If you want to allow baseband hopping on the BCCH channel, enable the Hopping Allowed on BCCH Carrier check box.

4 If you want to model discontinuous transmission, in the Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) section, enable the DTX Enabled check box, and type a DTX activity factor in the DTX Activity Factor box.

The DTX activity factor is typically around 50%, which indicates that the mobile transmits for approximately 50% of the time during a conversation.

5 If you want to model downlink power control, in the Downlink Power Control section, enable the Enable DLPC check box, and in the Gain box, type a value for gain or accept the default.

Planet does not perform any dynamic simulation for power control. It uses the downlink power control gain as an improvement to interference. For example, if you set Gain to 2 dB, it means that the interference coming from this sector from the hopping layer will be reduced by 2 dB due to power control.


Defining TDMA/FDMA traffic settingsTraffic settings are used to define the traffic load for a sector and how the mobile users are allocated to a sector.

TrafficOn a per-sector basis, you can specify the traffic settings for carried traffic and offered traffic to be used when you run an analysis. Carried traffic is the actual traffic carried by a sector. Offered traffic is the carried traffic plus any blocked traffic. For more information on traffic settings, see “To define traffic settings for TDMA/FDMA analyses” on page 199.If you have chosen IS-136 as the technology for the sector, you can define digital traffic and analog traffic separately.

BCCH and TCH allocationOn a per-sector basis, you can specify whether to allocate mobile users to Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) or Traffic Channel (TCH) transceivers first and how to allocate mobile users to TCH transceivers. This is referred to as resource allocation. Resource allocation is used only in the calculation of C/I for the GSM technology and in the Performance Simulator.

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Resource allocation defines the rules by which the resources on the sector are allocated. The GSM resource allocation algorithm enables you to control how mobile users are allocated to the hopping TCH transceivers (TCH allocation), and how mobile users are allocated to the BCCH transceiver (BCCH allocation). Any additional mobile users are allocated to non-hopping TCH transceivers after the BCCH and hopping TCH transceivers are full. For planning purposes, a worst-case assumption is made that the interference from non-hopping transceivers is as if the transceivers are always full. This is done because non-hopping transceivers do not benefit from interference averaging.

To define traffic settings for GSM1 In the Sector Settings dialog box, choose Traffic in the tree view.

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2 If you want to define traffic loading for the sector, in the Voice Traffic section, do any of the following:■ In the Carried Traffic box, type a value for carried traffic

loading for the sector.■ In the Offered Traffic box, type a value for offered traffic

loading for the sector.■ In the % of Hopping TSs in Use box, type a value for sector

loading to indicate the percentage of hopping time slots in use.

These values can be used to define settings for traffic in the Analysis Settings. For more information on defining settings for traffic analysis, see “To define traffic settings for TDMA/FDMA analyses” on page 199.

You can also update the Offered Traffic value for all sectors in your project using the values from a traffic map. For more information, see “Updating TDMA/FDMA sector traffic values using traffic map information” on page 147.

3 If the sector is configured for baseband or synthesized hopping, in the TCH MAL Allocation section, choose one of the following options for allocating mobile users to TCH transceivers:■ Large MAL First—loads mobile users on the transceivers with

the largest MAL first and continues in descending order through the smallest MAL. In this case, you will see a higher traffic loading on the transceivers with a larger MAL.

■ Small MAL First—loads mobile users on the transceivers with the smallest MAL first and continues in ascending order through the largest MAL. In this case, you will see a higher traffic loading on the transceivers with a smaller MAL.

■ No Preference—allocates a MAL to a mobile user randomly. In this case, the traffic will be evenly distributed on the TCH hopping transceivers.

4 In the BCCH TRX Allocation section, choose one of the following options:■ BCCH TRX First—allocates mobile users to the BCCH

transceiver before allocating them on the hopping TCH transceivers

■ TCH TRX First—allocates mobile users on the TCH transceivers before allocating them to the BCCH transceiver

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To define traffic settings for IS-1361 In the Sector Settings dialog box, choose Traffic in the tree view.

2 If you want to define digital traffic loading for the sector, in the Digital Traffic section, do any of the following:■ In the Carried Traffic box, type a value for carried traffic


loading for the sector.


You can also update the Offered Traffic value in the Digital Traffic section for all sectors in your project using the values from a traffic map. For more information, see “Updating TDMA/FDMA sector traffic values using traffic map information” on page 147.

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3 If you want to define analog traffic for the sector, in the Analog Traffic section, do one of the following:■ To define analog traffic loading for the sector as a percentage of

the digital traffic, enable the Set Analog Traffic as a Percentage of Total Sector Traffic check box, and type a percentage value in the Traffic Percentage box.

■ To define analog traffic as an absolute value for the sector, do any of the following:

■ In the Carried Traffic box, type a value for carried traffic loading for the sector.

■ In the Offered Traffic box, type a value for offered traffic loading for the sector.


To define traffic settings for all other TDMA/FDMA technologiesUse this procedure for all technologies except GSM and IS-136. You cannot define the percentage of hopping timeslots in use because frequency hopping is only available for GSM. You also cannot define any settings in the TCH MAL Allocation section because MALs apply only to GSM.

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1 In the Sector Settings dialog box, choose Traffic in the tree view.

2 If you want to define traffic loading for the sector, in the Voice Traffic section, do any of the following:■ In the Carried Traffic box, type a value for carried traffic


loading for the sector.


You can also update the Carried Traffic or Offered Traffic value for all sectors in your project using the values from a traffic map. For more information, see “Updating TDMA/FDMA sector traffic values using traffic map information” on page 147.


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Defining TDMA/FDMA carrier settingsCarrier settings are used to define how the transceivers in a sector are configured. A certain number of time slots are allocated for control and signaling channels. This number depends on the total number of transceivers in the sector. For more information on defining the number of signaling time slots required for the number of transceivers in a sector, see “Defining carrier types” on page 81.The settings that you can define for carriers depend on the technology that you have chosen for the sector and the frequency hopping option that you have chosen. For NAMPS, IS-136, iDEN, and user-defined technologies, frequency hopping is not available, which means that, on the Carrier Settings panel, only the Non-hopping Transceivers section is available.For GSM, depending on the type of frequency hopping that you select, the sections that are available for carrier settings will differ.

■ If you choose No Hopping, the Carrier Settings panel enables you to define non-hopping transceivers only.

■ If you choose Baseband Hopping or Synthesized Hopping, the Carrier Settings panel enables you to define both non-hopping and hopping transceivers.

Non-hopping transceiversWhen you define non-hopping transceivers, you must allocate a carrier to each transceiver. If you have assigned GSM as the technology for the sector, you must also indicate whether the transceiver supports packet data, and define the minimum and maximum number of time slots allocated for packet data.

Baseband hopping transceiversFor baseband hopping, as with non-hopping transceivers, you must define the carrier for the transceiver, indicate whether the transceiver supports packet data, and define the minimum and maximum number of time slots allocated for packet data.In addition, you must specify the hopping sequence number (HSN), from 0 to 63, for the sector’s hopping transceiver group. HSN 0 indicates cyclic hopping, where the hopping sequence simply starts from the lowest carrier frequency assigned to the transceivers in a sector and hops progressively through higher frequencies. HSN 1 to 63 indicate pseudo-random hopping sequences.

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You must also specify the mobile allocation index offset (MAIO), which is a value between 0 and the total number of hopping transceivers in the sector minus 1. The MAIO informs the mobile of the offset of the starting point in the HSN sequence for frequency hopping.

Synthesized hopping transceiversFor synthesized hopping, you do not need to define a carrier because each transceiver hops through several carriers (frequencies). Therefore, you must specify the MAL (i.e., the hopset) to assign to each transceiver. You can choose one of the MALs that you defined in “Chapter 4: Defining Network Configuration” on page 63. You must also define the MAIO and HSN. These are both defined on a per-transceiver basis for synthesized hopping.

Choosing the correct procedure for defining TDMA/FDMA carrier settingsOnce you have defined frequency hopping settings as described in “To define TDMA/FDMA frequency hopping settings” on page 115, proceed to the appropriate procedure for defining carrier settings, as indicated in Table 5.2.

To define carrier settings for non-hopping GSM transceiversUse this procedure for non-hopping transceivers on sectors that have been assigned GSM technology.

Table 5.2 How to choose the correct procedure for defining carrier settings

If you chose Go to

No Hopping and the technology assigned to the sector is GSM

“To define carrier settings for non-hopping GSM transceivers” on page 123

No Hopping and the technology assigned to the sector is anything other than GSM

“To define carrier settings for other non-hopping transceivers” on page 126

Baseband Hopping “To define carrier settings for baseband hopping transceivers” on page 129

Synthesized Hopping “To define carrier settings for synthesized hopping transceivers” on page 131

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1 In the Sector Settings dialog box, choose Carrier Settings in the tree view.

2 Click Add to add a row to the Non-hopping Transceivers list.

The first carrier added is always the control carrier.

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3 If you want to narrow the list of carriers displayed in the Carrier list, do any of the following:■ From the Carrier Type list, choose a carrier type to restrict the

list of carriers to those of that carrier type.■ From the Carrier Group list, choose a carrier group to restrict

the list of carriers to those in the carrier group.

If you choose both a carrier group and a carrier type, the Carrier list will contain only carriers that appear in both. If no carriers appear in both, the Carrier list will be empty.

4 From the Carrier list, choose a carrier. 5 If the transceiver supports packet data, enable the Packet Enable check

box, and in the Min and Max boxes type the minimum and maximum number of time slots that may be used for packet traffic, or accept the defaults.

The maximum number of time slots on a transceiver is dependent on the technology assigned to the sector. For GSM, the maximum is 8.

Any time slots that are not allocated for packet data can be used for voice, control, or packet traffic.

6 Repeat Step 2 to Step 5 for each non-hopping transceiver in the sector.7 Click OK to save your settings, or choose another item in the tree view.

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To define carrier settings for other non-hopping transceiversUse this procedure for non-hopping transceivers on sectors that have been assigned a technology other than GSM.


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2 If IS-136 is the technology assigned to the sector, and you want the sector to support an analog control channel, on the Carrier Settings panel, enable the Enable Analog Control Channel check box.

If you enable the analog control channel, you also have the option of clearing the Enable Digital Control Channel check box. The settings in these boxes govern which control carriers are added in Step 3.

■ If you enable both check boxes, the first two carriers that you add are the DCCH carrier and the ACC carrier.

■ If you enable only the Enable Analog Control Channel check box, the first carrier that you add is the ACC carrier.

■ If you enable only the Enable Digital Control Channel check box, the first carrier that you add is the DCCH carrier.

3 Click Add to add a row to the Non-hopping Transceivers list.

The first carrier added is always the control carrier. For IS-136, depending on the settings that you choose in Step 2, the second carrier may also be a control carrier.

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4 If you want to narrow the list of carriers displayed in the Carrier list, do any of the following:■ From the Carrier Type list, choose a carrier type to restrict the

list of carriers to those of that carrier type.■ From the Carrier Group list, choose a carrier group to restrict

the list of carriers to those in the carrier group.


5 From the Carrier list, choose a carrier. 6 If IS-136 is the technology assigned to the sector and you want the

transceiver to support analog calls only, enable the check box in the Analog column, and choose a value from the SAT list.

7 Repeat Step 3 to Step 6 for each non-hopping transceiver in the sector.8 Click OK to save your settings, or choose another item in the tree view.

For IS-136 sectors, if you only enable the analog control channel, you will not be able to add a digital transceiver. If you only enable the digital

control channel, you can add both analog and digital transceivers. If you do not enable the digital control channel, all of your digital transceivers will be changed to analog.

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To define carrier settings for baseband hopping transceiversUse this procedure if you chose GSM with baseband hopping.


2 Define any non-hopping transceivers using the procedure described in “To define carrier settings for non-hopping GSM transceivers” on page 123.

3 In the Hopping Transceivers section, if the hopping transceivers support packet data, enable the Packet Enable check box, and in the Min Pkt Time Slots and Max Pkt Time Slots boxes, type the minimum and maximum number of time slots that are dedicated to packet traffic, or accept the defaults.

The remaining time slots can be allocated for voice, control, or packet traffic.

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4 In the HSN box, type a value to indicate the hopping sequence number for the hopping group, or accept the default.

5 In the Hopping Transceivers section, click Add to add a row to the Hopping Transceivers list.

6 If you want to narrow the list of carriers displayed in the Carrier list, do one or both of the following:■ From the Carrier Group list, choose a carrier group to restrict

the list of carriers to those in the group.■ From the Carrier Type list, choose a carrier type to restrict the

list of carriers to those of that type.


7 Choose the carrier from the Carrier list. 8 From the MAIO list, choose the MAIO for the carrier. 9 Repeat Step 5 to Step 8 for each baseband hopping transceiver in the

sector.10 Click OK to save your settings, or choose another item in the tree view.

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To define carrier settings for synthesized hopping transceiversUse this procedure if you chose GSM with synthesized hopping.


2 Define any non-hopping transceivers using the procedure described in “To define carrier settings for non-hopping GSM transceivers” on page 123.

3 \In the Hopping Transceivers section, click Add to add a row to the Hopping Transceivers list.

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4 From the Carrier Type list, choose a carrier type to be used for the hopping transceiver.

The carrier type is used by the Automatic Frequency Planning tool when it creates a plan.

5 From the MAL list, choose a MAL to be used for the hopping transceiver.

You can view the carriers in a MAL by choosing the MAL from the MAL list and then holding your mouse over the box. A list of carriers in the MAL is displayed.

6 From the MAIO list, choose the MAIO for the hopping transceiver. 7 In the HSN box, type a value to indicate the hopping sequence number for

the transceiver, or accept the default.8 If the transceiver supports packet data, enable the Packet Enable check

box, and in the Min and Max boxes, type the minimum and maximum number of time slots that are dedicated to packet traffic, or accept the defaults.

The remaining time slots can be allocated for voice, control, or packet traffic.

9 Repeat Step 3 to Step 8 for each synthesized hopping transceiver in the sector.


To change the hopping type in a TDMA/FDMA sectorBecause GSM is the only technology that allows frequency hopping, you can only change the hopping type for a GSM sector.If you have already defined transceivers for a sector and you change the hopping type, you must indicate how to handle the transceivers that you have already defined.

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1 In the Sector Settings dialog box, choose Frequency Hopping in the tree view.

2 On the Frequency Hopping panel, choose the new hopping type from the Frequency Hopping list.

The Change Hopping Type dialog box opens. It provides options for how to handle the existing transceivers. The contents of the dialog box depend on the frequency hopping type you are changing from and to.

3 In the Change Hopping Type dialog box, choose the option or options that you want to use to handle existing transceivers and click OK.

For more information about the options in this dialog box, press the F1 key.


Defining TDMA/FDMA frequency planning settingsFrequency planning settings enable you to specify how to handle frequency planning on each sector. The Frequency Planning: Requirements panel enables you to define the number of transceivers required for specific carrier types on a sector. This allocation will not be exceeded when the frequency plan is created. The actual number of allocations may be less if the automatic frequency planning algorithm is not able to plan that number of carriers.The type of frequency hopping used for the sector determines the types of requirements that are available. Details are provided in the following procedures:

■ “To define frequency planning requirements for non-hopping sectors” on page 134

■ “To define frequency planning requirements for baseband hopping sectors” on page 135

■ “To define frequency planning requirements for synthesized hopping sectors” on page 136

The Frequency Planning: Exceptions panel enables you to define illegal carrier settings and minimum carrier separation settings. Illegal carriers are carriers that cannot be allocated to the sector. These can be defined for a group of sites or for individual sectors. Minimum carrier separation enables you to specify the minimum carrier separation between the sector and any other sector.

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You can also import frequency planning requirements from a tab-delimited text file. See “To import frequency planning requirements for TDMA/FDMA sites” on page 137.

To define frequency planning requirements for non-hopping sectors1 In the Sector Settings dialog box, expand Frequency Planning in the

tree view and choose Requirements.

The type of frequency hopping used by the sector is displayed in the Frequency Hopping field.

2 In the Required Transceivers section, do one of the following:■ If IS-136 is the technology assigned to the sector, for each carrier

type, type the number of required non-hopping digital

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transceivers in the Digital column, and type the number of required non-hopping analog transceivers in the Analog column.

■ If any other technology is assigned to the sector, for each carrier type, type the number of required non-hopping transceivers in the Non-Hopping column.


To define frequency planning requirements for baseband hopping sectors1 In the Sector Settings dialog box, expand Frequency Planning in the



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2 On the Frequency Planning: Requirements panel, in the Required Transceivers section, do one of the following:■ If you want to use non-hopping transceivers for a carrier type,

type the number of required non-hopping transceivers in the Non-Hopping column for that carrier type.

■ If you want to use hopping transceivers for a carrier type, type the number of required hopping transceivers in the Hopping column for that carrier type.


To define frequency planning requirements for synthesized hopping sectors1 In the Sector Settings dialog box, expand Frequency Planning in the



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2 On the Frequency Planning: Requirements panel, in the Required Transceivers section, do one of the following:■ If you want to use non-hopping transceivers for a carrier type,

type the number of required non-hopping transceivers in the Non-Hopping column for that carrier type.

■ If you want to use hopping transceivers for a carrier type, type the number of required hopping transceivers in the Hopping column, and then type the length of the MAL in the MAL Length column.


To import frequency planning requirements for TDMA/FDMA sitesIf you have frequency planning requirements for sectors defined in a tab-delimited text file for some or all of the sites in your project, you can use the Carrier Type Requirements Import tool to import the requirements and populate the Frequency Planning: Requirements panel for the sites in the file. The file must contain entries for one or more of the sites defined in your project and one or more of the carrier types defined in your project.

Understanding file formatsWhen you import carrier type requirements, you have two options for the file format:

■ site ID / sector ID■ cell ID

Frequency hopping requirements are not supported by the Carrier Type Requirements Import tool. When you import carrier requirements into a

project with sectors that are configured for baseband or synthesized hopping, only the non-hopping column is populated for each carrier type.

IS-136 analog requirements are not supported by the Carrier Type Requirements Import tool. When you import carrier requirements into a

project with IS-136 sectors, only the Digital column is populated for each carrier type.

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In both cases, the first line of the file is treated as the heading row. The heading row consists of:

■ either the SiteId and SectorId or CellId■ any number of carrier types. In Figure 5.3 and Figure 5.4, these

are TCH0, TCH1, and BCCH. If a carrier type appears in the carrier type requirements file, but you have not defined it for your project, it will be ignored.

Figure 5.3 shows an example of a site ID / sector ID format:

Figure 5.3 Site ID / sector ID file format

Figure 5.4 shows an example of a cell ID format. This format uses the first part of the ID as the SiteId, and the last character as the SectorId. For example, Site_10C becomes Site_10 Sector 3. Letters A-Z are mapped to numbers 1-26.

Figure 5.4 Cell ID file format

Using the data in Figure 5.3, if you have site CM207 in your network, and TCH0, TCH1, and BCCH defined as carrier types, the Frequency Planning: Requirements panel will be updated as shown in Figure 5.5 when you import your carrier type requirements file.

SiteId SectorId TCH0 TCH1 BCCHCM207 1 2 0 1CM208 2 0 1 1

CellId TCH0 TCH1 BCCHSite_0A 3 0 1Site_10C 0 4 1

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Figure 5.5 Updated Frequency Planning: Requirements panel

1 Choose Data ➤ Import ➤ Carrier Type Requirements.2 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the group of sectors for which

you want to import carrier type requirements and click Continue.

The Carrier Type Requirements Import dialog box opens.

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3 From the Technology list, choose the technology for which you want to import carrier type requirements.

4 In the Format section, choose the format of the file that contains the information to import.

5 Click Browse, navigate to the file that contains the carrier requirements to import, and click Open.

The Carrier Type Requirements Import box updates with the file name.

6 Click OK.

The Frequency Planning: Requirements panel updates all of the sites that are common between the group of sites that you chose in Step 2 and the tab-delimited text file that you chose in Step 5.


You can also update frequency planning requirements automatically using the values calculated by the TDMA/FDMA Traffic Analysis and

Dimensioning tool. For more information, see “Calculating carrier requirements for TDMA/FDMA sectors” on page 154.

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To define frequency planning exceptions for a TDMA/FDMA sector1 In the Sector Settings dialog box, expand Frequency Planning in the

tree view and choose Exceptions.

2 Type a cost factor for the sector in the Cost Factor (Optimizer Algorithm Only) box, or accept the default.

The cost factor is used by the Planet Optimizer planning method. For more information on planning methods, see “Optimization methods for automatic frequency planning” on page 220.

3 In the Illegal Carriers table, enable the check boxes for any carriers that you want to prevent from being used on this sector.

4 In the Minimum Carrier Separation table, click Add to add a row.5 Choose the site and sector for which you want to define minimum

separation.

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6 In the Spacing column, define the minimum separation, in carriers, between the carriers assigned to this sector and other carriers.

7 To ensure that carrier spacings are maintained between a specific pair of sectors, regardless of other spacing constraints used in automatic frequency planning (for example, site, sector, neighbor, second order neighbor), enable the Override check box.

In these cases, an overriding exception cost will be applied to any assignment that violates the specified spacing, instead of the standard spacing violation costs. For details about violation costs, see “AFP violation costs” on page 228.

8 Repeat Step 4 to Step 7 for each row in the Minimum Carrier Separation table.


To define illegal carriers for a group of TDMA/FDMA sitesYou can define illegal carriers for a group of sites. The illegal carriers will apply to all sectors within the group. You can override these definitions for individual sectors.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the group of sites, and choose Frequency Planning ➤ Illegal Carriers.

2 In the Set Illegal Carriers dialog box, in the tree view, choose the technology for which you want to specify illegal carriers.

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3 Enable the check boxes for the carriers that you do not want to be used for this group, and click OK.

Each time you click a check box, the state of a carrier changes. The possible states for a carrier include:

■ The carrier is illegal for all chosen sectors.■ The carrier has already been set as illegal for a specific sector on

the Frequency Planning: Exceptions panel of the Sector Settings dialog box.

■ The carrier is legal for all chosen sectors.4 Click OK to save your settings, or choose another item in the tree view.

To define illegal HSNs for a TDMA/FDMA sectorFor sectors assigned the GSM technology, you can define HSNs that you do not want to be assigned to that sector. HSNs that you define as illegal cannot be assigned when you plan HSNs using the Automatic Frequency Planning tool. For more information on planning HSN assignments, see “Defining AFP HSN and MAIO settings” on page 232.

You can also access the Illegal Carrier Settings dialog box by clicking the Illegal Carrier Settings button on the Mobile Technology toolbar.

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1 In the Sector Settings dialog box, expand Frequency Planning in the tree view and choose HSN Exceptions.

2 In the Illegal HSNs section, enable the check box beside each HSN code that you do not want to be assigned to the sector.


To enable multiple check boxes simultaneously, hold down the Shift key, click an HSN number, drag the mouse to select a block of HSNs,

and then right-click and choose Check Selected. You can also clear multiple check boxes by choosing Uncheck Selected.

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Defining illegal color codes for TDMA/FDMA sectorsYou can define illegal color codes for each sector. Illegal color codes are color codes that cannot be allocated to a sector.

If you generate color codes with the Color Code Planning tool, you can either keep any color codes that you have defined at the sector level or overwrite them. For more information on generating color codes, see “Chapter 9: Working with Frequency and Color Code Plans” on page 237.

To define illegal color codes for TDMA/FDMA sectors1 In the Sector Settings dialog box, expand Color Code Planning in the

tree view and choose Exceptions.

All of the available color codes for each color code type are displayed in the Illegal Color Code section. The color code types and ranges displayed depend on the technology assigned to the sector. For example, a sector assigned GSM technology uses the Base Station Identity Code (BSIC) color code type, whereas a sector assigned IS-136 technology uses Supervisory Audio Tone (SAT), Digital Color Code (DCC), and Digital Verification Color Code (DVCC) color code types.

Illegal color codes are used by the Color Code Planning tool only. If you manually type in a color code for the sector, it is not checked against

the illegal codes defined for the sector.

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2 In the Illegal Color Codes section, enable the check box beside each color code that you do not want to be assigned to the sector.


Exporting and importing TDMA/FDMA sector settingsYou can export the settings for an individual sector to a sector settings (.gss) file. You can then import the settings from the .gss file into a sector or a site configuration or share the file with other users.

To enable multiple check boxes simultaneously, hold down the Shift key, click a color code number, drag the mouse to select a block of

color codes, and then right-click and choose Check Selected. You can also clear multiple check boxes by choosing Uncheck Selected.

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To export TDMA/FDMA sector settings1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the sector and

choose Edit.2 In the Sector Settings dialog box, choose Configuration in the tree view.3 On the Configuration panel, click Export.4 In the Export dialog box, navigate to the folder where you want to store

the sector settings (.gss) file, type a name for the file in the File Name box, and click Save.

5 Click Close.

To import TDMA/FDMA sector settings1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the sector into

which you want to import sector settings and choose Edit.2 In the Sector Settings dialog box, choose Configuration in the tree view.3 On the Configuration panel, click Import.4 In the Import Sector Settings dialog box, navigate to the sector settings

(.gss) file that you want to import and click Open.5 Click Apply and then click Close.

Updating TDMA/FDMA sector traffic values using traffic map information

You can use traffic maps to update carried or offered traffic or packet throughput for your sectors. This is a faster method than manually typing this information for each sector (described in “To define traffic settings for GSM” on page 117 and “To define TDMA/FDMA packet data settings” on page 113) or updating the sector traffic values as part of generating an analysis (described in “To define traffic settings for TDMA/FDMA analyses” on page 199). To use a traffic map, you need to have a best server analysis generated to distribute the traffic among sectors.

When you import new sector settings from a .gss file, you will overwrite the existing sector settings in the site table. Saving the site table

commits these changes to the table.

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For information on generating analysis layers, see “Chapter 7: Generating TDMA/FDMA Analysis Layers” on page 175.You can use the traffic map to update the sector information as follows:

■ If the traffic map is in Kbps/sq km, you can use the traffic data to update the Packet Throughput box on the Packet Data settings panel.

■ If the traffic map is in Erlangs/sq km, you can use the traffic data to update the Carried Traffic or Offered Traffic box on the Sector Settings - Traffic panel.

■ If the traffic map is in any other unit, you need to convert it to either Kbps/sq km or Erlangs/sq km. For information on converting traffic maps, see “Converting traffic maps” in Chapter 8, “Working with Traffic Maps”, in the Planet User Guide.

To update TDMA/FDMA sector traffic values using traffic map information

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click the traffic map that you want to use to update the sector traffic values and choose Capture.

The Capture Traffic dialog box opens. The Traffic Map Name and Traffic Map Unit fields show the map that you chose and the units of the map.

For IS-136 sectors, only the values for digital traffic are updated. Analog traffic values are not changed.

If you choose to apply the values captured from the traffic map to the site table, you will overwrite any existing values for either packet

throughput or offered traffic.

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2 Click Browse, navigate to the best server file that you want to use to distribute the traffic among sectors, and click Open.

For TDMA/FDMA technologies, these are located in the <project>/TDMA_FDMA_Analyses folder by default.

3 If your traffic map is in Erlangs/sq km, from the Traffic to Update list, choose one of the following options:■ Carried Traffic—updates the Carried Traffic box on the Sector

Settings - Traffic panel■ Offered Traffic—updates the Offered Traffic box on the Sector

Settings - Traffic panel

If your traffic map is in Kbps/sq km, your only option is Packet Throughput.

4 Click Capture.

The Traffic Capture dialog box opens.

5 In the Traffic Capture dialog box, click OK.

The values currently defined for either Carried Traffic, Offered Traffic, or Packet Throughput are overwritten with values from the traffic map. Values are not overwritten for sectors that are in the site table but not in the best server analysis.

6 In the confirmation dialog box, click OK.

Viewing TDMA/FDMA frequency assignment and interference information

Once you have created a project and assigned carriers and MALs to sectors, you can use the Carrier In-Map Display tool to view co-channel, adjacent

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channel, and color code interference in the Map window. You can also view the following allocation information:

■ carriers■ carrier groups■ MALs■ HSNs■ MALs and HSNs■ control channels and color codes

To view TDMA/FDMA frequency assignment and interference information1 On the Mobile Technology toolbar, click the Carrier In-Map Display

button, and then click in the Map window near the sector for which you want to view interference information.

If you want to view only allocation information, you can click anywhere in the Map window.

The Carrier In-Map Display dialog box opens with the Interactive tab open by default. The Sector ID box shows the name of the sector closest to where you clicked in the Map window and the Technology box displays the sector assigned to the sector.

The display in the Map window updates to identify sectors in the Map window that are co-channel interferers with the selected sector. For each sector that is a co-channel interferer, the numbers of the carriers that cause co-channel interference are displayed in the Map window. For the selected sector, carrier information is displayed in red.

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2 Do any of the following:■ To view other types of interference in the Map window, from the

View list, choose the type of interference that you want to view. The display in the Map window updates to show the interferers.

■ To choose another sector for which to view interference information, click in the Map window near the sector.

■ To display the results again for a sector that you selected previously, choose the sector from the Sector ID list.

3 If you want to view information in the Map window about frequency allocation, click the Sector Selection tab.

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4 From the View in Map Window list, choose an option for display.5 From the Technology list, choose the technology for which you want to

view information.

The list section of the dialog box updates to show all of the entries for the chosen option assigned to the technology.

6 Choose one or more of the listed items to display in the Map window, and click Display.

7 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the group of sectors for which you want to display the information.

8 If you want to choose a different group of sectors for which to display the selected information, click Update Selection, and then in the Select Sectors dialog box, choose another group of sectors and click OK.

9 If you want to clear the display, click Clear.

Visibility of the Carrier In-Map Display is affected by the same settings that control the visibility of site labels. If you cannot see the sector

information in the Map window, see “Displaying and formatting site labels” in Chapter 2, “Working with Sites and Sectors”, in the Planet User Guide for information about changing the appearance of labels.

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Viewing carrier allocation information for TDMA/FDMA sectorsOnce you have created a project and assigned carriers and MALs to sectors, you can use the Carrier Display tool to view the following carrier allocation information for each sector in your network:

■ technology■ non-hopping transceivers■ hopping transceivers■ miscellaneous assignments such as HSN, BSIC, DCC, Color

Code (CC), Supervisory Audio Tone (SAT), and DSATThe Carrier Display tool enables you to click in a Map window to obtain carrier allocation information for the sectors that are physically located near that point. When you click in the Map window, the Carrier Display dialog box opens.

To view carrier allocation information for a TDMA/FDMA sector1 On the Mobile Technology toolbar, click the Carrier Display button.2 In the Map window, click near the sector for which you want to view

carrier allocation information.

The Carrier Display dialog box opens with a list of sectors that are located near the point you clicked.

If you click in the Map window at a point an equal distance between two sectors, the list of sectors in the Sector ID box updates with both

sectors, but only information for the first sector is displayed. You can view information for the second sector by choosing it from the Sector ID box.

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3 From the Sector ID list, choose the sector for which you want to view carrier allocation information.

The Carrier Display dialog box displays carrier allocation information for the chosen sector.

Calculating carrier requirements for TDMA/FDMA sectorsYou can use the TDMA/FDMA Traffic Analysis and Dimensioning tool to calculate the carrier requirements for each sector based on the carried traffic values. For more information on defining per-sector traffic values, see “To define traffic settings for GSM” on page 117. For more information on carrier requirements, see “Defining TDMA/FDMA frequency planning settings” on page 133.

You can also access the Carrier Display tool by choosing View ➤ Carrier Display, and clicking in the Map window.

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To generate a TDMA/FDMA Traffic Analysis and Dimensioning report1 On the Mobile Technology toolbar, click the TDMA/FDMA Traffic

Analysis and Dimensioning Tool button.2 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the group of sectors for which

you want to calculate carrier requirements and click Continue.

3 In the TDMA/FDMA Traffic Analysis and Dimensioning Tool dialog box, from the Technology list, choose the technology for which you want to create the analysis.

4 In the Dimensioning Options section, choose one of the following options:■ Use Current Transceivers—choose this option to use the

transceivers that are currently allocated to each sector. For information on how to allocate transceivers to a sector, see “Defining TDMA/FDMA carrier settings” on page 122.

■ Use Current Requirements—choose this option to ignore the number of transceivers currently allocated to the chosen sectors and use the number of required transceivers currently assigned for each sector. For information on frequency hopping requirements, see “Defining TDMA/FDMA frequency planning settings” on page 133.

5 In the Target Grade of Service (GoS) box, type a percentage to indicate the GoS that you want each sector to meet.

For example, specifying 10% indicates that a ten percent chance that an outgoing call handled by this sector will be blocked the first time is acceptable.

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6 In the Fraction of H.R. Codecs box, type the percentage of subscriber equipment using half-rate codecs.

7 Click OK.

The TDMA/FDMA Traffic Analysis and Dimensioning Report dialog box opens, displaying analysis information about the number of transceivers and carriers required for each sector to meet the GoS. This analysis is based on the traffic value for each sector.

If you chose IS-136 in Step 3, the report is divided into digital and analog sections. You can click the Digital or Analog tabs at the bottom of the report to view the requirements for each type of transceiver.

For more information on other columns in the report, press the F1 key.

You can use the information in the Required Carriers column to update the carrier requirements for the sectors in your project. The color coding in the column indicates whether more or fewer carriers can be allocated

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for the sector. For more information on required carriers, see one of the following sections:

■ “To define frequency planning requirements for non-hopping sectors” on page 134

■ “To define frequency planning requirements for baseband hopping sectors” on page 135

■ “To define frequency planning requirements for synthesized hopping sectors” on page 136

To update the TDMA/FDMA carrier requirements for your projectBy default, you can automatically increase carrier requirements from the TDMA/FDMA Traffic Analysis and Dimensioning tool but you cannot reduce them. Manually, you have the option of either adding or reducing carrier requirements. You can change the default carrier priority using the Carrier Priority and Constraints dialog box.

1 In the TDMA/FDMA Traffic Analysis and Dimensioning Report dialog box, click Carrier Priority and Constraints.

The Carrier Priority and Constraints dialog box opens.

If you generated the TDMA/FDMA Traffic Analysis and Dimensioning Report for IS-136, the Carrier Priority and Constraints dialog box is divided into digital and analog sections.

2 If you want to change any of the values for carrier requirements or MAL length, click in the box, and type the new value.

Hopping transceivers and MALs are only available for GSM carriers.

3 If you want to allow the tool to remove surplus carriers from the sectors in your project, enable the Allow Carrier Requirements Reduction check box.

You can also access the TDMA/FDMA Traffic Analysis and Dimensioning tool by choosing Tools ➤ TDMA/FDMA Traffic Analysis

and Dimensioning.

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4 If you want to change the priority of a carrier, click the carrier and then click Up or Down.

Lower numbers indicate higher priority levels.

5 Click OK.6 In the TDMA/FDMA Traffic Analysis and Dimensioning Tool Report

dialog box, click Apply.

Globally editing TDMA/FDMA sector propertiesYou can easily change TDMA/FDMA-specific sector properties for the sites in your project or for a particular group of sites using the TDMA/FDMA Global Edit tool.

To globally edit TDMA/FDMA sector properties1 In the Project Explorer, do one of the following:

■ To edit all sites, in the Sites category, right-click Sites and choose Global Edit ➤ TDMA/FDMA.

■ To edit one or more sites, in the Sites category, choose the sites, right-click, and then choose Global Edit ➤ TDMA/FDMA.

■ To edit the sites in a group, in the Sites category, right-click the group and choose Global Edit ➤ TDMA/FDMA.

■ To edit sites selected by flag condition, in the Sites category, enable the flag conditions you want, right-click Flags and choose Global Edit ➤ TDMA/FDMA.

The TDMA/FDMA Global Edit dialog box opens.

If you want to export the data in the report to an Excel (.xls) file for later use, click the Export button in the TDMA/FDMA Traffic Analysis and

Dimensioning Report dialog box. In the Save dialog box, navigate to the folder where you want to save the file, type a file name, and click Save.

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2 If you want to modify the selection of sites that the global edit affects, in the Select Table section, do any of the following:■ From the Selection list, choose the table you want to edit.■ From the Group list, choose the sector group that contains the

sites you want to edit.3 In the List of Columns to Update table, do any of the following:

■ Click entries in the Value column and edit them.■ Enable the check box beside each data field that you want to

update in the chosen table.

For more information on any of the fields, press the F1 key.

4 Click Apply to update the settings, and then click Close.

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Chapter 6: Adding Repeaters to TDMA/FDMA Sectors

6.
Adding Repeaters to TDMA/FDMA Sectors
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Understanding repeaters■ Workflow for adding repeaters

to TDMA/FDMA sectors■ Adding repeaters to TDMA/

FDMA sectors■ Locating repeaters in a Map

window

This chapter describes how to add repeaters to

TDMA/FDMA sectors in your project.

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Understanding repeatersRepeaters are used to retransmit signals received from donor sectors to locations that have insufficient coverage. For example, repeaters can be used to extend coverage or fill in shadow areas caused by hills, large buildings, and other structures that obstruct signals.A repeater receives a signal from a donor sector on its donor antenna, and then amplifies and retransmits the signal through its service antenna. Implementing repeaters can be an efficient and cost-effective method of increasing the received signal strength for mobiles in an area without having to place additional sites.A repeater’s power is defined by its Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP). EIRP measures the maximum radiated power in the direction of the maximum gain relative to an isotropic antenna (typically in the direction the antenna is pointing).EIRP for repeaters is calculated as shown in Equation 6.1.

Equation 6.1 Repeater EIRP

Where: is equal to the .

is the repeater gain.

is the donor antenna gain.

is the service antenna gain of the repeater.

is the system loss of the repeater.

is the donor antenna discrimination loss.

Repeaters and TDMA/FDMA predictionsWhen you generate predictions for a sector that has one or more repeaters assigned to it, signal strength grid (.grd) files are generated for the sector and for each repeater. A combined signal strength file is also generated, which merges the separate sector and repeater signal strength files.Combined signal strength predictions are used when the full coverage area of a sector is required, such as when you generate a traffic map or interference matrix, or analyze the interference between two sectors.

EIRP R= SSI Gainr Gainda Gainsa Lossr–+ + +

RSSI EIRP of the donor sector path loss– Lossdad–

Gainr

Gainda

Gainsa

Lossr

Lossdad

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Adding Repeaters to TDMA/FDMA SectorsTDMA/FDMA User Guide

After you have generated predictions for a sector, you can choose to view a prediction for the donor sector or individual repeaters. You can also view a combined prediction that displays the combined signal strengths of the donor sector and all of its repeaters. For information on viewing predictions for a Mobile Technology project, see “Viewing path loss and signal strength predictions for TDMA/FDMA” on page 185.

Workflow for adding repeaters to TDMA/FDMA sectorsStep 1 Configure and place TDMA/FDMA sites. See “Chapter 5:

Configuring and Placing TDMA/FDMA Sites” on page 95.

Step 2 Add repeaters to sectors with insufficient coverage. See “Adding repeaters to TDMA/FDMA sectors” on page 163.

Adding repeaters to TDMA/FDMA sectorsTo add a repeater to a sector, you must define general settings, such as the donor sector for which the repeater will retransmit a signal, and the location of the repeater. You must also define settings for service antenna, predictions, and repeater equipment.You can add repeaters manually or you can import them from an existing file.When you add repeaters, you can designate them as active or inactive. Only active repeaters are used in predictions and analyses. This enables you to place a number of repeaters and run different scenarios.

To add repeaters to TDMA/FDMA sectors1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the sector to

which you want to add a repeater, and choose Add Repeater.2 Click in the Map window in the location where you want to add the

repeater.

The Repeater Settings dialog box opens with the general settings panel selected by default.

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3 In the Repeater-Site ID box, type a unique name for the repeater.4 If you want to add additional information, such as the associated Site ID,

in the Repeater-Site UID box, type an identifier or description.5 If you want to change the donor sector, choose a sector from the Donor

Sector list.6 Do one of the following to define the status of the repeater:

■ To set the repeater as active, enable the Active checkbox.■ To set the repeater as inactive, clear the Active checkbox.

Only active repeaters are used in predictions and analyses.

7 If you want to change the symbol and color settings used to represent active and inactive repeaters in the Map window, in the Color/Symbol For All Repeaters section, click the Active or Inactive swatch, choose the font, font size, symbol, color, rotation angle, background, and effects, and then click OK.

You can only change the symbol and color settings for the status (Active or Inactive) that you applied to the repeater in Step 6. The symbol and color settings will be applied to all Active or Inactive repeaters.

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8 In the Repeater Type section, choose one of the following options:■ RF—the donor antenna receives the signal from a conventional

RF signal.■ Fiber—the donor antenna receives the signal from a fiber-optic

cable.

If you choose the Fiber option, the donor antenna information does not apply (see “To define donor antenna settings for repeaters” on page 168).

9 If you want to place the service antenna according to precise coordinates, in the Service Antenna Location section, type the coordinates in the X/Longitude and Y/Latitude boxes.

The values displayed by default correspond to the location that you clicked in the Map window in Step 2.

10 If you want to place the donor antenna according to precise coordinates, in the Donor Antenna Location section, type the coordinates in the X/Longitude and Y/Latitude boxes.

By default, the donor antenna and service antenna are placed at the same location.

11 Define the service antenna settings.

See “To define service antenna settings for repeaters” on page 166.

12 If you chose the RF option in Step 8, define the donor antenna settings.

See “To define donor antenna settings for repeaters” on page 168.

13 Define the repeater prediction settings.

See “To define repeater prediction settings” on page 170.

14 Define the repeater equipment settings.

See “To define repeater equipment settings” on page 171.

15 Click Create to add the repeater to the sector, and then click Close to close the Repeater Settings dialog box.

The repeater is displayed in the Sites category of the Project Explorer under the Repeaters node and the chosen donor sector under the Sites node.

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To define service antenna settings for repeaters1 In the tree view of the Repeater Settings dialog box, choose Service

Antenna.

You can also change the status of a repeater by right-clicking a repeater node in the Project Explorer and choosing Activate Repeater

or Deactivate Repeater.

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2 On the Service Antenna panel, choose an antenna pattern from the Pattern list.

This is the pattern that the service antenna will use to retransmit the signal received from the donor sector. The gain value is derived from the antenna pattern.

3 If you want to view or modify the antenna pattern, click Edit.

For more information on modifying antenna patterns, see Chapter 3, “Working with Antenna Patterns”, in the Planet User Guide.

4 If you are using an antenna pattern with electrical downtilt, from the Electrical Tilt list, choose the electrical downtilt pattern that you want to use.

For details on electrical downtilt patterns, see Chapter 3, “Working with Antenna Patterns”, in the Planet User Guide.

5 Type values in the following boxes:■ Azimuth—the horizontal direction the service antenna looks

towards. An azimuth value of 0 degrees is true north, 90 degrees is east, 180 degrees is south, and 270 degrees is west. As you rotate clockwise, the azimuth increases.

■ Tilt—the number of degrees that a service antenna is tilted upward or downward. A positive (+) tilt value points the antenna upwards, while a negative (-) tilt value points the antenna downwards.

■ Twist—the number of degrees that a service antenna is twisted counter-clockwise or clockwise. A positive (+) twist value rotates the antenna counter-clockwise, while a negative (-) twist value rotates the antenna clockwise.

■ Height—the height of the service antenna from ground level.6 In the Elevation section, choose one of the following options:

■ Use DEM Elevation—sets the elevation height based on the repeater location and the project digital elevation model (DEM) grid file. This is the default option.

■ Manual Entry—enables you to define the elevation height for the repeater. Type the elevation height in the Elevation box. This option is useful if the repeater is being used as a microcell for indoor coverage.

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7 In the System Losses box, type a value for the service antenna system feeder loss or any additional antenna system-related losses.

8 Click Create to save your settings and add the repeater, or choose another item in the tree view.

To define donor antenna settings for repeaters

1 In the tree view of the Repeater Settings dialog box, choose Donor Antenna.

Donor antenna settings only apply if the repeater type is RF. If a fiber-optic connection is used between the donor and service antenna, the

donor antenna settings do not apply. For more information, see “To add repeaters to TDMA/FDMA sectors” on page 163.

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2 On the Donor Antenna panel, choose an antenna pattern from the Pattern list.

This is the pattern that the donor antenna will use to receive the signal from the donor sector. The gain value is derived from the antenna pattern.

3 If you want to view or modify the antenna pattern, click Edit.

For more information on modifying antenna patterns, see Chapter 3, “Working with Antenna Patterns”, in the Planet User Guide.

4 If you are using an antenna pattern with electrical downtilt, from the Electrical Tilt list, choose the electrical downtilt pattern that you want to use.

For details on electrical downtilt patterns, see Chapter 3, “Working with Antenna Patterns”, in the Planet User Guide.

5 In the Height box, type the height of the donor antenna from ground level.

6 In the Elevation section, choose one of the following options:■ Use DEM Elevation—sets the elevation height based on the

repeater location and the project digital elevation model (DEM) grid file. This is the default option.

■ Manual Entry—enables you to define the elevation height for the repeater. Type the elevation height in the Elevation box. This option is useful if the repeater is being used as a microcell for indoor coverage.

7 In the System Losses box, type a value for donor antenna system feeder loss or any other antenna system-related losses.

The Isolation box indicates the calculated value of isolation between antennas (masked path loss). For an accurate isolation value, the antenna patterns assigned must have a full definition of the vertical pattern (all angles).


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To define repeater prediction settings1 In the tree view of the Repeater Settings dialog box, choose Predictions.

2 On the Predictions panel, choose a propagation model from the Propagation Model list.

3 In the Number of Radials box, type the number of radials to be used in the prediction.

Prediction calculations are performed along radial lines. A higher number of radials will produce more accurate results, but the calculation will take more time.

4 In the Propagation Distance box, type the maximum distance from the repeater for which the signal strength will be calculated.

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5 Do one of the following:■ In the Masked Path Loss from Donor box, type a value for the

repeater amplifier system loss.■ Click Calculate, and in the Calculate Masked Path Loss dialog

box, type a value for any other known losses in the Additional Losses box and click OK. The calculator performs a simple free space calculation, plus the additional losses value, and updates the value in the Masked Path Loss from Donor box automatically.


To define repeater equipment settings1 In the tree view of the Repeater Settings dialog box, choose Equipment.

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2 On the Equipment panel, do either of the following to define the EIRP:■ In the Power EIRP box, type the EIRP value for the repeater.

The value in the System Loss box is updated based on the value you enter.

■ In the Gain box, type a value for the repeater system gain. The value in the Power EIRP box is updated based on the value you enter.

3 In the System Loss box, type a value for the repeater system loss.

The value in the Power EIRP box is updated based on the value you enter.

4 In the Noise Figure box, type a value for the noise contribution of the repeater to the uplink.

5 In the Forward Max Power Per Carrier box, type a value for the achievable limit of power for the carrier.

6 In the Reverse Eb/No adjustment box, type a value for any adjustment that should be applied to the required Eb/No for signals through the repeater in the reverse path.

This value can be used to take into account the effects of the fixed path of signals through the repeater, for example, to simulate the effect of a lack of diversity gain on repeated signals at the donor sector.


To edit repeater settingsAfter you have added a repeater to a sector, you can edit the repeater at any time.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the tree view of the Sites category, expand the site and sector to which the repeater belongs.

2 Right-click the repeater that you want to edit and choose Edit.

The Repeater Settings dialog box opens.

3 If you want to change the donor sector (re-parent), choose a sector from the Donor Sector list.

4 Modify the other repeater settings as required.

For information, see “Adding repeaters to TDMA/FDMA sectors” on page 163.

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5 Click Apply and then click Close.

Locating repeaters in a Map windowYou can use the Project Explorer to locate a repeater in a Map window.

To locate repeaters in a Map window■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the repeater

and choose Locate.

The repeater is selected in the Map window.

You can also access all of the repeaters in your project from the Repeaters node in the Sites category of the Project Explorer.

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174

EN/LZT xxx xxxx Rxx

Chapter 7: Generating TDMA/FDMA Analysis Layers

7.
Generating TDMA/FDMA Analysis Layers

analysis layers■ Generating path loss and

signal strength predictions for TDMA/FDMA

■ Viewing path loss and signal strength predictions for TDMA/FDMA

■ Workflow for generating and viewing TDMA/FDMA analysis layers

■ Defining default TDMA/FDMA analysis settings

■ Creating a new TDMA/FDMA analysis

■ Defining TDMA/FDMA analysis settings

■ Generating a TDMA/FDMA analysis

■ Viewing TDMA/FDMA analysis layers

■ Modifying TDMA/FDMA analysis settings

■ Analyzing interference between two TDMA/FDMA sectors

This chapter explains how to generate predictions

and analysis layers for TDMA/FDMA technologies.

Numerous analysis layers are provided for TDMA/

FDMA technologies. You can use analysis layers to

aid in designing your network. Best server analysis,

interference analysis, and service quality metrics can

help you visualize and optimize network coverage.

You can also generate predictions to determine the

signal strength and path loss at a site or sector level.

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Understanding TDMA/FDMA analysis layersThe following types of analysis layers are available for TDMA/FDMA technologies to enable you to visualize and plan your network:

■ best server analysis■ interference analysis■ service quality metrics■ service coverage analysis■ required mobile power analysis

Analysis layers are stored in the <project>/TDMA_FDMA_Analyses folder.

Best server analysis for TDMA/FDMAIf the Hierarchical Cell Layers (HCL) setting is not enabled in a network, best server analysis enables you to view the sector that provides the strongest signal to a particular location and to determine how strong the coverage is. The strongest server is the sector that provides the greatest signal strength at a location. If two servers have identical signal strength, the first server that is found in the analysis is considered the best server.If HCL is enabled in a network, the choice of the best server is based on both the relative signal strengths of the received signals and the HCL properties of the serving sectors. For more information on enabling HCL at the network level, see “HCL settings” on page 29. For more information on HCL settings at the sector level, see “To define TDMA/FDMA sector-specific HCL settings” on page 112.The choice of best server can be limited by two distance factors:

■ If you have enabled HCL, you can define the maximum range for a sector, beyond which it will not be considered as a best server. The maximum range is defined on the Sector Settings: Hierarchical Cell Layers panel. For more information on maximum range, see “To define TDMA/FDMA sector-specific HCL settings” on page 112.

■ You can also define the timing advance limit for a sector, beyond which it will not be considered as a best server, and then choose to use this value for a best server analysis. For more information on defining the timing advance limit, see “To define TDMA/FDMA technology sector settings” on page 109. For more information on using the timing advance limit for an analysis,

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Generating TDMA/FDMA Analysis LayersTDMA/FDMA User Guide

see “To define settings for best server analysis for TDMA/FDMA” on page 191.

In a network where HCL is not enabled, the distance is limited only by the timing advance limit if you choose to enable the option when defining best server analysis settings.In a network where HCL is enabled, the distance is limited by the more restrictive of maximum range or timing advance limit. For example, if the maximum range defined for the sector is 20 km, but the timing advance limit for the sector is 35 km, then 20 km is the maximum distance that a sector can be from the bin in question to be considered as the best server for that bin.

Best Server analysis layers for TDMA/FDMATable 7.1 describes the analysis layers available for Best Server analysis.Table 7.1 Best Server analysis layers

Analysis Layer Description

Best Serving Sector

Stores the identification of the best server in a classified grid. The ID is composed of the site ID and the sector ID.

Best Server Signal Strength

Stores the received signal strength from the best server in a numeric grid (.grd).

Best Server Classes

Stores the received signal strength from the best server in a classified grid (.grc) using class profiles with a user-defined set of signal strength ranges. The class profile is specified as Classes for Best Server Signal Strength on the Colors tab of the Project Settings dialog box. For more information on defining classes, see “Creating class profiles” in Chapter 1, “Getting Started with Planet”, in the Planet User Guide.

Best Server Traffic

Stores a text file summary of the offered and carried Erlangs served by each sector in the network based on a traffic map. If you do not choose a traffic map for your technology when you are defining traffic settings, this file is not generated.

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Interference analysis for TDMA/FDMA Interference analysis enables you to determine the interference at every location in the network. Interference analysis is dependent on best server analysis and is computed based on a frequency plan, which enables the calculation of co-channel and adjacent channel interference. A frequency plan assigns carriers to sectors, and can be imported, created automatically, or created manually. For more information on importing a frequency plan, see “Importing frequency and color code plans using pre-defined importers” on page 239. For more information on creating a frequency plan automatically, see “Chapter 8: Generating Frequency Plans Automatically” on page 217. Sector loading is considered in a frequency hopping interference analysis. For more information on traffic settings, see “Traffic settings for TDMA/FDMA” on page 181.

Coverage probability

Stores the probability of a mobile user being served at any location. The coverage probability uses the best server signal strength as the mean value and calculates the probability that the signal strength is better than the RSSI threshold. The coverage probability is also referred to as coverage reliability.The following equations are used to calculate coverage probability:

Where:

is the probability of coverage.

is the signal strength at the bin.

is the signal strength threshold specified by the user.

is the propagation model’s standard deviation.

is the Complementary Error Function.

Number of servers

Stores the number of servers available in a classified grid (.grc). Valid values are null (0 servers), 1-99 and >99.

Table 7.1 Best Server analysis layers (continued)


Pcoverage QRSSIthreshold RSSI–

σ------------------------------------------------⎝ ⎠⎛ ⎞=

Q x( ) 12---erfc x

2-------⎝ ⎠⎛ ⎞=

Pcoverage

RSSI

RSSIthreshold

σ

erfc

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If any sectors in the network do not have carriers assigned, warning messages identify these sectors. These sectors are ignored in the analysis. For more information on assigning carriers, see “Defining TDMA/FDMA carrier settings” on page 122.For IS-136, the C/I layers that include adjacent channel interference take into consideration the different adjacent channel interference rejection factors (IRF) for digital and analog interferers.

Interference analysis layers for TDMA/FDMATable 7.2 describes the analysis layers available for interference analysis.Table 7.2 Interference analysis layers


Total C/I Stores the carrier-to-interference ratio where the interference, I, is the total of all co-channel interferers. For sectors with more than one carrier assigned, this result is for the worst carrier or the hopping transceiver group in the sector. This result is also dependent on the Victim Carriers option in the Analysis Settings dialog box.

Total C/A Stores the carrier-to-interference ratio where the interference, A, is the total of all adjacent channel interferers. For sectors with more than one carrier assigned, this result is for the worst carrier in the sector.

Total C/(I+A) Stores the total carrier-to-interference ratio including all co- and adjacent-channel interferers. For sectors with more than one carrier assigned, this result is for the worst carrier in the sector.

Total C/(I+A+N) Adds the impact of the thermal noise (N) to the C/I calculation. This value is computed as C/(I + A + N), where I and A are equal to the same value as in the Total C/(I + A) layer.

Carrier Averaged C/I

Stores the carrier-to-interference ratio where the interference, I, is the average interference of all co-channel interferers. For non-hopping transceivers, the average interference is not weighted by traffic. For hopping transceivers, the average interference is weighted by traffic.

Carrier Averaged C/A

Stores the carrier-to-interference ratio where the interference, A, is the average interference of all adjacent channel interferers. For non-hopping transceivers, the average interference is not weighted by traffic. For hopping transceivers, the average interference is weighted by traffic.

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Carrier Averaged C/(I+A)

Stores the carrier-to-interference ratio where the interference, I+A, is the average interference of all co- and adjacent channel interferers. For non-hopping transceivers, the average interference is not weighted by traffic. For hopping transceivers, the average interference is weighted by traffic.

Carrier Averaged C/(I+A+N)

Adds the impact of thermal noise (N). This value is computed as C/(I + A + N), where I and A are equal to the same value as in the Carrier Averaged C/(I + A) layer. For non-hopping transceivers, the average interference is not weighted by traffic. For hopping transceivers, the average interference is weighted by traffic.

Number of co-channel interferers

Stores the number of co-channel interferers affecting the sector. For sectors with more than one carrier assigned, this result corresponds to the number of co-channel interferers affecting the carrier experiencing the worst total interference.

Number of adjacent channel interferers

Stores the number of adjacent channel interferers affecting the sector. For sectors with more than one carrier assigned, this result corresponds to the number of adjacent channel interferers affecting the carrier experiencing the worst total interference.

Worst carrier Stores the worst carrier in the sector used to calculate the Total C/(I + A) and the Total C/(I + A + N) layers.

Best carrier Stores the carrier that provides the best C/I ratio (only meaningful if all carriers on a sector are being considered for the interference calculation).

Worst offending co-channel sector

Stores the co-channel sector that contributes the most interference to the best server.

Worst offending adjacent channel sector

Stores the adjacent channel sector that interferes the most with the best server signal.

Worst offender C/I

Stores the carrier-to-interference ratio where the interference, I, is from the worst offending co-channel sector only.

Worst offender C/A

Stores the carrier-to-interference ratio where the interference, A, is from the worst offending adjacent channel sector only.

Table 7.2 Interference analysis layers (continued)


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Traffic settings for TDMA/FDMATraffic settings are defined on the Traffic panel, and are used as input for frequency hopping in the interference layers. When you define traffic settings, you can choose the source of your traffic information and the conversion options for the traffic information. For details on traffic information and conversion options, see “To define traffic settings for TDMA/FDMA analyses” on page 199.

Service quality metrics for TDMA/FDMA Service quality metrics enable you to evaluate the quality of service of a mobile link. Service quality metrics are technology-specific and some apply only to specific technologies. Service quality metrics are not available for the FDMA technology NAMPS. Table 7.3 summarizes which metrics are available for each technology.

All service quality metrics are related to C/I measurements. Bit error rate (BER), Frame Erasure Rate (FER), and Signal Quality Estimator (SQE) measures are determined by means of relationship curves that you define. Some default curves are provided. The analysis will automatically calculate the appropriate C/I layer even if you do not select it (but it will not save the analysis layer to disk). For more information on how to generate an analysis, see “Generating a TDMA/FDMA analysis” on page 206.If you are calculating FER for GSM, you can also choose to create the analysis layer based on COST-231 link level simulation curves. The COST-231 model provides a mapping between the mean C/I and FER for the 13 kbps full rate GSM vocoder. This model has been derived from link level simulation curves that have been published by the COST-231 project. The model accounts for frequency diversity gain and it supports the TU3 and TU50 channel models.

Table 7.3 Service quality metrics

Technology BER FER RxQual SQE

GSM (including GPRS and EGPRS) ✓ ✓ ✓

IS-136 ✓ ✓

iDEN ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

User Defined ✓ ✓ ✓

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You do not need to define any settings for received signal quality (RxQual); it is determined from BER using the percentages in Table 7.4.

For more information on creating analysis layers for service quality metrics, see “Generating a TDMA/FDMA analysis” on page 206.

Service quality layers for TDMA/FDMATable 7.5 describes the analysis layers available for service quality metrics.

Table 7.4 BER percentages used to determine RxQual

RxQual BER range Assumed percentage

0 < 0.2% 0.14%

1 0.2% to 0.4% 0.28%

2 0.4% to 0.8% 0.57%

3 0.8% to 1.6% 1.13%

4 1.6% to 3.2% 2.26%

5 3.2% to 6.4% 4.53%

6 6.4% to 12.8% 9.05%

7 >12.8% 18.10%

Table 7.5 Service quality layers


BER Stores the bit error rate percentage. BER is determined by mapping the values from a C/I layer using a BER vs. C/I curve. For more information on creating analysis layers for service quality metrics, see “Generating a TDMA/FDMA analysis” on page 206.

FER Stores the frame erasure rate, the ratio of frame erasures to the total number of frames.

RxQUAL Stores received signal quality—a number between 0 and 7 that corresponds to a specific BER range. You can use RxQual in combination with other measurements (interference, for example) to help determine specific causes of poor signal quality.

SQE Stores the signal quality estimator—an iDEN-specific service quality metric that provides a value for network signal strength measured as C/(I + N).

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Service coverage analysis for TDMA/FDMAYou can generate service coverage analysis layers for all services or for one service. Service availability is dependent on the coding scheme available for an area.

Service coverage analysis layers for TDMA/FDMATable 7.6 describes the analysis layers available for service coverage analysis.

Required mobile power analysis for TDMA/FDMAYou can generate an analysis layer for Required Mobile Power. This analysis layer stores the mobile power output required to achieve uplink communication with the base station, and is generated for each technology.

Generating path loss and signal strength predictions for TDMA/FDMA

For TDMA/FDMA technologies, you can generate predictions for specific sites, sectors, and repeaters. Predictions use a propagation model and information about the terrain and clutter to predict the signal strength and path loss of a sector and/or repeater at any location where the signal exceeds the defined minimum level.

Table 7.6 Service coverage analysis layers


Composite service coverage

Stores the maximum available service at any location. The coverage decision is based on the service demand, the achievable coding scheme, and the packet channel availability.

Coverage per service

Stores information about whether a service is available at a given location. The coverage decision is based on the service demand, the achievable coding scheme, and the packet channel availability.

Coding scheme availability

Stores the maximum available coding scheme at any location. The maximum available coding scheme is always the coding scheme that offers the best throughput for a given C/I.

The Required Mobile Power layer uses the noise values on the Noise tab under the TDMA/FDMA technology node in the Network Settings

dialog box. For more information, see “Chapter 3: Defining Network Technologies and Services” on page 23.

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Predictions are required for a network analysis. You can generate them separately, or as part of generating the network analysis (i.e., any predictions required for the analysis are automatically generated). However, generating predictions separately at the site or sector level requires much less processing time and is useful for examining specific signal strength and path loss information. For information on generating a network analysis, see “Creating a new TDMA/FDMA analysis” on page 187.You can graphically display prediction results for sites, sectors, and/or repeaters as prediction layers in the Map window.

To generate predictions for TDMA/FDMA 1 Do any of the following:

■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, choose one or more groups, sites, sectors, or repeaters, right-click and choose Generate Predictions.

■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the Flags node and choose Generate Predictions.

■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the Repeaters node and choose Generate Predictions.

■ Choose Analysis ➤ Generate Predictions, choose a group in the Select Sectors dialog box, and click Continue.

The Prediction Generator dialog box opens.

If you are generating predictions for repeaters, predictions are also generated for the donor sector.

2 In the Prediction Generator dialog box, click Generate.

3 When the generation of predictions is complete, click Close.

If you want to generate a network analysis, there is no need to generate predictions first. Planet automatically generates any

predictions that it needs when you generate a network analysis. For more information, see “Generating a TDMA/FDMA analysis” on page 206.

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Viewing path loss and signal strength predictions for TDMA/FDMA

After you have generated predictions, you can display them in the Map window.

To view TDMA/FDMA site predictions from the Project Explorer■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click a site and

choose View Predictions.

A combined prediction layer is displayed in the Map window. This combined prediction layer provides signal strength information for all of the site’s sectors and their assigned repeaters.

To view TDMA/FDMA sector predictions from the Project Explorer■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, choose one or more

sectors, right-click, and choose one of the following options:■ View Predictions—displays a prediction layer in the Map

window for the chosen sectors. This option provides signal strength information for each sector; no signal strength information is provided any repeaters for which they are donors.

■ View Combined Predictions—displays a combined prediction layer in the Map window for each sector and any repeaters for which it is a donor. This option provides the combined signal strengths for each sector and its repeaters.

To view TDMA/FDMA repeater predictions from the Project Explorer■ In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click a repeater

and choose View Predictions.

A prediction layer for the individual repeater is displayed in the Map window. This prediction layer only provides signal strength information for the repeater; the signal strength of its donor sector is not provided.

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Workflow for generating and viewing TDMA/FDMA analysis layers

Step 1 If you want to use a traffic map when you define traffic settings, ensure that you have created a traffic map that covers the same area as your analysis. One map is required for each technology. See Chapter 10, “Working with Traffic Maps”, in the Planet User Guide.

Step 2 If you want to use the same settings for a number of analyses, define default settings. See “Defining default TDMA/FDMA analysis settings” on page 186.

Step 3 Create a new analysis. See “Creating a new TDMA/FDMA analysis” on page 187.

Step 4 Define analysis settings. See “Defining TDMA/FDMA analysis settings” on page 189.

Step 5 Generate the analysis. See “Generating a TDMA/FDMA analysis” on page 206.

Step 6 View the analysis. See “Viewing TDMA/FDMA analysis layers” on page 207.

Defining default TDMA/FDMA analysis settingsIf you want to use the same settings for a number of analyses, you can define default settings and default analysis layers. When you create a new analysis, these defaults are automatically used.

To define default TDMA/FDMA analysis settingsYou can define analysis settings that will be used for any new analysis that you create.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click TDMA/FDMA Analyses, and choose Default TDMA-FDMA Analysis Settings.

2 Define the default settings that you want to use.

See “Defining TDMA/FDMA analysis settings” on page 189, for more information about how to define analysis settings.

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To define the default TDMA/FDMA analysis layer listYou can use the analysis layer filter to define the master list of analysis layers that will be used in new analyses that you create. The analysis layer filter will also be applied to any existing analyses.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click TDMA/FDMA Analyses, and choose Analysis Layer Filter.

2 In the TDMA-FDMA Analysis Layer Filter dialog box, enable the check boxes for the analysis layers that you want to generate, and click OK.

For more information on each analysis layer, see “Understanding TDMA/FDMA analysis layers” on page 176.

Creating a new TDMA/FDMA analysisYou can create any number of analyses for a project. When you create a new analysis, it is displayed in the Project Explorer in the Network Analyses category under the TDMA-FDMA Analyses node. You can modify an existing analysis by right-clicking it in the Project Explorer, and choosing Settings. For more information on modifying an existing analysis, see “Modifying TDMA/FDMA analysis settings” on page 209.

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To create a new TDMA/FDMA analysis1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click

TDMA/FDMA Analyses and choose New Network Analysis.2 In the TDMA-FDMA Analysis dialog box, type a name and description

for the analysis, and click OK.

A new analysis node is created in the Project Explorer.

To define the analysis layers to use in a TDMA/FDMA analysis1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, expand

TDMA/FDMA Analyses, right-click the name of the analysis, and choose Layers.

The TDMA-FDMA Analysis Layers dialog box opens, showing the technologies and the layers that are available for each technology.

■ If the check box is enabled for a technology, all of the layers for the technology will be generated.

■ If the check box is cleared, no layers will be generated for the technology.

■ If the check box contains a black square, only some of the layers will be generated for the technology. You can expand the technology node to view which layers are chosen.

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2 In the TDMA-FDMA Analysis Layers dialog box, enable the check boxes for the analysis layers that you want to generate and click OK.

This dialog box includes only the default analysis layers you chose in the Analysis Layer Filter dialog box. To modify the default analysis layers, see “To define the default TDMA/FDMA analysis layer list” on page 187.

For more information on each analysis layer, see “Understanding TDMA/FDMA analysis layers” on page 176.

Defining TDMA/FDMA analysis settingsYou define analysis settings for each analysis. When you define analysis settings, you must

■ specify the technologies that you want to analyze■ define the settings for each analysis type to generate

To define TDMA/FDMA analysis settings1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, expand

TDMA/FDMA Analyses, right-click the name of the analysis, and choose Settings.

The Analysis Settings dialog box opens with the Technologies panel open by default.

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2 In the Analysis Settings dialog box, define the analysis settings as described in the following sections, and click OK.

To specify the TDMA/FDMA technologies to be analyzedYou specify the technologies to be analyzed using the Technologies panel in the Analysis Settings dialog box.

1 In the Analysis Settings dialog box, choose Technologies in the tree view.

2 On the Technologies panel, enable the check boxes for the technologies that you want to analyze.

The available options are the technologies that you defined for your network in “Chapter 3: Defining Network Technologies and Services” on page 23.

3 If you want to generate analysis layers for multiple technologies, do one of the following:■ Choose multiple technologies for the analysis. An analysis layer

is generated for each technology.■ Create a separate analysis for each technology. You can control

the layers produced for each technology separately.

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To define settings for best server analysis for TDMA/FDMA 1 In the Analysis Settings dialog box, choose Best Server in the tree view.

2 If you want to generate analysis layers for additional levels of best server analysis, on the Best Server panel, in the Best Server Grids to be Calculated section, enable the Calculate Additional Nth Best Server Layers check box, and choose the level of the analysis from the Nth Best box.

You can define an integer from 1-5, which will create analysis layers for the first to Nth analysis layer, where Nth is the second, third, fourth, or fifth best server.

3 If you want to limit the best server area by a receive threshold, in the Best Server Limits section, enable the Rx Threshold check box, and choose one of the following options:■ Use Rx Sensitivity—the best server signal strength for a bin is

compared to the value that is calculated for Rx Sensitivity in the Downlink section on the Noise tab for the technology. If the best server signal strength for the bin is below the value on the Noise tab, there is no best server for that location. A null value will be placed in the grid or grids. For more information on the Noise

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tab for each technology, see “Defining the technologies in your network” on page 32.

■ Use Rx Threshold—the best server signal strength for a bin is compared to the value that you type in the Rx Threshold box. If the best server signal strength for the bin is below the value that you typed, there is no best server for that location. If you choose this option, you must type a value in the Rx Threshold box.

4 If you want to use a timing advance limit, in the Best Server Limits section, enable the Use Timing Advance Limit check box.

Enabling this option means that the value that you assigned to the sector for the timing advance limit is used to limit best server selection. A null value is placed in the grid or grids if this distance exceeds the timing advance limit that you defined for the sector.

For more information on defining timing advance limits for sectors, see “To define TDMA/FDMA technology sector settings” on page 109. For more information on how timing advance limit and maximum range values are used in networks with HCL enabled, see “Best server analysis for TDMA/FDMA” on page 176.

To define general interference analysis settings for TDMA/FDMA General interference analysis settings apply to interference analyses for any technology.

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1 In the Analysis Settings dialog box, choose Interference Analysis in the tree view.

2 On the Interference Analysis panel, if you want to limit the number of interferers considered in the analysis, enable the Ignore Interferers check box, and choose one of the following options:■ Below Noise Floor—the interference analysis will ignore

interferers below the downlink thermal noise floor calculated for the chosen technology on the Noise tab.

■ Below Rx Sensitivity—the interference analysis will ignore interferers below the downlink Rx sensitivity calculated for the chosen technology on the Noise tab.

■ Below Threshold—the interference analysis will ignore interferers below the signal strength that you specify in the Interference Threshold box.

For more information on the downlink thermal noise floor and the downlink Rx sensitivity, see “Noise settings” on page 25.

3 If you have modeled quasi-omnidirectional cells as multiple sectors on the same frequency, enable the Ignore Interference from Sectors on Same Site check box.

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To define interference analysis settings for GSM technologyDefining interference analysis settings for GSM technology involves specifying the carriers to consider in the analysis.

1 In the Analysis Settings dialog box, expand Interference Analysis in the tree view and choose GSM.

2 On the Interference Analysis: GSM panel, in the Victim Carriers section, choose the option to indicate the victim carriers for which you want to create an analysis layer.

3 If you chose the Specific Carrier option in Step 2, choose a carrier from the Specific Carrier list.

4 If you chose Specific Carrier Type option in Step 2, choose a carrier type from the Specific Carrier Type list.

5 If you have assigned the same mobile allocation list (MAL) to all transceivers in the group of sectors for which you want to generate an analysis, and you want to optimize the algorithm used to calculate

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interference, enable the Use Optimized Frequency Hopping Algorithm check box.

Enabling this check box simplifies the algorithm used to calculate interference because it need to take fewer variables into account, which speeds up the analysis.

To define interference analysis settings for other TDMA/FDMA technologiesDefining interference analysis settings for other technologies involves specifying the carriers to consider in the analysis.

1 In the Analysis Settings dialog box, expand Interference Analysis in the tree view and choose Other Technologies.

2 On the Interference Analysis: Other Technologies panel, in the Victim Carriers section, choose one of the following options to indicate the victim carriers for which you want to create an analysis layer:■ All Carriers—performs an analysis for all carriers as the victim

carriers in your interference analysis. The carriers with the worst

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C/I levels, regardless of type, will automatically be displayed in your interference analysis.

■ Control Carriers—performs an analysis for control carriers as the victim carriers in your interference analysis.

■ Specific Carrier—performs an analysis for a specific carrier as the victim carrier in your interference analysis. You can choose one carrier for each technology that you chose for the analysis. The Carrier list is not available unless you chose the Specific Carrier option.

■ Specific Carrier Type—performs an analysis for a specific carrier type as the victim carriers in your interference analysis. You can choose one carrier type for each technology that you chose for the analysis. The Carrier Type list is not available unless you chose the Specific Carrier Type option.

To define BER settings for TDMA/FDMA technologies1 In the Analysis Settings dialog box, expand BER in the tree view, and

choose the technology for which you want to define interference analysis settings.

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2 Choose a curve from the Relationship Curve list, or click New to create a new curve.

3 From the C/I Layer list, choose the C/I layer to use when calculating BER, or accept the default.

To define FER settings for GSM technology1 In the Analysis Settings dialog box, expand FER in the tree view, and

choose GSM.

2 Choose an option for calculating FER:■ COST-231 Link Level Simulation Curve—uses a COST-231

model for FER calculation. From the adjoining list, choose the mobility model to use, or accept the default. You can view the curves by clicking View Curves.

■ FER vs. C/I Curve—uses a FER vs. C/I curve for FER calculation. Choose a curve from the Relationship Curve list, or click New to create a new curve.

You can also modify a curve from the Relationship Curve list by clicking Edit. For more information on editing a curve, press the F1 key.

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3 From the C/I Layer list, choose the C/I layer to use when calculating FER, or accept the default.

To define FER settings for other TDMA/FDMA technologies1 In the Analysis Settings dialog box, expand FER in the tree view, and

choose the technology for which you want to define interference analysis settings.

If you want to define FER settings for GSM technology, see “To define FER settings for GSM technology” on page 197.

2 In the FER vs. C/I Curve section, choose a curve from the Relationship Curve list, or click New to create a new curve.

3 From the C/I Layer list, choose the C/I layer to use when calculating FER, or accept the default.



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To define SQE settings for iDEN technology1 In the Analysis Settings dialog box, expand SQE in the tree view, and

choose iDEN.2 On the SQE: iDEN panel, from the Relationship Curve list, choose a

curve, or click New to create a new curve.3 From the C/I Layer list, choose the C/I layer to use when calculating

SQE, or accept the default.

To define traffic settings for TDMA/FDMA analysesTraffic settings are used in interference analyses to determine the traffic loading on each sector. For more information, see “Traffic settings for TDMA/FDMA” on page 181.

1 In the Analysis Settings dialog box, choose Traffic in the tree view.


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2 On the Traffic panel, in the Traffic Options section, choose one of the following options for traffic loading:■ Use Per-sector Carried Erlangs—uses the carried Erlangs for

each sector. This information is used for frequency hopping calculations when interference layers are generated. The Carried Traffic value is defined for each sector on the Traffic panel of the Sector Settings dialog box. See “To define traffic settings for GSM” on page 117.

■ Use Per-sector Offered Erlangs—uses the offered Erlangs for each sector. This information is used for frequency hopping calculations when interference layers are generated. The defined value is converted to carried Erlangs using the selected traffic model (for example, Erlang B) and is then used for the interference analysis. The Offered Traffic value is defined for each sector on the Traffic panel of the Sector Settings dialog box. See “To define traffic settings for GSM” on page 117.

■ Use Per-sector % of Hopping TS in Use—uses the % of hopping time slots (TS) in use for each sector. This information is used for frequency hopping calculations when interference layers are generated. The % of Hopping TSs in Use value is defined for each sector in the Traffic panel of the Sector Settings dialog box. See “To define traffic settings for GSM” on page 117.

■ Captured Erlangs from Traffic Map—requires that you choose a traffic map for each technology in your analysis from the Traffic Maps list. This option uses the best server analysis layer and the traffic map to determine the captured Erlangs within the best serving area. If you choose No Conversion in the Convert Traffic section, the carried Erlangs will be equal to the offered Erlangs. Otherwise, the carried Erlangs are calculated using the selected traffic model. For more information on creating a traffic map, see Chapter 10, “Working with Traffic Maps”, in the Planet User Guide.

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3 In the Convert Traffic section, choose an option for converting offered Erlangs to carried Erlangs:■ No conversion—uses existing offered traffic values. If you are

using carried Erlangs from a traffic map, the carried Erlangs will equal the offered Erlangs.

■ Erlang B—converts offered traffic (in Erlangs) using the Erlang B model, in which Carried Erlangs = Offered Erlangs (1 - blocking probability). The blocking probability is calculated based on the Erlang B model using the offered Erlangs and the number of traffic channels for each sector. The number of traffic channels for each sector for Erlang B, as well as Erlang C and Poisson, is given as:

■ Erlang C—converts offered traffic (in Erlangs) using the Erlang C model, in which Carried Erlangs = Offered Erlangs (1 -queuing probability). The queueing probability is calculated using the offered Erlangs and the number of traffic channels for each sector.

■ Poisson—converts offered traffic (in Erlangs) using the Poisson model, in which Carried Erlangs = Offered Erlangs (1 - blocking probability). The blocking probability is calculated based on the Poisson model using the offered Erlangs and the number of traffic channels for each sector. The number of traffic channels for each sector is given above.

You can only convert traffic if you chose Use Per-sector Offered Erlangs or Captured Erlangs from Traffic Map in the Traffic Options section.

4 If you chose the Captured Erlangs from Traffic Map option in Step 2, do all of the following:■ In the Traffic Maps section, choose a traffic map for each

technology.■ If you want to overwrite the value defined for each sector in the

Carried Traffic box on the Traffic panel of the Sector Settings dialog box, enable the Update Carried Erlangs in Site Table check box. This option saves the calculated carried Erlangs to the site table. The calculated carried Erlangs will be copied to the site table (and will be displayed in the sector settings) for the sectors that are selected in the analysis. The carried Erlangs for

Traffic channels Time slots per transceiver # transceivers Signaling time slots–×=

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the sectors that are not part of the analysis will remain unchanged. When you update the site table, you do not need to recalculate the captured Erlangs for later analyses unless your coverage settings change.

■ If you want to overwrite the value defined for each sector in the Offered Traffic box on the Traffic panel of the Sector Settings dialog box, enable the Update Offered Erlangs in Site Table check box. This option saves the offered Erlangs to the site table. The calculated offered Erlangs will be copied in the site table (and will be displayed in the sector settings) for the sectors that are selected in the analysis. The offered Erlangs for the sectors that are not part of the analysis will remain unchanged. By updating the site table, you do not need to recalculate the captured Erlangs for later analyses unless your coverage settings change.

To define coverage settings for TDMA/FDMA 1 In the Analysis Settings dialog box, choose Coverage in the tree view.

2 On the Coverage panel, in the Coverage Probability section, type a value in the RSSI Threshold box to indicate the minimum level above which service is considered acceptable, or accept the default.

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3 In the Coverage Probability section, type a value in the Prop. Model Std. box for the prediction model standard deviation, or accept the default.

This standard deviation value applies across all prediction models, including CRC-Predict. The standard deviation calculated by CRC-Predict will not be used.

4 From the Coding Scheme Availability list, choose the C/I layer to use to determine which coding schemes are available, or accept the default.

A coding scheme is flagged as available on a given location if the C/I is better than the minimum required C/I for the coding scheme in question. For more information on coding schemes and C/I values, see “To define GPRS settings” on page 38 and “To define EGPRS settings” on page 39.

5 In the Service Options section, choose one of the following options:■ All Services—generates the analysis for all services■ One Service—generates the analysis for one service only. If you

choose this option, you must choose the service to generate the analysis for from the list of available services.

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To define required mobile power settings for TDMA/FDMA 1 In the Analysis Settings dialog box, choose Required Mobile Power in

the tree view.

2 On the Required Mobile Power panel, in the Required Mobile Power Method section, choose one of the following methods for determining the mobile power for the Required Mobile Power analysis layer:■ Uplink Rx Sensitivity—computes the minimum required

mobile power by using the uplink Rx sensitivity as the target receive level. This value is defined at the network level on a per-technology basis. For more information on uplink Rx sensitivity, see “Noise settings” on page 25.

■ Target Receive Level—computes the minimum required mobile power by using the sector’s target receive level. This value is defined on a per-sector basis. For more information on defining the target receive level, see “To define TDMA/FDMA sector-specific HCL settings” on page 112.

To define analysis options for TDMA/FDMA analysesAnalysis options enable you to define the analysis area over which the analysis is computed and to indicate whether predictions need to be generated.

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You have the option of using the full area covered by the analysis or defining boundaries to limit the analysis area. By limiting the analysis area, you can significantly reduce the computation time by eliminating all of the areas in which you are not interested.

1 In the Analysis Settings dialog box, choose Analysis Options in the tree view.

2 On the Analysis Options panel, choose one the following options:■ Use the Combined Area of Selected Predictions—the analysis

area is the full area covered by the signal strength predictions.■ Use Analysis Bounds—enables you to specify x- and

y-coordinates to limit the extent of the analysis. If you have resized or zoomed your Map window, you can click Update Bounds With Active Window. The x- and y-coordinates update to show the bounds of the active Map window.

■ Use An Analysis Area Grid—enables you to choose a classified grid (.grc) file to limit the analysis area. The grid must have the same projection as the signal strength grids, but can have any resolution. All non-null bins are considered part of the analysis area.

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3 In the Analysis Resolution section, choose one of the following options:■ Optimal—the analysis resolution is based on the resolutions of

the DEM and signal strength prediction files■ User Defined—the analysis is based on the resolution that you

choose from the list4 If you have already generated predictions for the set of sectors for which

you want to generate an analysis and you do not want to regenerate predictions, enable the Skip Prediction File Check check box.

Generating a TDMA/FDMA analysisAfter you have finished defining settings for an analysis, you can generate the analysis. The first time that you generate an analysis, you must specify the sectors that you want to use for the analysis. For more information on specifying or modifying the sectors used for an analysis, see Chapter 8, “Generating Predictions”, in the Planet User Guide.

To generate a TDMA/FDMA analysis1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click

the name of the analysis and choose Generate.2 If this is the first time that the analysis is being generated, choose a sector

group in the Select Sectors dialog box and click Continue. 3 In the Prediction Generator dialog box, click Generate.

The Prediction Generator dialog box displays the progress of the analysis. The generator will update any path loss or signal strength files, as needed. For more information on generating an analysis, see Chapter 8, “Generating Predictions”, in the Planet User Guide.

After the predictions are generated, the TDMA/FDMA Analysis dialog box opens, displaying the progress of the layer generation.

4 When the layer generation is complete, in the TDMA/FDMA Analysis dialog box, click Close.

Generating analysis layers for flag-specific informationYou can generate a network analysis for sectors identified with certain flags and conditions. For example, you could generate a network analysis for sites in Phase 1 that are installed and operational. To do this, you define the flags

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and conditions, and then generate a network analysis. In the Select Sectors dialog box, you choose the Flags Filter. For more information on flags and conditions, see “Working with flags”, in Chapter 2, “Working with Sites and Sectors”, in the Planet User Guide.

To generate an analysis for sectors chosen by flags1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, enable the flag conditions

that you want to use.2 In the Network Analyses category, right-click the analysis and choose

Select Sectors.3 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose Flags Filter and click Continue.4 In the Network Analyses category, right-click the analysis that you want

to generate and choose Generate.

5 In the Prediction Generator dialog box, click Generate.6 When the layer generation is complete, in the TDMA/FDMA Analysis

dialog box, click Close.

Viewing TDMA/FDMA analysis layersAfter you have generated your analysis, you can view the analysis layers it contains.

To view TDMA/FDMA analysis layers■ In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, expand

an analysis, expand the layer that you want to view, right-click a technology (shown as a sub-item under the analysis layer), and choose View.

The analysis layer is displayed in the Map window.

If you rename an analysis in the Project Explorer, any layers currently open or displayed in the Map window will be closed.

You can update an analysis layer with new values by applying (“stamping”) a new local analysis layer to it. For information on

stamping the values of a layer on another, see “Splicing Grids” in Chapter 5, “Working with the Grid Manager”, in the Grid Analysis User Guide.

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Recoloring best serving sector layersThe Best Serving Sector Recolor tool enables you to change the color scheme used to display best serving sector analysis layers (classified grid files).You can use the colors defined in a sector display scheme or choose from the default color schemes used to display TDMA/FDMA and CDMA best serving sector analysis layers. Sector display schemes enable you to display analysis layers based on sector properties, such as the forward link load for CDMA technologies or carried traffic for TDMA/FDMA technologies. When you use a sector display scheme with the Best Serving Sector Recolor tool, only the colors that have been defined for the scheme are used; other sector display scheme settings, such as symbol and size, are ignored.For information about defining sector display schemes, see “Customizing sector symbols for multiple sites” in Chapter 2, “Working With Sites and Sectors”, in the Planet User Guide.

To recolor best serving sector layers1 Choose Tools ➤ Best Serving Sector Recolor.

The Best Serving Sector Recolor dialog box opens.

2 Click Browse, navigate to the TDMA_FDMA_Analyses project folder, choose the best serving sector layer (.grc) file that you want to recolor, and then click Open.

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3 In the Select Sector Display Scheme section, choose a color scheme and click Apply.

The best serving sector layers are displayed in the Map window using the new color scheme.

Modifying TDMA/FDMA analysis settingsYou can modify the settings for any analysis.

To modify analysis settings 1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, right-click

the name of the analysis, and choose Settings.2 In the Analysis Settings dialog box, modify the settings as required.

For more information on modifying the settings in the Analysis Settings dialog box, see “Defining TDMA/FDMA analysis settings” on page 189.

3 Generate the analysis again to update the analysis layers to reflect the new settings.

For more information on generating an analysis, see “Generating a TDMA/FDMA analysis” on page 206.

Deleting analysesFiles generated from a network analysis can take up a lot of hard disk space. You can delete analyses that are no longer required.

To delete analyses1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, choose one

or more analyses, right-click, and choose Delete.2 In the Planet dialog box, click Yes.

The analyses you chose are removed from the Project Explorer and the files are deleted from the project folder.

You can modify an existing sector display scheme from within in the Best Serving Sector Recolor dialog box by right-clicking a local or

shared scheme and choosing Edit.

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Analyzing interference between two TDMA/FDMA sectorsAfter you generate a best serving sector analysis for a group of sites, you can uses the 2-Sector C/I (co-channel carrier-to-interference ratio) tool to check the effectiveness of frequency reuse between two sectors in the group. The 2-Sector C/I tool compares the signal strength of two sectors, ignoring all other sources of interference in the network. For each of the two sectors, the analysis shows where the other sector causes interference and calculates the size of the area affected. The analysis results include:

■ an analysis layer for each sector■ a C/I statistics comparison■ a C/I histogram■ a Cumulative Distribution Function (CDF) graph

C/I result layers The 2-Sector C/I tool creates a map layer for each of the two sectors. The map layer considers the serving sector as best server and shows thematically where its C/I is degraded by interference from the other sector. The default color profile makes unaffected areas transparent. By default, both layers are visible in the Map window simultaneously.

Figure 7.1 2-sector C/I display for Site 2_3 and Site 3_3

C/I statistics The 2-Sector C/I Statistics dialog box presents a side-by-side comparison of the C/I performance of the two sectors.

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Figure 7.2 Statistical results from 2-sector C/I analysis

The statistics are:■ Mean C/I—the average C/I value of all the bins over which the

C/I grid was created. If you chose the Use Interfering Points Only option, this value is the average C/I only for the bins where there is both a C and an I value.

■ Standard Deviation of C/I—the standard deviation in C/I value in the bins included in the Mean C/I calculation. If you chose the Use Interfering Points Only option, this value is the standard deviation only for the bins where there is both a C and an I value.

■ Total Analysis Area—the total area where the serving sector is the best server. If in the 2-Sector C/I Tool dialog box the Use Interfering Points Only option was selected, this area represents only the area over which both a C and an I value were present, i.e., where the predictions for the two sectors overlap.

■ Area Below Threshold—the total area in km2 where the C/I for the sector was less than the threshold specified in the 2-Sector C/I Tool window.

■ % of Area Below Threshold—the total area, as a percentage of the Total Analysis Area, where the C/I for the sector was less than the threshold.

This dialog box also provides access to the C/I Histogram and CDF graph outputs from the 2-sector C/I analysis.

C/I histogramThe histogram plots each of the C/I values encountered in the analysis against the total area that experiences that C/I level. There are two plots, one for each

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sector. The Points table lists the values for the sector selected in the Curves section.

Figure 7.3 C/I Histogram from a 2-sector C/I analysis

CDF graphThe CDF graph plots each of the C/I values encountered in the analysis against the proportion of the coverage area that experiences that C/I level or less. For example, if the plot shows for Site_4_2 a CDF of 80 percent at 33 dB, it means that 80 percent of the coverage area experiences a C/I of 33 dB or less for that sector.There are two plots, one for each sector. The curve identifier is for the serving sector. The Points table lists the values for the sector selected in the Curves section.

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Figure 7.4 CDF plot from a 2-sector C/I analysis

To perform a 2-sector C/I analysis for TDMA/FDMA 1 Do one of the following:

■ Choose two sectors in the Sites category of the Project Explorer, right-click one of them, and choose 2-Sector C/I Analysis.

■ Choose sites in the Map window and click the 2-Sector C/I Tool button on the Mobile Technology toolbar.

The 2-Sector C/I Tool dialog box opens.

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2 In the Select Sectors For C/I Analysis section, verify that the two sectors you want to analyze are shown and, if necessary, choose the required sectors from the Sector 1 and Sector 2 lists.

3 In the Confine C/I Analysis By section, do one of the following:■ Choose Best Serving Area, and from the Best Server Sector

Layer list, choose the best serving sector layer to use. The C/I analysis is performed over the area where the serving sector is the best server. You must have a best serving sector analysis layer available where both sectors appear as best servers.

■ Choose Signal Threshold, and in the Signal Threshold box, type a value or accept the default. The C/I analysis is performed over the area where the serving sector has a signal strength greater than the threshold that you specified.

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4 In the Select C/I Output Grid section, choose one of the following options for the 2-sector C/I analysis data:■ Temporary File—the data is not retained after the 2-Sector C/

I Tool window is closed■ Write to File—the analysis layers are stored in the numeric grid

files that you define5 If you chose the Write to File option in Step 4, click Browse beside the

File Name box, navigate to the folder where you want to save the grid files, type a name, and click Save.

Two grid files are produced. Their names are composed of the file name you define and the site name. For example, if you analyze Site_4_2 and Site_4_3, and you specify “result” in the File Name box, the file names are result_Site_4_2.grd and result_Site_4_3.grd.

6 In the Statistics Calculation section, choose one of the following options:■ Use Interfering Points Only—calculate statistics only for the

bins where the signal strength predictions for the two sectors overlap

■ Use All Points—calculate statistics for all the bins where either of the sectors is the best server

7 If you chose the Use All Points option in Step 6, in the Default C/I For Bins With No Interference box, type a value or accept the default.

This C/I value is assigned to bins where there is no overlap of signal strength predictions.

8 In the Compute Area Below C/I Threshold box, type a C/I threshold value or accept the default.

9 In the Display Options section, choose one of the following Map windows to display the analysis:■ Current Map Window■ New Map Window

10 Click Generate C/I Layers.

The 2-Sector C/I Analysis dialog box opens, showing the progress of the analysis.

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11 When the analysis completes, click Close.

To view the results of a 2-sector C/I analysis1 In the 2-Sector C/I Tool dialog box, with an analysis completed, click

View Statistics.

The 2-Sector C/I Statistics dialog box opens.

2 In the 2-Sector C/I Statistics dialog box, do either of the following:■ To view the C/I histogram, click Display Histogram of C/I.■ To view the CDF graph, click Display CDF of C/I.

3 To close the 2-Sector C/I Statistics dialog box, click Close.4 Click Close to close the 2-Sector C/I Tool dialog box.

If you use the Signal Threshold option, there can be overlapping best server areas that result in negative C/I values. This does not happen if

you use the Best Serving Area option.

If you chose the Temporary File option, you can view the 2-sector C/I map layers only while the 2-Sector C/I Tool dialog box is open. You

might need to move the dialog box to see the Map window.

The 2-Sector C/I tool uses same color profile as the Worst Offender C/I layer. To change this color profile, choose Edit ➤ Project Settings and

click the Colors tab.

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Chapter 8: Generating Frequency Plans Automatically

8.
Generating Frequency Plans Automatically
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Understanding automatic

frequency planning■ Workflow for automatic

frequency planning■ Creating a frequency plan■ Defining general frequency

planning settings■ Defining AFP optimization

settings■ Defining AFP constraints and

costs■ Defining AFP HSN and MAIO

settings■ Generating a frequency plan■ Applying a frequency plan to

TDMA/FDMA sectors

This chapter explains how to create a frequency plan

using the Automatic Frequency Planning tool.

Automatic frequency planning is available only if

you have purchased the Automatic Frequency

Planning tool.

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Understanding automatic frequency planningThe Automatic Frequency Planning tool enables you to generate a frequency plan automatically instead of manually, which can be time-consuming and error-prone. Using the Automatic Frequency Planning tool, you can define settings that are used to minimize the total interference experienced over an area or by traffic in the network.To create a frequency plan, the Automatic Frequency Planning tool uses the settings that are described in this chapter and the settings that are configured for individual sectors, including frequency planning requirements and exceptions and HSN exceptions. For more information on defining sector-level settings, see “Defining TDMA/FDMA frequency planning settings” on page 133.Once you have generated a plan, you can apply it to the sectors in your network, either overwriting or keeping existing assignments for frequencies, HSNs, and MAIOs. For more information on defining frequencies, HSNs and MAIOs for sectors, see the following sections:

■ “To define carrier settings for non-hopping GSM transceivers” on page 123

■ “To define carrier settings for other non-hopping transceivers” on page 126

■ “To define carrier settings for baseband hopping transceivers” on page 129

■ “To define carrier settings for synthesized hopping transceivers” on page 131

A typical scenario for automatic frequency planning involves assigning a single mobile allocation list (MAL) to all sectors in a group or network, and planning for mobile allocation index offsets (MAIO) and hopping sequence numbers (HSN).

Automatic frequency planning and color code planningWhen you create a frequency plan using the Automatic Frequency Planning tool, a column is included for each color code that applies to the technology (for example, a GSM frequency plan will have a BSIC column), but color codes are not automatically planned. If you want to generate color codes, see “Chapter 9: Working with Frequency and Color Code Plans” on page 237.

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Generating Frequency Plans AutomaticallyTDMA/FDMA User Guide

Inputs for automatic frequency planningCreating a frequency plan requires that you define an interference matrix as an input. You also have the option of defining a neighbor list as an input.You create a frequency plan using a group of sites. To create a group of sites, you can either select individual sites or you can create and use a site group. Because frequency planning is a complex process and requires input from several other Planet tools, it is recommended that you create a group of sites to be used across all tools. This will ensure that your output is consistent and valid. For more information on interference matrices, see Chapter 11, “Working with Interference Matrices”, in the Planet User Guide. For more information on neighbor lists, see Chapter 12, “Working with Neighbor Lists”, in the Planet User Guide. For more information on how to create a group of sites, see Chapter 2, “Working with Sites and Sectors”, in the Planet User Guide.

Constraints for automatic frequency planningConstraints are used by the Automatic Frequency Planning tool to assign carriers, HSNs, and MAIOs to sectors. Constraints are defined on a per carrier type basis, and include information such as required carrier separations, and whether interference is considered in terms of affected area or traffic.

Costs for automatic frequency planningThe Automatic Frequency Planning tool also uses costs when creating a frequency plan. The allocation process must respect a number of specified constraints while attempting to minimize the costs. For each incidence of frequency reuse (for example, for each carrier type that is assigned to the same or adjacent frequency as another carrier type), there are two types of costs:

■ interference cost—the amount of the coverage area or the traffic that is subject to interference. The interference cost increases or decreases depending on the factors given in Equation 8.1, for example, interference from a neighboring sector. Interference cost differs from violation cost in that violation cost is calculated using fixed values defined by the user that are imposed if a specific violation occurs.

■ violation cost—the sum of the cost factors incurred for breaking specified constraints. Violation costs are used only with the Planet Optimizer method; with the Planet Fast method, if a constraint is broken, an assignment cannot be made.

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The following equation illustrates how the interference cost is determined between two carrier types on neighboring sectors. In this example, the cost (C) is for carrier type 1 on sector A, which is being interfered with by carrier type 2 on sector B.

Equation 8.1 Interference example in which carrier type1 is a victim of carrier type 2

Where: is the victim cost factor for carrier type 1.is the interference cost factor for carrier type 2.

is the interference on sector A from sector B, dependent on the carrier separation (s).When a frequency plan is generated, the Automatic Frequency Planning tool attempts to minimize the costs while respecting the specified constraints. The ideal frequency plan is the one with the least interference costs; however, the frequency planning process requires trade-offs. For example, to attain a frequency plan with low interference costs may require that you define lenient constraints or permit violations.

Optimization methods for automatic frequency planningThe optimization method (algorithm) that you choose for your frequency plan determines how the Automatic Frequency Planning tool allocates frequencies. Two methods are available:

■ Planet Optimizer■ Planet Fast

Planet OptimizerPlanet Optimizer allocates carriers even if some of the specified constraints are broken. You can remove the allocated carriers that break certain constraints. For more information on removing carriers from reports, see “To generate a frequency plan” on page 234.Planet Optimizer attempts to find the plan with the smallest amount of network interference from a choice of several feasible plans. Although the method takes longer than Planet Fast, it makes the best use of interference information and increases the likelihood of obtaining a quality plan.Using Planet Optimizer, the frequency plan starts from an initial configuration, possibly with many violations and a very large cost, and progresses to solutions with lower costs.

CAB 12, s( ) W1 W2× IAB× s( )=

W1W2IAB s( )

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Planet FastPlanet Fast does not make any assignment that breaks the specified constraints. This method achieves the fastest solution when few thresholds are defined, and the thresholds that are defined are not very stringent.The underlying assumption of the Planet Fast algorithm is that no assignment can be made if it violates any hard constraints. Control over the accepted level of interference in the network is given to the planner. You define the thresholds for the amount of interference experienced by carriers. Anything above the specified thresholds is not considered feasible. When using this method, you should define increasingly smaller values for the thresholds while maintaining acceptable levels of interference across the network.

Workflow for automatic frequency planningStep 1 Create a group of sites that you will use for your interference

matrix, neighbor list, and frequency planning. See Chapter 2, “Working with Sites and Sectors”, in the Planet User Guide.

Step 2 Create an interference matrix and, if required, a neighbor list using the group of sites. See Chapter 11, “Working with Interference Matrices”, and Chapter 12, “Working with Neighbor Lists”, in the Planet User Guide.

Step 3 Create a frequency plan and define settings. See:

■ “Creating a frequency plan” on page 222■ “Defining general frequency planning settings”

on page 224■ “Defining AFP optimization settings” on page 226■ “Defining AFP constraints and costs” on

page 228■ “Defining AFP HSN and MAIO settings” on

page 232

Step 4 Run the Automatic Frequency Planning tool, and save the plan. See “Generating a frequency plan” on page 234.

Step 5 Apply the frequency plan to the sectors in your network. See “Applying a frequency plan to TDMA/FDMA sectors” on page 236.

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Creating a frequency planTo create a frequency plan with the Automatic Frequency Planning tool, you must first choose a group of sites, the technology to be planned for, a modeled interference matrix, and a neighbor list.For more information on how to create a group of sites, see Chapter 2, “Working with Sites and Sectors”, in the Planet User Guide. For more information on interference matrices, see Chapter 11, “Working with Interference Matrices”, in the Planet User Guide. For more information on neighbor lists, see Chapter 12, “Working with Neighbor Lists”, in the Planet User Guide.

To create a frequency plan1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the group of

sites for which you want to create a frequency plan, and choose Frequency Planning ➤ Automatic Frequency Planning.

The AFP Selection dialog box opens.

2 In the AFP Selection dialog box, from the Algorithm list, choose Planet AFP.

3 From the Technology list, choose the technology for which you want to generate a frequency plan.

You can only generate a frequency plan for one technology at a time.

The frequency planning procedures in this chapter apply to the Planet Automatic Frequency Planning tool. For information on using optional

third-party frequency planning tools, see the documentation provided with those tools.

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4 From the Interference Matrix list, choose the interference matrix that you want to use for your frequency plan.

An Interference Matrix is a required input. Ensure that you choose an interference matrix that was created using the same group of sites for which you are planning frequencies. The interference matrix must also be a Modeled or Merged interference matrix. If you want to use a Network Data or Local Knowledge interference matrix, see the “Converting interference matrices,” section in Chapter 11, “Working with Interference Matrices”, in the Planet User Guide.

5 From the Neighbor List list, choose the neighbor list that you want to use for your frequency plan, and click OK.

Ensure that you choose a neighbor list that was created using the same group of sites that you currently planning.

The Frequency Planning dialog box opens.

6 Define the general settings.

See “Defining general frequency planning settings” on page 224.

7 Define optimization settings for each carrier type you want to use.

See “Defining AFP optimization settings” on page 226.

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8 Define the constraints and costs for carrier types.

See “Defining AFP constraints and costs” on page 228.

9 Optionally, define HSN and MAIO settings.

See “Defining AFP HSN and MAIO settings” on page 232.

10 Do one of the following:■ Click OK to save the settings and close the Frequency

Planning dialog box.■ Click Run to create the frequency plan.

Defining general frequency planning settingsTo create a frequency plan, you must choose the type of information that you want the tool to plan and whether you want to minimize costs based on the affected area or the affected traffic, as determined by the interference matrix. See “Defining AFP constraints and costs” on page 228.

To define general frequency planning settings1 In the Frequency Planning dialog box tree view, choose General.

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2 On the General panel, in the Plan section, enable check boxes for the features you want to plan:■ AFP—generates a frequency plan, which assigns the available

carriers to sectors while minimizing the total interference experienced in the network.

■ HSN—plans HSNs for the sectors. HSNs are used to inform a mobile which of the 64 possible hopping sequences are used by a transceiver. HSN planning is only available for GSM technology.

■ MAIO—plans MAIOs for the transceivers. MAIOs are used to inform a mobile of the offset of the carrier that it is to be used. For information on defining MALs, see “Defining mobile allocation lists” on page 84. MAIO planning is only available for GSM technology.

3 In the Minimize Cost section, choose one of the following options for how to minimize cost:

■ Affected Area (km2)—the portion of any sector’s coverage area that you consider acceptable to be affected by interference, defined as an absolute value in km2.

■ Affected Area (%)—the portion of any sector’s coverage area that you consider acceptable to be affected by interference, defined as a percentage of the sector’s coverage area.

■ Affected Traffic (mE)—the amount of traffic in a sector that you consider acceptable to be affected by interference, defined as an absolute traffic value in milliErlangs (mE).

■ Affected Traffic (%)—the amount of traffic in a sector that you consider acceptable to be affected by interference, defined as a percentage of the total traffic carried by the sector.

4 In the Ignore Interference Less Than (%) box, type a percentage value below which interference will be ignored in planning. Use this option to filter out very low interference values that are not significant and that would slow down the planning process.

5 Choose another item in the tree view.

You can also access the Frequency Planning dialog box by clicking the Automatic Frequency Planning button on the Mobile Technology

toolbar.

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Defining AFP optimization settingsTo generate a frequency plan, you must define the optimization method used by the Automatic Frequency Planning tool, the quality/speed setting, and whether an existing frequency plan is to serve as the starting point for the optimization process. You can also indicate whether you want to conserve spectrum and increase frequency reuse or to use the full range of spectrum and reduce frequency reuse.

To define AFP optimization settings1 In the Frequency Planning dialog box tree view, choose AFP.

If you are using a merged interference matrix with the Affected Area option, the Automatic Frequency Planning tool may generate incorrect

or incomplete results. This can occur if a merged interference matrix contains blank affected area values for sectors from the switch for which the modeled interference matrix has non-blank values. Ensure that each sector in the non-modeled interference matrix has a corresponding sector in the modeled interference matrix prior to merging them, or choose the Affected Traffic option and define Affected Traffic thresholds.

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2 On the AFP panel, in the Optimization section, choose one of the following optimization methods from the Optimization Method list.■ Planet Optimizer—assigns carriers with as little interference as

possible, while trying to keep to the defined constraints. This method allows constraints to be broken, but it will go through multiple processing runs to arrive at a plan with as little violation costs as possible. For more information on the Planet Optimizer method, see “Planet Optimizer” on page 220.

■ Planet Fast—only assigns a carrier if it does not violate set constraints for the amount of interference experienced by carriers. For more information on the Planet Fast method, see “Planet Fast” on page 221.

3 Type a value in the Quality/Speed box to define the balance between quality and speed that you want to use when producing the frequency plan.

You can also use the slider to choose a value between Fast and Best. A value closer to 0 (Fast) indicates that the frequency plan will be completed using fewer iterations. This is useful if you want to fine-tune a plan, for example, to check the effects of changing a threshold value. Choosing a value closer to 10 (Best) means that the plan is created using more iterations, which produces a higher quality plan and takes more time.

4 In the Random Seed box, type a number for random seed.

This number enables you to start the optimization method from a different point, which can result in slightly different results when the plan is run. You can run the same plan multiple times using different random seed numbers and then choose the version that gives you the best result.

5 In the Carrier Usage section, choose one of the following options:■ Minimize—minimizes the spectrum span used and increases

frequency reuse, while keeping the network interference to a minimum

■ Use All—uses the full available bandwidth with a cost function to minimize frequency reuse

6 If you want to use an existing frequency plan as a starting point, enable the Use the Current Frequency Plan as the Starting Point check box.

Using an existing plan is useful if the plan is of high quality and you only intend to make minor changes.

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Defining AFP constraints and costsYou must define constraints for each carrier type in your network. If you choose the Planet Optimizer method, you can also define violation costs for each carrier type; violation costs are the sum of the cost factors incurred for breaching the defined constraints.

AFP carrier type constraintsCarrier type constraints are set by defining the following information for each carrier type:

■ Cost factor—value to use to scale the cost depending on whether the carrier type is an interferer (i.e., creates interference for other carriers) or a victim of interference (i.e., is affected by interference caused by other carriers)

■ Interference Thresholds—amount of coverage area or traffic for each sector for which interference is acceptable

■ Carrier separations—the spacing required to separate each carrier at the site and sector level

AFP violation costsViolation costs are the cost factors that are incurred whenever a carrier allocation exceeds a frequency planning constraint. Frequency planning constraints are defined in two places:

■ at the frequency plan level on the General tab of the Carrier Type panel (see “To define AFP carrier type constraints and violation costs” on page 229).

■ at the sector level as frequency planning exceptions (see “Defining TDMA/FDMA frequency planning settings” on page 133).

Violation costs are only used by the Planet Optimizer method, and are defined independently for each carrier type. The default values have been found to generate good results for a range of planning scenarios.

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To define AFP carrier type constraints and violation costs1 In the Frequency Planning dialog box tree view, expand Carrier Types.2 For each carrier type for which you want to define constraints and

violation costs, do Step 3 to Step 10.3 Choose the carrier type in the tree view.

The carrier types listed are the types that you have defined for the technology.

4 On the General tab, enable one or both of the following check boxes:■ Keep—keeps existing carrier assignments for the carrier type. If

this check box is enabled, carriers are only planned for transceivers or sectors with no assignments. If this check box is cleared, carriers are planned for all transceivers or sectors, overwriting any existing assignments.

■ Plan—plans carrier assignments for the carrier type. If both the Keep and Plan check boxes are enabled, carriers are planned for any transceivers that do not already have carriers assigned. For transceivers that have carriers assigned, the existing assignments will not be reduced, but will be increased if the plan shows that more carriers are required.

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5 In the Cost Factor section, do any of the following:■ In the Interferer box, type a factor for cost.■ In the Victim box, type a factor for cost.

6 In the Minimum Carrier Separation section, do any of the following:■ In the Site box, type the minimum spacing to be used between

carriers on different sectors at the same site.■ In the Sector box, type the minimum spacing to be used between

carriers on the same sector.■ In the Neighbor box, type the minimum spacing to be used

between carriers on neighboring sectors.■ In the 2nd Order Neighbor box, type the minimum spacing to

be used between carriers on the neighbors of neighbor sectors.7 If you choose to minimize costs for the frequency plan by affected area, in

the Affected Area Thresholds section, do one of the following:■ Enable the Absolute check box to define the affected area as an

absolute value, and type a value to define the area.■ Enable the Relative check box to define the affected area as a

percentage of the coverage area, and type a value.

The option available is determined by how you chose to minimize costs for the frequency plan. See “To define general frequency planning settings” on page 224.

8 If you choose to minimize costs for the frequency plan by affected area, in the Affected Traffic Thresholds section, do one of the following:■ Enable the Absolute check box to define the affected traffic as

an absolute value, and then type a value to define the traffic.■ Enable the Relative check box to define the affected traffic as a

percentage of the total traffic, and then type a value.

The option available is determined by how you chose to minimize costs for the frequency plan. See “To define general frequency planning settings” on page 224.

9 If necessary, click the Advanced tab to define the violation costs for each carrier type.

Violation costs are only used by the Planet Optimizer method.

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10 In the Violation Cost section, type a number in any of the following boxes:■ Exception—the cost value applied when a violation of a

frequency planning exception set at the sector level occurs. For information on exceptions, see “To define frequency planning exceptions for a TDMA/FDMA sector” on page 141.

■ Threshold—the cost value applied when a violation of an affected area and/or affected traffic threshold occurs.

■ Site—the cost value applied when a violation of a minimum site carrier separation occurs.

■ Sector—the cost value applied when a violation of a minimum sector carrier separation occurs.

■ Neighbor—the cost value applied when a violation between neighboring sectors occurs.

■ Second Order Neighbor—the cost value applied when a violation between a neighbor and a second order neighbor sector occurs.

■ Overriding Exception—the cost value applied when an overriding exception violation (i.e., a spacing closer than that allowed in the Minimum Carrier Separation section of the Frequency Planning: Exceptions panel in the Sector Settings

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dialog box) occurs. For information on overriding exceptions, see “To define frequency planning exceptions for a TDMA/FDMA sector” on page 141.


Defining AFP HSN and MAIO settingsFor GSM only, you can define the following settings for frequency planning:

■ HSN—informs the mobile which of 64 possible hopping sequences is used by the site or sector.

■ MAIO—informs the mobile of the offset of the starting point in the HSN sequence.

To define AFP HSN and MAIO settings1 In the Frequency Planning dialog box tree view, choose HSN/MAIO.

2 On the HSN/MAIO panel, in the HSN section, enable one or both of the following check boxes:■ Keep—keeps existing HSN assignments. If this check box is

enabled, HSNs are only planned for transceivers, sectors, or sites with no assignments. If this check box is cleared, HSNs are

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planned for all transceivers, sectors, or sites, overwriting any existing assignments.

■ Plan—plans HSN assignments for transceivers, sectors, or sites. If both the Keep and Plan check boxes are enabled, HSNs are planned for any transceivers that do not already have HSNs assigned. For transceivers that have HSNs assigned, the existing assignments will not be reduced, but will be increased if the plan shows that more HSNs are required.

The HSN section is only available if you enabled the HSN check box on the General panel. See “Defining general frequency planning settings” on page 224.

3 From the Planning Mode list, choose one of the following HSN planning modes:■ Cyclic—uses cyclic hopping, which assigns an HSN of 0 to all

transceivers. With this method the hopping sequence starts from the lowest frequency in the assigned MAL and hops progressively through higher frequencies.

■ Random—uses random hopping, which randomly assigns HSNs while minimizing the amount of co-channel/HSN reuse between sectors.

4 From the HSN Assignment list, choose the level at which you want HSN codes assigned:■ Transceiver—assigns an HSN code to each synthesized hopping

transceiver, and any baseband hopping sectors within the chosen group of sites will be assigned HSN codes on a per-sector basis.

■ Sector—assigns a single HSN code to all hopping transceivers on a sector.

■ Site—assigns a single HSN code to all hopping transceivers on a site.

5 From the Optimization Method list, choose one of the following methods for HSN reuse: ■ Distance-based—places the same HSN values as far apart as

physically possible.■ Interference-based—uses interference and handover

information to determine the most suitable sectors for reuse of the same HSN values. If no interference information exists

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between a pair of sectors, this algorithm reverts to the distance method.

6 In the MAIO section, enable one or both of the following check boxes:■ Keep—keeps existing MAIO assignments made for

transceivers. If this check box is enabled, MAIOs are only planned for transceivers with no MAIO assignments. If this check box is cleared, MAIOs are only planned for all transceivers in the sector, overwriting existing any existing MAIO assignments.

■ Plan—plans MAIO assignments for transceivers.If both the Keep and Plan check boxes are enabled, MAIOs are planned for any transceivers that do not already have MAIOs assigned. For transceivers that have MAIOs assigned, the existing assignments will not be reduced, but will be increased if the plan shows that more MAIOs are required.

The MAIO section is only available if you enabled the MAIO check box on the General panel. See “Defining general frequency planning settings” on page 224.

Generating a frequency planOnce you have defined all of the required settings for your frequency plan, you can generate the frequency plan. You can generate a frequency plan from any panel of the Frequency Planning dialog box.Once you have generated a frequency plan, you can define display options, choose which reports to view, save a report, and apply the frequency plan to a project.

To generate a frequency plan1 In the Frequency Planning dialog box, click Run.

The AFP dialog box opens and displays the progress of the processing.

2 When the frequency plan is complete, in the AFP dialog box, click Close.

The Reports panel opens.

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3 On the Reports panel, in the Violations to Remove from Presentation section, enable the check boxes for the violations that you want to remove from the plan.

You can include a violation by clearing its check box.

This is a post-processing option that works dynamically until you save the plan. For example, you can produce a frequency plan, view the reports, and then choose one or more violations to be excluded from the frequency plan. You can experiment with removing and including violations until you determine which combination creates the best plan.

When you save and apply the plan, if you removed a violation, any assignments with that violation will be excluded from the plan. If you do not remove a violation, any assignments with that violation will be included, which means that the plan can include assignments that violate constraints that you have defined.

4 To view reports, from the Report Type list, choose the type of report that you want to view and click View. For details on the information available in each type of report, press the F1 key.

The AFP Report dialog box opens.

5 If you want to save the report as a comma-separated value (.csv) file, click Export, navigate to the folder where you want to save the file, type a name for the file, and click Save.

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6 In the AFP Report dialog box, click Close.7 In the Frequency Planning dialog box, click OK.8 In the Save Frequency Plan As dialog box, type a name for the plan and

click Save.

Applying a frequency plan to TDMA/FDMA sectorsAfter you save a frequency plan, you can apply it to the sectors in the group that you used to create the frequency plan. You can also remove any existing carrier assignments from the sectors in the group. For details on applying a frequency plan, see “To apply a frequency and color code plan” on page 255.

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Chapter 9: Working with Frequency and Color Code Plans

9.
Working with Frequency and Color Code Plans
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Understanding frequency and

color code planning■ Workflow for frequency and

color code planning■ Importing frequency and color

code plans using pre-defined importers

■ Generating and viewing color codes

■ Using basic frequency and color code planning functions

■ Comparing frequency and color code plans

■ Viewing sector-to-sector interference based on a frequency plan

This chapter explains basic frequency and color code

planning functionality. It also explains how to

generate color codes.

Basic frequency planning functionality enables you

to import and work with existing frequency plans,

but not automatically create frequency plans. To

create frequency plans automatically, you need to

purchase the Automatic Frequency Planning tool.

For more information on planning using the

Automatic Frequency Planning tool, see “Chapter 8:

Generating Frequency Plans Automatically” on

page 217.

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Understanding frequency and color code planningFrequency and color code planning is the process of assigning carriers, mobile allocation lists (MALs), color codes, and other parameters to sectors to minimize the total interference experienced in the network.To create a frequency and color code plan, you can do any of the following:

■ Save the current frequency and color code assignments in the sector settings.

■ Import a plan from switch data using the pre-defined importers or the Import Wizard.

■ Create a new plan using the Import/Export Wizard. See “Importing frequency plans using the Import/Export Wizard” on page 247.

■ Use the Automatic Frequency Planning tool (see “Chapter 8: Generating Frequency Plans Automatically” on page 217).

For details on which color codes are available for each technology, see “Color codes” on page 108.

Workflow for frequency and color code planningStep 1 Create a frequency and color plan by doing one of the following:

■ Save the current frequency and color code assignments. See “To save frequency and color code assignments” on page 254.

■ Import an existing frequency and color code plan. See “Importing frequency and color code plans using pre-defined importers” on page 239.

■ If you have purchased the Automatic Frequency Planning (AFP) tool, generate a frequency and color code plan using the AFP tool. If you have purchased the Interactive Frequency Planning (IFP) tool, you can optionally use it to tune the plan. See “Chapter 8: Generating Frequency Plans Automatically” on page 217 and “Chapter

You can also automate the import of a frequency plan using the Command-Line utility. For information on the command-line utility, see

the Data Manager Server Administrator Guide.

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Working with Frequency and Color Code PlansTDMA/FDMA User Guide

10: Generating Frequency Plans Interactively” on page 261.

Step 2 If you want to generate color codes, do the following:

■ Optionally, create an interference matrix using the group of sectors to which the frequency plan applies. See Chapter 11, “Working with Interference Matrices”, in the Planet User Guide. This step is not necessary if you created a plan using the Automatic Frequency Tool or if you do not want to set color code planning constraints based on interference.

■ Optionally, create a neighbor list using the group of sectors to which the frequency plan applies. See Chapter 12, “Working with Neighbor Lists”, in the Planet User Guide. This step is not necessary if you created a plan using the Automatic Frequency Tool or if you do not want to set color code planning constraints based on a neighbor list.

■ Generate color codes. See “Generating and viewing color codes” on page 248.

Step 3 Apply the frequency and color code plan to the group of sectors. See “To apply a frequency and color code plan” on page 255.

Importing frequency and color code plans using pre-defined importers

You can import frequency and color code plans from Planet 2.8 and Planet DMS or from the following switch data types:

■ Ericsson GSM■ Ericsson TDMA■ comma-separated value (CSV) TDMA■ Nortel TDMA

If an imported plan does not contain valid color code information, you can generate color codes. For more information, see “Generating and viewing color codes” on page 248.

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Importing plans from switch dataTo import a frequency and color code plan from switch data, the sites in your project must have names that can be mapped to the names in the plan that you want to import.You have two options for mapping site names:

■ Use Cell ID in the Site Table—maps the Cell ID in the frequency plan file to the Cell_ID in the site table.

■ Use Site ID and Sector ID in the Site Table—use this method only if the Cell ID in the frequency planning file has the form <Site_ID><Letter>, for example, CA001A, CA001B, and CA001C. In this case, the last character in the Cell ID (A, B, and C in the example) indicates the Sector ID. For alphabetic characters, A maps to Sector ID 1, B maps to Sector ID 2, and so on. The remaining characters in the Cell ID are mapped to the Site ID (CA001 in the example).

Your project does not need to include all of the sites in the plan.You must also have defined at least some carriers for your project that are the same as the carriers in the switch data.If your frequency and color code plan file is not recognized, contact technical support and be prepared to supply a sample of the file and your site table. See “Contacting Mentum” on page 3.

To import a plan from Planet DMS or Planet 2.8You can import a frequency plan that has been converted from Planet 2.8 or Planet DMS to Planet and use it for your current project. For information on converting Planet 2.8 or Planet DMS project data, contact your local Technical Assistance Center (TAC). See “Contacting Mentum” on page 3. Frequency and color code plan information is imported only for sites and sectors that are already present in the site table of your Planet project; frequency and color code plan information for other sites and sectors is ignored.

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Imported information comprises a list of the carriers that are assigned to each sector, and can also include:

■ Carrier—contains a list of carrier types■ Carrier Type Demand—lists the required number of carriers of

each type for each sector■ MAIO—contains the mobile allocation index offsets (MAIOs)

for frequency hopping■ Equipment Database—provides the frequency hopping type for

each equipment type■ PCAE Site Table—provides the equipment type for each sector

If the Planet project site table has a different hopping type for a sector than the PCAE site table, the sector is considered invalid except for the BCCH.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click Frequency and Color Code Plans and choose Import From ➤ Planet DMS.

2 In the Select a Technology for Import dialog box, from the Technology list, choose the technology for which you want to import frequency plan information, and click OK.

3 Follow the steps in the Import Frequency Plan From Planet DMS or 2.8 Wizard.

4 Click Finish.

To import a plan from Ericsson GSM switch data1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click Frequency

and Color Code Plans and choose Import From ➤ Ericsson GSM.2 In the Select a Technology for Import dialog box, from the Technology

list, choose GSM and click OK.

The Ericsson GSM Frequency Plan Import dialog box opens.

If carriers are assigned to the same site ID and sector ID in both the carrier table (Carrier.tab) and carrier allocation table

(Carrier_Allocation.tab) files, and they have different carrier types, the carrier type specified in the Carrier.tab file will take precedence. For example, if site_1 sector 2 is assigned a carrier type of TCH in the Carrier.tab file, but is assigned a carrier type of BCCH in the Carrier_Allocation.tab file, site_1 sector 2 will be assigned a carrier type of TCH after the import process.

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3 Click Browse beside the Network Data box, navigate to the text file containing the switch data that you want to import, and click Open.

4 From the Equipment Vendor list, choose the equipment vendor from which the switch frequency plan has been exported.

5 In the MAL Name box, type the prefix to be used for the MAL names.

If there are already MAL names defined that match the string in the MAL Name box, those names are used. If not, new lists are created using the prefix in the MAL Name box. For example, if the MAL name is MAL_, the tool will name the new MALs MAL_0, MAL_1, MAL_2, etc. If a MAL is present with the same prefix and extension, such as MAL_5, that MAL is skipped and is not overwritten.

6 In the Cell ID Mapping Method section, choose one of the following options:■ Use Cell ID in the Site Table—maps the Cell ID in the

frequency plan file to the Cell_ID in the site table. A row in the frequency plan file will be imported only if there is a row with the same Cell_ID in the site table. If no match is found, the row is ignored.

■ Use Site ID and Sector ID in the Site Table—use this method only if the Cell ID in the frequency planning file has the form <Site_ID><Letter>, for example, CA001A, CA001B, and CA001C. In this case, the last character in the Cell ID (A, B, and

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C in the example) indicates the Sector ID. For alphabetic characters, A maps to Sector ID 1, B maps to Sector ID 2, and so on. The remaining characters in the Cell ID are mapped to the Site ID (CA001 in the example). A row in the frequency plan file will be imported only if there is a sector in the site table with the same site ID and sector ID.

7 In the Carrier Type Assignment section, from the Control Channel list, choose a carrier type to use for the control channel.

8 From the Traffic Channel list, choose a carrier type to use for the traffic channels.

9 Click Import.10 In the Save As dialog box, navigate to the FrequencyPlan folder in your

project, type a name for the plan in the File Name box, and click Save.

Frequency plans must be saved in the FrequencyPlan folder.

The Result window displays the status of the operation. When the operation has completed successfully, the imported frequency plan is displayed under the Frequency and Color Code Plans node in the Project Explorer.

11 Click Close.

To import a plan from Ericsson or CSV TDMA switch data1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click Frequency

and Color Code Plans and choose one of the following:■ Import From ➤ Ericsson TDMA■ Import From ➤ CSV TDMA

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2 In the Select a Technology for Import dialog box, from the Technology list, choose the technology and click OK.

The Ericsson TDMA Frequency Plan Import or CSV TDMA Frequency Plan Import dialog box opens.



■ Use Site ID and Sector ID in the Site Table—use this method only if the Cell ID in the frequency planning file has the form <Site_ID><Letter>, for example, CA001A, CA001B, and CA001C. In this case, the last character in the Cell ID (A, B, and C in the example) indicates the Sector ID. For alphabetic characters, A maps to Sector ID 1, B maps to Sector ID 2, and so on. The remaining characters in the Cell ID are mapped to the Site ID (CA001 in the example). A row in the frequency plan file will be imported only if there is a sector in the site table with the same site ID and sector ID.

4 In the Carrier Type Assignment section, from the Analog Control list, choose a carrier type to use for the analog control channel.

5 From the Analog Voice list, choose a carrier type to use for the analog voice channels.

6 From the Digital Control list, choose a carrier type to use for the digital control channel.

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7 From the Digital Voice list, choose a carrier type to use for the digital voice channels.

8 Click Import.9 In the Save Frequency Plan As dialog box, type a name for the plan in

the File Name box, and click Save.

Frequency plans must be saved in the <project>\FrequencyPlan folder.

The imported frequency plan is displayed under the Frequency and Color Code Plans node in the Project Explorer.

To import a plan from Nortel TDMA switch data1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click Frequency

and Color Code Plans and choose Import From ➤ Nortel TDMA.

2 In the Select a Technology for Import dialog box, from the Technology list, choose the technology and click OK.

The Nortel TDMA Frequency Plan Import dialog box opens.

3 In the Frequency Plan Files section, click Browse beside the Control Channel (CCHINV) box, choose the control channel data (.cap) file, and click Open.

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4 Click Browse beside the Traffic Channel (VCHINV) box, choose the traffic channel data (.cap) file, and click Open.

5 In the Color Code Files section, click Browse beside the DVCC (DCCHDATA) box, choose the digital voice color code data (.cap) file or accept the default, and click Open.

6 Click Browse beside the DCC (PARTDATA) box, choose the digital color code data (.cap) file or accept the default, and click Open.

7 Click Browse beside the SAT (PARTDAT2) box, choose the supervisory audio tone color code data (.cap) file or accept the default, and click Open.



■ Use Site ID and Sector ID in the Site Table—use this method only if the Cell ID in the frequency planning file has the form <Site_ID><Letter>, for example, CA001A, CA001B, and CA001C. In this case, the last character in the Cell ID (A, B, and C in the example) indicates the Sector ID. For alphabetic characters, A maps to Sector ID 1, B maps to Sector ID 2, and so on. The remaining characters in the Cell ID are mapped to the Site ID (CA001 in the example). A row in the frequency plan file will be imported only if there is a sector in the site table with the same site ID and sector ID.

9 In the Carrier Type Assignment section, from the Analog Control list, choose a carrier type to use for the analog control channel.

10 From the Analog Voice list, choose a carrier type to use for the analog voice channels.

11 From the Digital Control list, choose a carrier type to use for the digital control channel.

12 From the Digital Voice list, choose a carrier type to use for the digital voice channels.

13 Click Import.

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14 In the Save Frequency Plan As dialog box, type a name for the plan in the File Name box, and click Save.

Frequency plans must be saved in the <project>\FrequencyPlan folder.

The imported frequency plan is displayed under the Frequency and Color Code Plans node in the Project Explorer.

Importing frequency plans using the Import/Export WizardUsing the Import/Export Wizard, you can update the active frequency plan or you can create a new frequency plan.

■ By exporting project data, modifying frequency planning values on project worksheets, and re-importing the data, you can update the active frequency plan. See Chapter 13 “Working with Network and Project Data” in the Planet User Guide.

■ By exporting project data and changing the name of the frequency plan, you can create a new frequency plan for those sectors associated with the plan. See “To create a new frequency plan using the Import/Export Wizard”.

To create a new frequency plan using the Import/Export Wizard1 In Planet, with a project open, do one of the following:

■ Right-click a sector group in the Project Explorer and choose Export.

■ Choose Data ➤ Export ➤ Project Data. 2 On the first page of the Export Wizard, enable the Include Frequency

Plan Files check box and click Next.3 On the File Location page, define the location and name of the file and

click Finish.4 Open the Excel file you just exported.5 To create a new frequency plan for only those sectors currently assigned

to a frequency plan, click the Carrier_Assignments worksheet, and, in the Plan Name column, type a new frequency plan name for those sectors associated with a plan.

6 Click the Color_Codes worksheet and repeat Step 5.7 Save and close the Excel file.

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8 In Planet, choose Data ➤ Import ➤ Project Data.9 On the first page of the Import Wizard, specify the name and location of

the exported Excel file and click Next.10 On the Data Selection page, click Finish.

The new frequency plan is added beneath the Frequency and Color Code Plans node in the RF Tools category of the Project Explorer.

Generating and viewing color codesIf you saved the current frequency and color code plan or if you imported a frequency and color code plan that contains valid color codes, you can view any current color code assignments in two ways:

■ in tabular format. For more information, see “To view a frequency and color code plan report” on page 255.

■ in a Map window. For more information, see “To view color codes for TDMA/FDMA sectors in a Map window” on page 252.

If you created the frequency and color code plan using the Automatic Frequency Planning tool or by importing a frequency and color code plan that does not contain valid color codes, you need to generate the color codes before you can view them.

Constraints for color code planningTo generate color codes for sectors, you must define constraints to guide the assignment process. The constraints that you define can be soft (i.e., the constraint should be respected, but can be broken if necessary to assign a color code) or hard (i.e., the constraint cannot be broken to assign a color code). Any color codes that you have defined as illegal at the sector level are considered hard constraints. For information on defining illegal color codes for a sector, see “Defining illegal color codes for TDMA/FDMA sectors” on page 145.By default, color codes are assigned so that reused color codes are placed as physically far apart as possible. However, you can also use an interference matrix to guide the assignment process. An interference matrix compares signal strengths throughout the network and identifies the sectors that potentially interfere with each other. By using an interference matrix, you can minimize the total interference experienced by the chosen group of sectors when assigning color codes according to the values in the interference matrix.

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For more information on interference matrices, see Chapter 11, “Working with Interference Matrices”, in the Planet User Guide.In addition, to help prevent the assignment of the same carrier/color code combination for neighboring sectors, you can use a neighbor list as input for color code planning. For more information on neighbor lists, see Chapter 12, “Working with Neighbor Lists”, in the Planet User Guide.

Costs for color code planningFor each incidence of color code reuse (i.e., for each sector that is assigned to the same color code as another sector), there are two types of costs:

■ Interference cost—a measure of the interference generated by a color code assignment. The amount of interference potentially generated by an assignment can be determined by how close reused color codes are placed to one another. It can also be determined from information provided by an interference matrix.

■ Violation cost—the sum of the cost factors incurred for breaching specified constraints when color codes are assigned. Soft constraints can be broken, but hard constraints cannot.

The color code planning process attempts to create color codes with the lowest costs. As a result, a balance between low interference costs and low violation costs is reached.

To generate color codes1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click Frequency

and Color Code Plans and choose Color Code Planning.

The Color Code Planning dialog box opens, with the General Settings panel selected by default.

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2 From the Technology list, choose the technology for which you want to plan color codes.

3 From the Color Code Type list, choose the color code type that you want to plan.

The color code types available depend on the technology that you chose. For information on the color code types associated with each technology, see “Color codes” on page 108.

4 From the Frequency Plan list, choose one of the following options:■ the name of an existing frequency and color code plan to update

with the new color codes—The frequency and color code plan that you choose will be updated with the color code that you chose in Step 3.

■ Current (from site table)—The current frequency assignments for your sectors will be saved and the plan made available under the Frequency and Color Code Plans node in the Project Explorer. The plan will then be updated with the color code that you chose in Step 3.

5 If you do not want to plan color codes for sectors in the current site table that already have color codes assigned, enable the Keep Existing Color Codes check box.

If you clear this check box, any existing color code assignments in the current site table will not be considered when the color code plan is generated.

6 To define the constraints that you want to apply to your color code plan, choose Constraints in the tree view.

The Constraints panel opens. At a minimum, you must use the maximize distance constraint to plan color codes. This constraint is a soft constraint and means that color codes are assigned so that reused color codes are placed as physically far apart as possible. You cannot modify this entry.

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7 If you want to assign color codes so that the minimal interference costs are incurred, enable the check box for the Minimize Interference constraint, and from the Constraint Type list, choose one of the following optimization methods:■ Affected Area—minimizes the sector’s coverage area that will

be affected by interference■ Affected Traffic—minimizes the amount of traffic in a sector

that will be affected by interference

This constraint is only available if there is an interference matrix available for the sectors in the frequency and color code plan.

8 From the adjacent list, choose an interference matrix.

If the interference matrix does not provide interference information for any of the chosen sectors, the default optimization method of maximizing distance is used (i.e., reused color codes are placed as physically far apart as possible).

9 If you want to use different color codes for neighboring sectors, enable the check box for the Different Codes for Neighbors constraint, choose a Hard or Soft constraint type from the Constraint Type list, and choose a neighbor list from the adjacent column.

This constraint is only available if there is a neighbor list available for the sectors in the frequency and color code plan.

10 If you want to use the same color code for each sector in a site, enable the check box for the Same Codes Per Site constraint, and choose a Hard or Soft constraint type from the Constraint Type list.

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11 If you want to use different color codes for all sectors associated with a mobile switching center (MSC), enable the check box for the Avoid Code Reuse within MSC constraint.

This constraint is only valid if you have defined MSCs for the sectors in your project.

12 If you want to use different color codes for all sectors associated with a the base station controller (BSC), enable the check box for the Avoid Code Reuse within BSC constraint.

This constraint is only valid if you have defined BSCs for the sectors in your project.

13 If you are planning for GSM sectors and you want to use a fixed NCC, enable the check box for the Fixed NCC constraint, and choose a value from 0-7 from the adjacent list.

When the Fixed NCC check box is enabled, the first digit of the BSIC color code type (the NCC) uses the value you defined and only the second digit of the color code (the BCC) varies. When the check box is cleared, both the NCC and BCC vary. In circumstances where the NCC can be varied, extra color code combinations are produced, which reduces color code reuse.

14 To generate color codes, click Generate.

The Generate Plan dialog box opens and displays the progress of the processing.

15 When the color codes are generated, click Close.16 In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

The color codes are saved as part of the chosen frequency plan.

To view color codes for TDMA/FDMA sectors in a Map windowFor any generated color codes, you can view the color code assignments graphically in a Map window.

1 In the Project Explorer, right-click the frequency and color code plan, and choose View Color Code in Map Window.

If the plan contains only one color code type (for example, for GSM technology, only BSIC is available), the color codes are displayed in the Map window.

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2 If the plan contains more than one color code type (for example, for IS-136 technology, SAT, DCC, and DVCC are available), in the Color Code Selection dialog box, from the Color Code list, choose the color code type that you want to display, and click OK.

To view color code propertiesProperties include both the settings that were used to generate the color codes and a list of the codes that were generated. After you generate color codes, you can view the color code properties.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click a frequency and color code plan and choose Color Code Properties.

If the plan contains only one color code type, the Color Code Planning dialog box opens.

2 If the plan contains more than one color code type, in the Color Code Selection dialog box, from the Color Code list, choose the color code that you want to display and click OK.

The Color Code Planning dialog box opens.

3 To view the list of color codes that were generated, choose View in the tree view.

Using basic frequency and color code planning functionsThis section explains the options that are available for existing frequency and color code plans.

You can clear the color codes from the Map window by right-clicking the frequency plan and choosing Clear Color Code in Map Window.

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To open a frequency and color code planYou can open frequency and color code plans created as part of other projects. When you open a frequency and color code plan, it is added to the list available under the Frequency and Color Code Plans node in the Project Explorer.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click Frequency and Color Code Plans, and choose Open.

2 In the Open dialog box, navigate to the plan that you want to open, and click Open.

The plan is added to the list under the Frequency and Color Code Plans node.

To save frequency and color code assignmentsYou can save the current frequency and color code assignments for your sectors as a plan, and make the plan available under the Frequency and Color Code Plans node in the Project Explorer. For information about frequency assignments for sectors, see “Defining TDMA/FDMA carrier settings” on page 122. For information about color code assignments for sectors, see “Defining TDMA/FDMA technology sector settings” on page 108.

Using the Export Wizard, you can export the name of the frequency plan assigned to each sector in your network. You can then associate a

new frequency plan to each of these sectors and re-import the assignments using the Import Wizard. A new frequency plan including only those sectors with an associated frequency plan will be added to the Frequency and Color Plans node. Or you can update an existing frequency plan by modifying values in the exported project data and then re-importing the spreadsheet. See Chapter 13 “Working with Network and Project Data” in the Planet User Guide.

You can also use the Import/Export Command Line Utility to automate the import of a new frequency plan. See Appendix A in the Data Manager Server Administrator Guide.

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1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click Frequency and Color Code Plans and choose Save Current.

2 If you have more than one technology in your project, in the Save Current dialog box, choose a technology for the frequency plan to be saved.

3 In the Save As dialog box, navigate to the folder where you want to save the plan, type a name for the plan, and click Save.

The plan is added to the list under the Frequency and Color Code Plans node.

To view a frequency and color code plan reportThe Frequency Plan Report provides a quick way of viewing site, sector, carrier number, carrier type, and color code information.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, expand Frequency and Color Code Plans.

2 Right-click the name of the plan you want to view and choose View.

The Frequency Plan Report dialog box opens.

To apply a frequency and color code planWhen you apply a frequency and color code plan, the carriers and color codes for the group of sectors used to create the plan are updated with the information in the plan. You have the option of overwriting any sector-specific carrier and color code settings for the project with the settings contained in the frequency and color code plan.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click a frequency and color code plan under the Frequency and Color Code Plans node and choose Apply.

The Apply Frequency Plan dialog box opens.

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2 For each carrier type in the Carrier Type table, do the following:■ In the Apply Plan column, enable the check box to apply the

carrier type to the sectors in the group. These check boxes are only available for carrier types allocated as part of the frequency plan.

■ In the Remove Existing column, enable the check box to remove transceivers with the associated carrier type from the sectors in the group. These check boxes are only available for carrier types that existed when the frequency plan was created.

3 For each color code in the Color Code table, do the following:■ In the Apply Plan column, enable the check box to apply the

color code to the sectors in the group. ■ In the Remove Existing column, enable the check box to

remove transceivers with the associated color code from the sectors in the group.

4 In the Remove Existing column, enable the check boxes for any transceivers with the associated carrier type that you want to remove from the sectors in the network.

These check boxes are only available for carrier types that existed when the frequency plan was imported.

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5 In the Sectors Not in Frequency Plan section, choose an option for the sectors that are not included in the plan:■ Clear Carriers and Color Codes—removes existing carrier

and color code assignments■ Preserve Carriers and Color Codes—keeps existing carrier

and color code assignments6 Click OK.7 In the Frequency Planning dialog box, click Yes to apply the frequency

plan and override the carrier settings for the sectors in the plan.8 Run any analyses for the project again to update the results using the new

frequency values. For details on running analyses, see “To generate a TDMA/FDMA analysis” on page 206.

To export a frequency and color code planExporting a frequency and color code plan means saving frequency and color code planning information, such as site ID, sector ID, and carrier and hopping information (MAL, MAIO, and HSN) to a text file.

1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, expand Frequency and Color Code Plans.

2 Right-click the name of the plan that you want to export to a text file and choose Export.

3 In the Save As dialog box, navigate to the folder where you want to store the plan, type a name for the plan in the File Name box, and click Save.

Comparing frequency and color code plansYou can use the Frequency Plan Comparison Tool to display the differences between two frequency and color code plans. The comparison provides two types of information:

■ Summary—displays the technology for each frequency and color code plan, provides the number of base stations, sectors, and transceivers in each plan, and indicates the number of

To delete a frequency and color code plan, expand Frequency and Color Code Plans in the RF Tools category of the Project Explorer,

right-click the name of the plan to delete, and choose Delete. In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.

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differences for each type of information in the plan (for example, transceiver types, carriers, and MALs)

■ Detailed Results—displays the actual settings for each item in the frequency and color code plans, including carrier groups, carrier types, carriers, MALs, hopping types, and color codes.

The frequency and color code plans that you want to compare must be available in the Project Explorer. For more information on adding frequency and color code plans to the Project Explorer, see “To open a frequency and color code plan” on page 254.

To compare frequency and color code plans1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, expand Frequency

and Color Code Plans.2 Choose two frequency and color code plans, right-click, and choose

Compare Frequency Plans.

The Frequency Plan Comparison Tool dialog box opens.

3 Click the tab that contains the information that you want to view.

To modify the column display on the Detailed Results tab1 In the Frequency Plan Comparison Tool dialog box, click the Detailed

Results tab.2 Do one or more of the following:

■ To display only specific columns, right-click the heading row and choose the column that you want to hide. The check mark is removed from the item that you chose. You can show a column by choosing it again from the list.

■ To automatically size columns, choose View ➤ Automatically Size Columns. The column automatically resizes to the width of the largest data cell in the column.

■ To interleave columns, choose View ➤ Interleave Plans. The display updates to show the same column from each frequency plan side by side. You can change the display back (i.e., to show all columns in the first frequency plan and then all columns in the second frequency plan) by choosing the option again.

■ To highlight columns in both frequency plans, choose View ➤ Highlight Columns in Both Plans. When you click on a

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column, the same column in the other frequency plan will also be highlighted. This option is only available if you have not chosen to interleave frequency plans.

To filter the rows on the Detailed Results tabYou can use the filter option to reduce the number of rows displayed in the comparison.

1 In the Frequency Plan Comparison Tool dialog box, click the Detailed Results tab.

2 From the Filtering list, choose one of the following:■ None—applies no filter■ Differences—shows only rows that contain different values in

the two frequency and color code plans. Differences are shown in red.

■ Similarities—shows only rows that contain the same value in both frequency and color code plans

■ Only in First Plan—shows only rows containing transceivers that exist only in the first frequency and color code plan. Transceivers that are in both frequency and color code plans or the second frequency and color code plan only will not be shown.

■ Only in Second Plan—shows only rows containing transceivers that exist only in the second frequency and color code plan. Transceivers that are in both frequency and color code plans or the first frequency and color code plan only will not be shown.

To export a frequency and color plan comparisonYou can export the frequency and color code plan comparison to an Excel (.xls) file. If you modified the column display or filtered the columns, these changes are reflected in the exported file.

1 In the Frequency Plan Comparison Tool dialog box, choose File ➤ Export.

2 In the Save Comparison Results As dialog box, navigate to the folder where you want to store the comparison, type a name for the comparison in the File Name box, and click Save.

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3 In the confirmation dialog box, do one of the following:■ If you want to open the file now, click Yes. The file will open in

Excel.■ If you do not want to open the file now, click No.

Viewing sector-to-sector interference based on a frequency planYou can view a visual representation of the sources of interferers for a sector and their intensity in a Map window.

To view interferers for a TDMA/FDMA sector based on a frequency plan1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click on the sector

you want to view and choose Display Interference ➤ Use Frequency Plan.

2 In the Display Interference dialog box, from the Number of Interferers to Display list, choose the maximum number of interferers to display for the chosen sector.

3 In the Interference Metric section, choose the type of interference matrix you want to display.

4 Click OK.

The sector-to-sector interference is shown using red lines in the active Map window.

You can also view interferers for a TDMA/FDMA sector based on an interference matrix. This capability is described in “Viewing

sector-to-sector interference in a Map window,” in Chapter 11, “Working with Interference Matrices”, in the Planet User Guide.

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Chapter 10: Generating Frequency Plans Interactively

10.
Generating Frequency Plans Interactively
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Understanding interactive

frequency planning■ Understanding the IFP dialog

box■ Workflow for interactive

frequency planning■ Creating a frequency plan

using the IFP tool■ Modifying a frequency plan

using the IFP tool■ Saving and applying an

interactive frequency plan

This chapter explains how to use the Interactive

Frequency Planning tool.

Interactive frequency planning is available only if

you have purchased the Interactive Frequency

Planning (IFP) tool.

Interactive frequency planning can be used on its

own, or as a supplement to automatic frequency

planning (AFP), by creating a plan using AFP and

then fine-tuning it using interactive frequency

planning. Interactive frequency planning provides

detailed information on interference costs and

violations for all sites, sectors, and carriers.

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Understanding interactive frequency planningThe IFP tool enables you to view the frequency assignments for a chosen group of sectors (a defined group, all sectors, or a group of individual sectors that you select), evaluate the interference costs and violations associated with each assignment, and modify the assignments to achieve the optimal plan. You can then save the plan for future use or apply it to the sectors in the plan. Interactive frequency planning differs from automatic frequency planning in that automatic frequency planning uses the settings that you define to create a plan automatically with the lowest cost that violates the fewest constraints. You cannot modify individual carrier assignments. Interactive frequency planning enables you to evaluate the interference costs and violations associated with carrier assignments and modify individual assignments as required before applying the plan.You can use the following information to evaluate each frequency assignment:

■ interference costs■ violations

Interference costs for interactive frequency planningInterference costs are associated with the amount of the coverage area or the traffic that is subject to interference. Carriers can be designated as victims or interferers and you can associate a cost factor with each designation. The IFP tool enables you to view victim costs, interferer costs, or both. If you choose both, the two costs are summed.The following two examples show cost calculations for carriers as both victims and interferers. In Equation 10.1, carrier type 1 is the victim and carrier type 2 is the interferer, and in Equation 10.2 carrier type 1 is the interferer and carrier type 2 is the victim.In Equation 10.1, the cost (C) is for carrier type 1 on sector A, which is being interfered with by carrier type 2 on sector B.

Equation 10.1 Interference example in which carrier type 1 is a victim of carrier type 2

Where: is the victim cost factor for carrier type 1.is the interference cost factor for carrier type 2.

CAB 12, s( ) W1 W2× IAB× s( )=

W1W2

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Generating Frequency Plans InteractivelyTDMA/FDMA User Guide

is the interference on sector A from sector B, dependent on the carrier separation (s).In Equation 10.2 the cost (C) is for carrier type 1 on sector A, which is interfering with carrier type 2 on sector B:

Equation 10.2 Interference example in which carrier type 1 is an interferer for carrier type 2

Where: is the interference cost factor for carrier type 1.is the victim cost factor for carrier type 2.

is the interference on sector B from sector A, dependent on the carrier separation (s).

You specify cost factors for interferers and victims on a per-carrier type basis in the IFP Settings dialog box. For information on modifying cost factors, see “To modify IFP settings” on page 279.

Violations for interactive frequency planningViolations occur when a frequency plan does not respect constraints. Constraints are defined on a per-carrier type basis, and include information such as required carrier separations and interference thresholds.In automatic frequency planning, violations have costs associated with them so that the tool can determine the best plan. In interactive frequency planning, violations do not have costs associated with them. You can evaluate the type and number of violations associated with each carrier assignment, and use these to help determine whether the assignment needs to be changed.

IAB s( )

CBA 12, s( ) W1 W2× IBA× s( )=

W1W2

IBA s( )

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In the IFP tool, violations are identified by codes. Table 10.1 lists violation codes and explains each code.Table 10.1 Violation codes

Violation code Explanation

T Threshold violation—The cost minimization threshold defined for the carrier type in the IFP Settings dialog box has been exceeded. For information on defining thresholds for carrier types, see “To modify IFP settings” on page 279

2 Second order neighbor spacing violation—The carrier assignment does not meet the minimum spacing required between carriers on the neighbors of neighbor sectors. This value is defined in the IFP Settings dialog box. For more information, see “To modify IFP settings” on page 279.

C Sector spacing violation—The carrier assignment does not meet the minimum spacing required between carriers on the same sector. This value is defined in the IFP Settings dialog box. For more information, see “To modify IFP settings” on page 279.

N Neighbor spacing violation—The carrier assignment does not meet the minimum spacing required between carriers on neighboring sectors. This value is defined in the IFP Settings dialog box. For more information, see “To modify IFP settings” on page 279.

S Site spacing violation—The carrier assignment does not meet the minimum spacing required between carriers on different sectors at the same site. This value is defined in the IFP Settings dialog box. For more information, see “To modify IFP settings” on page 279.

E Exception violation—The carrier assignment violates the minimum carrier spacing defined for the sector in the Sector Settings dialog box. For more information on defining illegal carriers for sectors, see “Defining TDMA/FDMA frequency planning settings” on page 133.

O Override violation—The carrier assignment has violated an overriding exception defined for the sector in the Sector Settings dialog box. For more information on overriding exceptions, see “Defining TDMA/FDMA frequency planning settings” on page 133.

F Illegal carrier—A carrier has been assigned that is defined as illegal for the sector in the Sector Settings dialog box. For more information on defining illegal carriers for sectors, see “Defining TDMA/FDMA frequency planning settings” on page 133.

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Inputs for interactive frequency planningOptional inputs for the IFP tool are an interference matrix and neighbor list. The interference matrix is used by the IFP tool to calculate costs. The neighbor list is used to determine neighbor violations (N and 2 in Table 10.1).Although it is recommended that you use the same group of sectors for your interference matrix, neighbor list, and frequency plan, it is not required. If there are sectors in your frequency plan that are not in the interference matrix, the costs associated with those sectors will be 0. If there are sectors in your frequency plan that do not appear in the neighbor list, no neighbor or second order neighbor violations will be recorded for those sectors. In the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box, the indicator (!) column in the Sector Summary table (the column immediately to the left of the Site ID column) indicates whether the sector is in the interference matrix. If the sector is not in the interference matrix, a red exclamation mark appears in the indicator column.

Understanding the IFP dialog boxThe Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box comprises a number of related tables. This section describes the content of each table, and explains the interaction between the tables.Figure 10.1 shows the tables in the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box.

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Figure 10.1 Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box

IFP sector summary tableThe sector summary table displays cost, violation, and shortfall information about each sector in the group that you chose. It also displays details about the transceivers in the sector. The Total Cost and Violation Types columns display information that is the total for all carriers assigned to the sector. You have the option of displaying this information for victim, interferers, or both. You also have the option of enabling automatic cost calculation, which means that if you modify carrier assignments, the Total Cost and Violation Types columns update dynamically. The Shortfall is the number of transceivers required to serve the traffic on the sector (shown in red for transceivers that need to be added or in black and preceded by a negative sign for transceivers that can be removed).

Sector summary

Properties Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Cost breakdownassignment

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TransceiversThe Transceivers column of the sector summary table lists the transceivers assigned to each sector. If a sector is configured as non-hopping or baseband hopping, the transceivers are identified by the carriers that are assigned to them. If a sector is configured as synthesized hopping, any non-hopping transceivers in the sector are identified by the carriers assigned to them, but any synthesized hopping transceivers are identified with an H. In Figure 10.2, the second sector has one non-hopping transceiver with carrier 199 assigned and two synthesized hopping transceivers. The first sector has four transceivers assigned, which are either non-hopping or baseband hopping. The colors used for the transceivers are defined using the Cost Color Assignment dialog box, which enables you to assign color gradients to transceivers based on the cost for the transceiver. For more information, see “To define cost color assignments in the interactive frequency plan” on page 274.

Figure 10.2 Example Transceivers table

You can add or remove hopping or non-hopping transceivers. If you have enabled automatic cost calculation, the cost and violation information for the sector updates dynamically as you do so. When you click a transceiver, details about the transceiver are displayed in the Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table.

IFP Properties tableThe Properties table displays the site ID, sector ID, and details (such as carrier type) for the transceiver that is currently selected in the Transceivers table. Because interference costs are defined on a per-carrier type basis, this

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information can help you to evaluate whether the costs that are shown for a sector or for a carrier are valid, or whether you need to adjust the cost factors.For more information on adjusting the cost factors, see “To modify IFP settings” on page 279.You can also use this table to change the carrier type and mobile allocation index offset assigned to the transceiver.

Figure 10.3 Example Properties table

IFP Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment tableThe Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table changes names depending on the type of transceiver that you select in the Transceivers column.

■ If you select a non-hopping or baseband hopping transceiver, the table is the Carrier Assignment table.

■ If you select a synthesized hopping transceiver, the table is the Mobile Allocation List Assignment table.

The Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table displays details about the transceiver that is currently selected in the Transceivers table. The transceiver details are different for non-hopping, baseband hopping, and synthesized hopping transceivers.

■ For non-hopping or baseband hopping transceivers, the Carrier Assignment table displays the carriers available for the transceiver.

■ For synthesized hopping transceivers, the Mobile Allocation List Assignment table displays a list of the carriers in the MAL assigned to the transceiver.

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In Figure 10.4, a non-hopping or baseband hopping transceiver is selected in the Transceivers column.

Figure 10.4 Example Carrier Assignment table

IFP Cost Breakdown tableThe Cost Breakdown table shows the costs associated with the carrier or MAL that is currently selected in the Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table. When you choose a MAL in the Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table, you can choose to view the costs associated with either the entire MAL or with each carrier in the MAL.

Figure 10.5 Example Cost Breakdown table

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Workflow for interactive frequency planningStep 1 Optionally, create a group of sectors that you will use for your

interference matrix, neighbor list, and frequency planning. See Chapter 2, “Working with Sites and Sectors”, in the Planet User Guide.

Step 2 Optionally, create an interference matrix and a neighbor list using the group of sectors. See Chapter 11, “Working with Interference Matrices”, and Chapter 12, “Working with Neighbor Lists”, in the Planet User Guide.

Step 3 Create a frequency plan. See “Creating a frequency plan using the IFP tool” on page 270.

Step 4 Evaluate the costs and violations and modify the frequency plan as required. See “Modifying a frequency plan using the IFP tool” on page 276.

Step 5 Save the frequency plan and apply it to the sectors in the plan. See “Saving and applying an interactive frequency plan” on page 282.

Creating a frequency plan using the IFP toolWhen you create a frequency plan using the IFP tool, you must specify the following inputs:

■ the technology to use for the plan■ optionally, an interference matrix■ optionally, a neighbor list■ the sectors in the plan (you can either use a defined group of

sectors, all sectors, or a group of individual sectors that you select)

Settings for the frequency plan are synchronized with the Automatic Frequency planning tool. When you first create a frequency plan using the IFP tool, the settings are the same settings as were used for the Automatic Frequency Planning tool (or system defaults if you did not use the Automatic Frequency Planning tool). If you modify the settings, the modified settings apply to both the IFP tool and the Automatic Frequency Planning tool.

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To create an interactive frequency plan 1 In the Project Explorer, in the Sites category, right-click the group of

sectors for which you want to create a frequency plan and choose Frequency Planning ➤ Interactive Frequency Planning.

The New IFP Session dialog box opens.

2 From the Technology list, choose the technology for which you want to generate an interactive frequency plan.

3 If you want to use an interference matrix for your frequency plan, from the Interference Matrix list, choose the interference matrix that you want to use.

Using an interference matrix is optional; however, if you do not specify an interference matrix, the costs in the plan will be 0, and you will only be able to plan using violation information.

4 If you want to use a neighbor list for your frequency plan, from the Neighbor List list, choose the neighbor list that you want to use for your frequency plan, and click OK.

Using a neighbor list is optional, however, if you do not specify a neighbor list, no neighbor or second order neighbor violations will be shown.

The Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box opens, displaying the current carrier assignments, costs, and violations. For details on each section of the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box, see “Understanding the IFP dialog box” on page 265.

You can also access the IFP tool by right-clicking Frequency Planning in the RF Tools category of the Project Explorer and choosing

Interactive Frequency Planning.

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To include victim and interferer costs in the interactive frequency planYou can include victim costs, interferer costs, both, or neither.■ In the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box, do any of the

following:■ To view information about victims, in the Cost Selection

Criteria section of the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box, enable the Victim check box.

■ To view information about interferers, in the Cost Selection Criteria section of the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box, enable the Interferer check box.

If you enable neither check box, the cost information does not include victim or interferer costs. If you enable both boxes, the cost information includes both types of costs.

To clear or enable automatic cost calculation in an interactive frequency planBy default, costs are updated automatically as you make changes to the frequency plan. However, if you prefer to make a number of changes and then recalculate the costs, you can clear automatic cost calculation.■ To clear automatic cost calculation, in the Interactive Frequency

Planning dialog box, choose Options ➤ Auto Cost Calculation.

Repeating this step enables automatic cost calculation.

If you clear automatic cost calculation, you must click Calculate to update the costs based on any changes that you made.

A status button at the bottom of the IFP window indicates the status of cost calculations:

■ Green—All calculations have completed. You can make updates to the frequency plan.

■ Yellow—You have cleared automatic cost calculation and made updates to the frequency plan. You need to enable automatic cost calculation or click Calculate to recalculate costs.

■ Red—The IFP tool is performing calculations. You cannot make changes to the frequency plan while the status is red.

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To filter the interactive frequency plan displayYou can filter the display based on carrier type to enable you to plan a subset of the available sectors.

1 In the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box, choose Options ➤ Filter.

The IFP Filter dialog box opens.

2 In the IFP Filter dialog box, clear the check boxes for the carrier types that you do not want to display, and click OK.

The Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box updates to display only the transceivers that have been assigned the selected carrier types.

To sort table rows in the interactive frequency planYou can sort table rows in the sector summary table, the Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table, and the Cost Breakdown table. You can sort table rows manually or you can enable persistent table sorting, which automatically sorts any new entries according to the column that you chose.

1 To sort a table manually, in the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box, click in the header of the column that you want to use for sorting.

Clicking in the column header again reverses the order. For example, if your sites are numbered and you want to sort the sector summary table by site, click in the Site column header. The table rows will be sorted according to site name in ascending order with the lowest numbers first. Click in the Site column header again to sort the rows in descending order with the highest numbers first.

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2 To enable persistent table sorting, right-click the table that you want to sort, and choose Persistent Table Sorting.

A check mark is displayed beside the Persistent Table Sorting menu item to indicate that persistent table sorting is enabled. The first time you enable persistent table sorting, the table is not sorted. You must choose a column to use for sorting. If you clear persistent table sorting and then enable it again, the table will be sorted according to the column that you chose the last time you enabled persistent table sorting.

3 Click in the header of the column that you want to use for sorting.

An arrow is displayed to the right of the column header, indicating whether the column is sorted in ascending or descending order. Clicking in the column header again reverses the order.

To define cost color assignments in the interactive frequency planCost color assignments indicate how color gradients are a assigned to a range of interference costs. Cost color assignments are only displayed when you enable the Show Cost Colors check box in the Cost Color Assignments dialog box. The gradients are assigned to transceivers to indicate how high the costs are for each transceiver, and are displayed in the Transceivers column in the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box. See Figure 10.1 for an example of how cost color assignments can be applied. The darker the color is, the higher the cost.

1 In the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box, choose Options ➤ Cost Color Assignments.

The Cost Color Assignment dialog box opens.

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2 In the Maximum Cost box, type the cost that you want to associate with the darker end of the gradient.

The default value is the highest cost in the current plan.

3 If you want to view the color codes in the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box, enable the Show Cost Colors check box.

4 In the Minimum Cost box, type the cost that you want to associate with the lighter end of the gradient.

The default value is the lowest cost in the current plan.

5 Click OK.

To view details about a transceiver in the interactive frequency planDetails about a transceiver are displayed in the Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table.■ To view details about a transceiver, in the Interactive Frequency

Planning dialog box, choose the transceiver in the Transceivers column.

If the transceiver is a synthesized hopping transceiver, the Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table updates to show the carriers in the MAL assigned to the transceiver, with the first carrier in the list chosen.

If the transceiver is a non-hopping or baseband hopping transceiver, the Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table updates to show the carriers available for the transceiver, with the currently assigned carrier chosen.

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Modifying a frequency plan using the IFP toolTypically, you would change the carrier or MAL assignment if the current assignment has a high cost or multiple violations associated with it. You can preview the costs associated with each carrier or MAL before you choose a new one. See “To view cost information for carrier or MAL assignments” on page 276.Modifications that you make to the frequency plan do not take effect in your analyses until you apply them to the sectors in your project and run the analyses again. For information on applying the frequency plan to sectors, see “Saving and applying an interactive frequency plan” on page 282.

To view cost information for carrier or MAL assignmentsUsing the Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table, you can view the carrier or MAL assignment for the transceiver that you chose in the Transceivers table.

■ If the transceiver is a non-hopping or baseband hopping transceiver, you can view cost information for the carrier assigned to it and for other available carriers.

■ If the transceiver is a synthesized hopping transceiver, you can view cost information for the MAL assigned to it or for carriers in the MAL. You can also view information for other available MALs.

Details on costs and violations are shown in the Cost Breakdown table. For more information on the Cost Breakdown table, see“Understanding the IFP dialog box” on page 265.

1 In the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box, click the transceiver for which you want to modify costs.

If the transceiver is a non-hopping or baseband hopping transceiver, the Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table updates to show the carriers available for the transceiver. The currently assigned carrier is selected.

If the transceiver is a synthesized hopping transceiver, the Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table updates to show the carriers in the MAL assigned to the transceiver.

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2 If you want to view costs associated with a carrier on a non-hopping or baseband hopping transceiver, use the arrow column in the Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table to choose the carrier.

In the following example, the Cost Breakdown table shows the costs and violation types for carrier 136, which is chosen using the arrow column in the Carrier/Mobile Allocation List assignment table.

You can preview the costs for all of the available carriers before making a decision about which one to choose.

3 If you want to view the costs associated with a MAL assigned to a synthesized hopping transceiver, choose the MAL from the MAL list in the Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table, and do one of the following:■ To view the costs associated with a carrier in the MAL, in the

Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table, use the arrow column in the Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table to choose the carrier, and in the Cost Breakdown table, choose the Carrier option.

■ To view the costs associated with the entire MAL, in the Cost Breakdown table, choose the MAL option.

You can preview the costs for all of the available MALs before making a decision about which one to choose.

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To change carrier or MAL assignments1 In the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box, choose the

transceiver that you want to modify.2 Do one of the following:

■ If the transceiver is a non-hopping or baseband hopping transceiver, change the carrier assignment by choosing a new carrier in the Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table. The transceiver in the Transceivers table updates with the new carrier number.

■ If the transceiver is a synthesized hopping transceiver, change the MAL by choosing a new MAL from the MAL list in the Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table.

To change the carrier type for a transceiverUsing the Properties table, you can change the carrier type for any transceiver.

1 In the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box, choose the transceiver that you want to modify.

2 In the Properties table, from the Carrier Type list, choose the carrier type that you want to assign to the transceiver.■ If the transceiver is a non-hopping or baseband hopping

transceiver, the transceiver in the Transceivers table updates to display a question mark, which indicates that you must choose a carrier of the new type to assign to the transceiver. The Carrier Assignment table updates to show the list of available carriers.

■ If the transceiver is a synthesized hopping transceiver, the carrier type updates in the Properties table.

3 If the transceiver is a non-hopping or baseband hopping transceiver, in the Carrier Assignment table, choose a carrier to assign to the transceiver.

To change the MAIO for a synthesized hopping transceiverUsing the Properties table, you can change the MAIO for a synthesized hopping transceiver.

1 In the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box, choose the synthesized hopping transceiver that you want to modify.

2 In the Properties table, from the MAIO list, choose the MAIO that you want to assign to the transceiver.

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To add or remove transceivers from the interactive frequency planIn the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box, the Shortfall column indicates the difference between the number of transceivers allocated for the sector and the number of transceivers needed to meet traffic requirements.

■ If the number is red, it means that you do not have sufficient transceivers allocated for the sector, and you need to add the number indicated to meet the traffic requirements.

■ If the number is black and preceded by a negative sign, you have allocated transceivers to the sector in excess of what is necessary to meet the traffic requirements. You can reduce the transceiver count by the number shown in the Shortfall column.

1 In the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box, in the row for the sector to which you want to add the transceiver, right-click the Add Transceiver button, and choose one of the following options:■ Add Non-Hopping Transceiver—adds a non-hopping

transceiver to the sector. This option is available for sectors that are defined as non-hopping, baseband hopping, or synthesized hopping.

■ Add Hopping Transceiver—adds a hopping transceiver to the sector. This option is available only for sectors that are defined as baseband hopping or synthesized hopping.

A transceiver is added to the row with a question mark in the box. The question mark indicates that you need to assign a carrier to the transceiver. The Carrier/Mobile Allocation List Assignment table lists the available carriers for the transceiver.

2 In the Carrier Assignment table, choose the carrier that you want to assign to the transceiver.

In the Transceivers table, the box with the new transceiver updates to contain the number of the new carrier.

To modify IFP settings1 In the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box tree view, choose

Options ➤ Settings.

The IFP Settings dialog box opens, showing the technology, interference matrix, and neighbor list used for the plan.

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2 In the Interference Cost Based On section, choose one of the following options for how to calculate interference cost:■ Affected Area (km2)—the portion of any sector’s coverage area

that you consider acceptable to be affected by interference, defined as an absolute value in km2.

■ Affected Area (%)—the portion of any sector’s coverage area that you consider acceptable to be affected by interference, defined as a percentage of the sector’s coverage area.

■ Affected Traffic (mE)—the amount of traffic in a sector that you consider acceptable to be affected by interference, defined as an absolute traffic value in milliErlangs (mE).

■ Affected Traffic (%)—the amount of traffic in a sector that you consider acceptable to be affected by interference, defined as a percentage of the total traffic carried by the sector.

3 In the Ignore Interference Less Than (%) box, type a percentage value below which interference will be ignored. Use this option to filter out very low interference values that are not significant.

4 In the tree view of the IFP Settings dialog box, expand Carrier Types and choose a carrier type to modify.

The carrier types listed are the types that you have defined for the technology.

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5 In the Cost Factor section, type a cost value in the Interferer box and in the Victim box, or accept the defaults.

The cost value scales the cost depending on whether the carrier type is an interferer (i.e., creates interference for other carriers) or a victim of interference (i.e., is affected by interference caused by other carriers).

6 In the Minimum Carrier Separation section, do the following:■ In the Site box, type the minimum spacing to be used between

carriers on different sectors at the same site.■ In the Sector box, type the minimum spacing to be used between

carriers on the same sector.■ In the Neighbor box, type the minimum spacing to be used

between carriers on neighboring sectors.■ In the 2nd Order Neighbor box, type the minimum spacing to

be used between carriers on the neighbors of neighbor sectors.

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7 Type a value for cost minimization threshold in either the Affected Area Thresholds or Affected Traffic Thresholds section (only one box is available, and is dependent on the option that you chose in Step 2):■ If you chose, in Step 2, to base interference costs on affected area

(km2), type a value in the Absolute box in the Affected Area Thresholds section to define the affected area.

■ If you chose, in Step 2, to base interference costs on affected area (%), type a value in the Percentage box in the Affected Area Thresholds section to define the affected area.

■ If you chose, in Step 2, to base interference costs on affected traffic (mE), type a value in the Absolute box in the Affected Traffic Thresholds section to define the affected traffic.

■ If you chose, in Step 2, to base interference costs on affected traffic (%), type a value in the Percentage box in the Affected Traffic Thresholds section to define the affected traffic.

8 To define settings for another carrier type, repeat Step 4 to Step 7.9 Click OK.

Saving and applying an interactive frequency planAfter you complete a frequency plan, you can save it for future use or apply it to the sectors that are in the plan. You can also view and export a plan. For more information on viewing and exporting a plan, see “Using basic frequency and color code planning functions” on page 253.

To save an interactive frequency plan1 In the Interactive Frequency Planning dialog box, choose File ➤ Save.2 In the Save Frequency Plan As dialog box, navigate to the folder where

you want to store the plan, type a name for the plan, and click Save.

The plan is added to the Frequency Plans node in the RF Tools category of the Project Explorer. Once the plan has been added to the Project Explorer, you can use all of the procedures in “Using basic frequency and color code planning functions” on page 253.

To apply an interactive frequency planAfter you save a frequency plan, you can apply it to the sectors in the group that you used to create the frequency plan. You can also remove any existing

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carrier assignments from the sectors in the group. For details on applying a frequency plan, see “To apply a frequency and color code plan” on page 255.

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Chapter 11: Generating TDMA/FDMA Reports

11.
Generating TDMA/FDMA Reports

reports■ Workflow for generating

TDMA/FDMA reports■ Designing a TDMA/FDMA

report■ Generating a TDMA/FDMA

report■ Calculating statistics for

TDMA/FDMA analysis layers

This chapter describes how to design and generate

reports about data in your TDMA/FDMA network.

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Understanding TDMA/FDMA reports

A report is a table of data in HTML or Excel format that provides information about items in your network. You can design, preview, save, and generate reports. You can include the following types of data in a report:

■ cell equipment data—data about the sectors in the project (you can choose W-CDMA, cdma2000, or TDMA/FDMA)

■ antenna data■ subscriber information■ data generated using the layer statistics tool

After you generate TDMA/FDMA analysis layers, you can calculate statistics for an analysis layer using information from a clutter grid file, a traffic map, or a user-defined filter. The statistics generated include the analysis area, a percentage value, and any additional columns created by the applied traffic map, clutter, or filter. For more information, see “Calculating statistics for TDMA/FDMA analysis layers” on page 293.

Workflow for generating TDMA/FDMA reportsStep 1 Design a report. See “Designing a TDMA/FDMA report” on

page 286.

Step 2 If you want to include TDMA/FDMA analysis layer statistics in a report, do the following:■ Generate TDMA/FDMA analysis layers. See

“Chapter 7: Generating TDMA/FDMA Analysis Layers” on page 175.

■ Generate statistics for TDMA/FDMA analysis layers and add them to the Report Designer. See “Calculating statistics for TDMA/FDMA analysis layers” on page 293.

Step 3 Generate a report. See “Generating a TDMA/FDMA report” on page 291.

Designing a TDMA/FDMA reportThe Report Designer enables you to create an overall design for a report before you generate it. You can customize the data that you add and define the output of the report.

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Generating TDMA/FDMA ReportsTDMA/FDMA User Guide

The Report Designer also enables you to preview the report design before you save it or generate it. Previewing the design enables you to customize the data or output settings until you are satisfied with the result. Once you are satisfied with the design, you can save it until you want to generate the report. Report designs are stored in the Reports folder of your project. You can also load and modify existing report designs in the Report Designer even after you have generated them.

To design a TDMA/FDMA report1 Choose Data ➤ Design Report.

The Report Designer opens.

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2 On the Data tab, in the Available Data section, expand one of the following nodes and choose the type of data to add to the report:■ Cell Equipment—contains data from TDMA/FDMA sector

settings. For more information, see “Chapter 5: Configuring and Placing TDMA/FDMA Sites” on page 95.

■ Antenna—contains data about the antenna patterns in the project. For more information, see Chapter 3, “Working with Antenna Patterns”, in the Planet User Guide.

■ Subscribers—contains data about the subscriber information in the Subscriber Manager. For more information on subscribers, see Chapter 4, “Defining W-CDMA Subscribers”, or Chapter 14, “Defining cdma2000 Subscribers” in the CDMA User Guide.

■ <Layer Statistics>—contains statistics from a TDMA/FDMA analysis layer. Layer Statistics will only appear in the Available Data section if you have calculated them and added them to the report design. For more information, see “Calculating statistics for TDMA/FDMA analysis layers” on page 293.

3 Type a description for the data in the Edit Description for the Data section, and click the right arrow.

The data is added to the Selected Data section.

4 To add more data to the report, repeat Step 2 and Step 3.5 To display a preview of the report, click Preview.

The report design is displayed in a Web browser.

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To define the data columns for a TDMA/FDMA report1 In the Report Designer dialog box, click the Design tab.

2 To change the name of a column, click in the Column Label box and type a name.

3 To include or exclude columns from the report, do any of the following:■ To exclude a single column, clear the check box in the Show

column.■ To exclude all columns, click Clear All.■ To include all columns, click Show All.

4 To change the order of the columns, choose one or more columns and click the up arrow or down arrow.

To choose a column, click the column number.

5 To display a preview of the report, click Preview.


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To define the export settings for a TDMA/FDMA report1 In the Report Designer dialog box, click the Output tab.

2 In the Select Export Destination section, choose one of the following formats from the Format list:■ Excel—the report is loaded into Microsoft Excel. Using

Microsoft Excel, you can save the report in .xls format. To use this option, you must have Microsoft Excel installed.

■ HTML—the report is saved in HTML (.htm) format. If you choose this option, you can choose, from the Output list, whether to save the report to a file or open it in a Web browser.

■ MapInfo—the report is saved as a MapInfo (.tab) file.3 In the Export Settings section, define the settings that are specific to the

type of format that you chose.

For more information on the settings in this section, press the F1 key. If you do not define custom settings, the default settings will be used.

4 To define output settings for another format, repeat Step 2 and Step 3.5 To display a preview of the report, click Preview.


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To save the TDMA/FDMA report design1 In the Report Designer dialog box, choose File ➤ Save As.2 In the Save Report dialog box, type a name for the report in the Report

Name box.3 From the Report Category list, choose TDMA-FDMA.4 Click OK.

The report design is saved in the Reports\TDMA_FDMA folder of your project. Report designs are saved with the file extension of .wrp.

5 Choose File ➤ Exit to close the Report Designer dialog box.

To modify an existing TDMA/FDMA report design1 In the Report Designer dialog box, choose File ➤ Load.2 In the Open Report dialog box, choose the report that you want to open,

and click OK.3 In the Report Designer, modify the settings of the report design.

For more information on these settings, see “To design a TDMA/FDMA report” on page 287.

To delete a TDMA/FDMA report design1 In the Report Designer dialog box, choose File ➤ Remove.2 In the Remove Report dialog box, expand the technology node

containing the report that you want to delete, choose the report, and click Remove.

Generating a TDMA/FDMA reportAfter you have designed and saved a report design in the W-CDMA category, you can use the Generate Report dialog box to generate multiple reports simultaneously.

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To generate a TDMA/FDMA report1 Choose Data ➤ Generate Report.2 In the Generate Report dialog box, choose the report that you want to

generate.

3 From the Select Output Format list, choose the format for the report output.

The output settings for each format are defined on the Output tab of the Report Designer and saved in the report design that you are generating (see “To define the export settings for a TDMA/FDMA report” on page 290). You can output the report in any of the three formats.

4 Click OK.

The report is generated and displayed or saved in the output format that you chose.

You can also generate reports for a group of sectors or for a flag condition by doing the following:

• To generate reports for a group of sectors, right-click a group in the Sites category in the Project Explorer and choose Generate Reports.

• To generate reports for sectors that have been assigned a flag condition, enable the flag condition in the Project Explorer, right-click the Flags node, and choose Generate Reports.

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Calculating statistics for TDMA/FDMA analysis layersYou can calculate statistics on the individual TDMA/FDMA analysis layers that you have generated. You can calculate statistics based on the entire numeric grid (.grd) file, an area grid, or a selection in the Map window. You can further customize the statistics based on a clutter grid file, traffic map, or a user-defined filter.After you calculate statistics, you can add them to a new or existing report design.

To calculate TDMA/FDMA layer statistics1 In the Project Explorer, in the Network Analyses category, choose the

analysis layers that you want to add, right-click one of the analysis layers and choose Statistics.

The Layer Statistics Analysis dialog box opens.

2 To manually add additional analysis layers to the list, click Add Layer, navigate to file that you want to add, and click Open.

3 In the tree view, choose Analysis Settings.

When you calculate layer statistics, they are automatically displayed in Microsoft Excel. In order to use the Layer Statistics Analysis tool, you

must have Microsoft Excel installed.

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4 On the Analysis Settings panel, choose one of the following from the Analysis Area list:■ Current Window—statistics are generated based on the area

displayed in the Map window■ Entire Layer—statistics are generated based on the area defined

in the analysis layer(s) used■ Selected Rectangle—statistics are generated for the area that is

enclosed by the selected rectangle in the Map window. You can use the MapInfo rectangle tool to create a rectangle. For more information, see the MapInfo Professional User Guide.

■ Area—statistics are generated based on an area grid. For more information, see “Creating area grids” in Chapter 12, “Working With Grids”, in the Planet User Guide.

5 To generate statistics based on the area defined in a classified grid file, enable the Use Classified Grid check box, and click Browse to navigate to the file.

The default classified grid file is the clutter grid file defined for the project.

Any classified grid can be used to perform different kinds of statistical analysis. For example, to produce a statistical breakdown for each sector, use a best server layer as the classification grid. This breaks the statistics down by best server area.

6 To generate traffic statistics, enable the Use Traffic Map check box and choose a traffic map from the Traffic Map list.

7 To filter the analysis area based on a grid file, enable the Apply Area Filter check box, and do the following:■ To define the area raster, click Browse, navigate to the grid file

and click OK.■ To define the condition for the filter, type an expression in the

Condition box. For example, choosing the SignalStrength.grd file and defining the expression would only consider pixels within the analysis area that have a signal strength greater than 100.

For more information on creating expressions, press the F1 key.

8 To discard statistical results that only contain null values, enable the Discard Result That Only Contains Zero Statistics check box.

v 100>

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9 From the Export Format list, choose one of the following formats:■ Excel—statistics will be displayed automatically in Microsoft

Excel when they are generated.■ Html—statistics are generated in an HTML (.htm) file and

stored in the Reports\LayerStatistics\Html folder in the project. There will be one .htm file for each layer for which you are generated statistics. These files will not be displayed automatically.

■ MapInfo Table—statistics are generated in MapInfo (.tab) file and stored in the Reports\LayerStatistics\MapInfo folder in the project. There will be one .tab file for each layer for which you are generating statistics. These files will not be displayed automatically. To display the files, see “To display TDMA/FDMA layer statistics in table format” on page 296.

10 If the Layers node in the tree view does not contain layers, click Add Layer, choose the numeric grid (.grd) file that you want to add, and click Open.

11 In the tree view, expand Layers and choose the analysis layer for which you want to obtain statistics.

The Layers panel opens to display layer information about the data type, resolution, and the area.

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12 If you want to define classification settings for the analysis layer, define any of the available settings in the Classifications section.

The settings that are available in this section are dependent on the data type of the analysis layer (classified or numeric). Do any of the following:

■ In the Classifications box, choose the classification for the analysis layer. This setting is only available if the data type of the analysis layer is classified.

■ To split the classification by site and sector names, enable the Split Classification to Get Site and Sector Names check box. This setting is only available if the data type of the analysis layer is classified.

■ To define the data ranges for which to calculate statistics, type the threshold values in the Threshold Definition box, separated by semi-colons. The default thresholds are set by equally dividing the range of Zmin and Zmax values contained in the chosen analysis layer. This setting is only available if the data type of the analysis layer is numeric.

■ In the Classification Name box, type a name for the classification in this box. This option is available for both the classified and numeric data types.

13 Click Calculate Statistics.

The settings in the Layer Statistics Analysis dialog box are saved automatically for use the next time you calculate layer statistics.

To display TDMA/FDMA layer statistics in table formatIf you saved your statistics in MapInfo (.tab) format, you can view them in a Map window.

1 Choose File ➤ Open Table.2 In the Open dialog box, navigate to the Reports\LayerStatistics\MapInfo

folder of your project and choose the MapInfo (.tab) file that you want to display.

3 From the Preferred View list, choose Browser.

You can also access the Layer Statistics Analysis dialog box by choosing Analysis ➤ Layer Statistics.

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4 Click Open.

The layer statistics table opens in a new Browser window.

To add TDMA/FDMA layer statistics to a report design1 Do one of the following to open the Report Designer:

■ If the Layer Statistics Analysis dialog box is open, click Design Report.

■ Choose Data ➤ Design Report.

The Report Designer opens, with the layers in the Available Data section.

2 Design the report using the instructions provided in “Designing a TDMA/FDMA report” on page 286.

3 Generate the report using the instructions provided in “Generating a TDMA/FDMA report” on page 291.

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298

Chapter 12: Generating Performance Analyses

12.
Generating Performance Analyses
This chapter contains the following sections:■ Understanding the

Performance Simulator■ Preparing data for

performance analysis■ Workflow for performance

analysis■ Creating composite traffic

maps■ Importing packet data

statistics for use in a performance analysis

■ Creating a performance analysis

■ Defining performance analysis settings

■ Running a performance analysis

■ Working with performance analysis results

This chapter explains how to generate performance

analyses.

Performance analyses are simulations that predict the

Quality of Service (QoS) of a network. Using the

Performance Simulator, you can evaluate the impact

of different frequency plans before they are actually

implemented in the network.

Performance analyses are only available for the GSM

technology. You can only generate performance

analyses if you purchased the Performance Simulator

tool.

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Understanding the Performance SimulatorThe Performance Simulator is a simulation tool that enables you to determine the performance of the network by analyzing

■ voice traffic (defined in offered traffic)■ offered packet traffic (defined as packet throughput)

Voice traffic analysisWhen you generate a performance analysis with the Performance Simulator, a Monte Carlo algorithm is used to generate a number of simulated voice calls and compute the C/I level, from which the following service quality metrics are derived:

■ bit error rate (BER)—the predicted percentage of errors for voice calls, as determined by a BER vs C/I curve.

■ received signal quality (RxQual)—an average quality of the signal. The rating from 0 (best) to 7 (worst) corresponds to a specific range of BER values for voice and data time slots, based on European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) standards.

■ mean opinion score (MOS)—a perceived voice-quality rating from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), as determined by the MOS vs C/I curve for the AMR codec used for voice calls. For details on AMR codecs, see “AMR codecs” on page 303.

The Performance Simulator also provides other service-related information, such as carried, offered, and blocked traffic, carrier usage, and interference information.

Packet traffic analysisOptionally, you can provide the Performance Simulator with packet data statistics and run a performance analysis that also performs a number of simulated data calls. A performance analysis enabled for packet data uses a Poisson distribution to generate random values of packet traffic. These random values simulate the variation in the users’ sessions.The C/I levels in each sector determine which coding schemes are usable and how many time slots are necessary. The capacity in the sector is filled by allocating voice and packet traffic to the time slots. If there is not enough capacity, extra data is put into a packet queue to wait for time slots to become

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Generating Performance AnalysesTDMA/FDMA User Guide

available. However, if there is extra capacity, the available time slots are filled by extra data that may be in the packet queue.The data service quality metrics that are generated by a performance analysis include:

■ Packet throughput—an average data rate of packet data carried for each sector and an average data rate of packet data carried by a time slot for each sector

■ Coding scheme usage—a distribution percentage for each coding scheme in a sector

Preparing data for performance analysisThe Performance Simulator uses a variety of input data from your project, including an interference matrix and other network configuration information. The following sections explain how to prepare data for performance analysis.

Network dataWhen preparing input data for your project, the samples must be statistically representative. For example, when evaluating BCCH carrier RxQual measurements, enough samples must have been taken so that the data contain the mean RxQual for the busy period. If the traffic is loaded on the TCH carriers first and if only residual traffic is allocated to the BCCH carrier, then not enough samples will be taken and the RxQual results are not going to be statistically relevant.One way to assess the quality of the statistics is to have measures done at the same time on comparable days (business days or weekend). The variability of the data must be low.

Traffic mapThe traffic map is used as input to the interference matrix. You can create a traffic map using network data or subscriber information. When you create

When you are using time-dependent inputs, such as traffic or packet throughput, ensure that they cover the same period of time.

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the traffic map using network data, you have the option of using clutter weightings. Using clutter weightings is recommended.

Effects of clutter on the traffic mapThe difference in clutter weightings in a sector can have a significant effect on the affected traffic. When some of the bins with the majority of traffic (roads) have a low C/I, the affected traffic (in comparison to the affected area) in the sector increases by a significant margin. But when bins with little traffic (open space/grass) have a low C/I, the affected traffic does not decrease by much because they carry a very small part of the traffic.For example, if the clutter weight for open space/grass is 1 and the clutter weight for roads is 1, the affected traffic is going to be the same as the affected area. However, if the clutter weight for roads increases, then the affected traffic will also increase (on average) in comparison to the affected area.For more information on traffic maps and clutter, see Chapter 10, “Working with Traffic Maps”, in the Planet User Guide.

Interference matrixThe most useful performance analyses are produced when you use a merged interference matrix based on a combination of Modeled and Network Data matrices. The Performance Simulator uses the affected traffic information in the interference matrix to determine the interference between sectors. For the percentage of affected traffic information in the Modeled interference matrix and in the Network Data interference matrix to be coherent, they must be based on the same C/I threshold. For the Modeled interference matrix, the threshold is the mean C/I used to generate the weight curve. For the Network Data interference matrix, the threshold is configured when the data is collected.

Ensure that your clutter file is precise and that your clutter weights are assigned carefully. An incorrect clutter file can lead to overestimates or

underestimates in some areas when you generate an interference matrix.

When you create the Modeled interference matrix, make a note of the C/I Weights curve for co-channel interference that you choose. You will

need to use the same curve when you define interference matrix settings for performance analysis.

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The Modeled interference matrix should only take into account the affected traffic for the best server because the Performance Simulator only uses this information. If you include affected traffic carried by non-best servers, the interference levels in the interference matrix will be too high, which will skew the results of the performance analysis.

Network configurationIn addition to the interference matrix, the performance analysis also uses data from your network configuration, especially the frequency plan. A performance analysis uses frequency hopping information for each transceiver and interferer information for each carrier. The available adaptive multi-rate (AMR) codecs are calculated based on the C/I level.

Packet data statisticsTo analyze packet traffic, the Performance Simulator uses packet throughput information for the sectors (i.e., the effective data rate of packet data handled by the time slots in each sector). The Performance Simulator can also determine the packet throughput values if you provide the number of time slots used for each coding scheme by sector for a given sampling period. See “Importing packet data statistics for use in a performance analysis” on page 308.

AMR codecsAMR codecs lower the codec rate as the interference increases, enabling more error correction to be applied. This can improve the perceived voice quality when the C/I is low. If AMR codecs are used, the Performance Simulator assigns them to calls based on the C/I level associated with each call, as shown in Table 12.1.

When you merge the interference matrices, the recommended method is to replace the values in the Modeled interference matrix with the

Network Data values. For details about merging interference matrices, see Chapter 11, “Working with Interference Matrices”, in the Planet User Guide.

Table 12.1 Default codec assignments

Codec Used when C/I is

6k70HR 15 to 100 dB

5k90HR 10 to 16 dB

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The Performance Simulator assigns AMR codecs to the proportion of traffic that you have defined as having AMR codecs installed. All other traffic is assumed to use Enhanced Full-Rate (EFR) codecs. You can define which of the supported codecs are available on your network. See “To define codecs for a performance analysis” on page 320.Half-Rate (HR) AMR codecs affect the network C/I levels used to determine codec assignment. The Performance Simulator uses a convergence loop to find the equilibrium point between full- and half-rate traffic as additional traffic is carried by half-rate assignments.

Workflow for performance analysisStep 1 Choose or create a group of sites that you will use for your

interference matrix and performance analysis. See Chapter 2, “Working with Sites and Sectors”, in the Planet User Guide.

Step 2 Generate a network analysis for the group to obtain signal strength predictions, and a best server analysis layer. See the following chapters for more information:■ “Generating TDMA/FDMA Analysis Layers” on

page 175.■ Chapter 8, “Generating Predictions”, in the

Planet User Guide.

Step 3 Do one of the following:

■ If you want to use network data as input, import carried traffic values (captured Erlangs) using the Network Data tool, and then create a traffic map for the group of sites using the imported data. For information on using the Network Data tool,

4k75HR 9 to 11 dB

10k2FR 7 to 10 dB

6k70FR 5 to 8 dB

5k90FR 3 to 6 dB

4k75FR 0 to 4 dB

Table 12.1 Default codec assignments (continued)

Codec Used when C/I is

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see Chapter 13, “Working with Network and Project Data”, in the Planet User Guide. For information on traffic maps, see Chapter 10, “Working with Traffic Maps”, in the Planet User Guide.

■ If you want to use subscriber information as input, define subscriber types and create a composite traffic map. For more information on define subscriber types, see Chapter 4, “Defining W-CDMA Subscribers” or Chapter 14, “Defining cdma2000 Subscribers”, in the CDMA User Guide. For more information on creating a composite traffic map, see “Creating composite traffic maps” on page 307.

Step 4 Update the traffic values (offered Erlangs) for the sites in your project. For information on how to update the traffic values, see “Updating TDMA/FDMA sector traffic values using traffic map information” on page 147. Use the best server analysis layer that you created in Step 2 and the traffic map that you created in Step 3.

Step 5 Create an interference matrix for the group by doing the following:

■ Create a Modeled interference matrix (which uses signal strengths to determine C/I levels) using the traffic map from Step 3.

■ Create a Network Data interference matrix.■ Merge the interference matrices by replacing the

values in the Modeled interference matrix with the values in the Network Data interference matrix.

■ Evaluate the results to ensure that the results do not contain unexpected values and that there are no significant interferers missing from the list for a few representative sites.

For details on interference matrices, see Chapter 11, “Working with Interference Matrices”, in the Planet User Guide.If cell parameters have changed (for example, if you are using an automated cell planner), the best server area may have changed as well. This means that the data used to build the Network Data interference matrix is no longer valid because it is referring to a previous best server.

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Step 6 Ensure that carrier assignments are available for the sectors in the group. To assign carriers, you can:■ Assign carriers manually. See “Defining TDMA/

FDMA carrier settings” on page 122.■ Create a frequency plan and apply it to the

group. See “Chapter 8: Generating Frequency Plans Automatically” on page 217 and “Applying a frequency plan to TDMA/FDMA sectors” on page 236.

■ Import an existing frequency plan and apply it to the group. See “Importing frequency and color code plans using pre-defined importers” on page 239 and “To apply a frequency and color code plan” on page 255.

Step 7 If required, import packet data statistics. See “Importing packet data statistics for use in a performance analysis” on page 308.

Step 8 Create a performance analysis, define performance analysis settings, and run the analysis. See:■ “Creating a performance analysis” on page 314■ “Defining performance analysis settings” on

page 315 ■ “Running a performance analysis” on page 325

Step 9 Display the performance analysis results. See “Working with performance analysis results” on page 327.

Step 10 Repeat the process to assess the impact of any changes to the network, for example:■ to evaluate new frequency plans before they are

implemented in the network. In this case, the same interference matrix and RxQual values can be used.

■ to evaluate changes to site parameters such as height or tilt, which can result in changes to the best serving area.

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Creating composite traffic mapsComposite traffic maps are created by combining the traffic maps associated with subscriber types in the Subscriber Manager. If you have subscriber types that use equipment types with GSM technology bands, you can create composite traffic maps. Composite traffic maps combine the traffic maps assigned to each subscriber type. When you create traffic maps using subscriber information, two composite traffic maps are created: one map in Erlangs for voice data and one map in Kbps for packet data.For more information on traffic maps, see Chapter 10, “Working with Traffic Maps”, in the Planet User Guide.

To create a composite traffic map1 In the Project Explorer, in the Project Data category, right-click Traffic

Maps and choose New from Subscriber Types.

The Generate Traffic Maps dialog box opens, listing the subscriber types that you can use to create the composite traffic map. Only subscriber types that use equipment types with GSM technology bands are listed.

2 In the Name box, type a name for the composite traffic map.3 Clear the check boxes for any subscriber types that you do not want to

include in the composite traffic maps.

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4 Click Generate.

Two traffic maps are created and displayed under the Traffic Map node in the Project Data category in the Project Explorer.

Importing packet data statistics for use in a performance analysis

You can import packet data statistics from wireless switching equipment in order to provide the performance analysis with packet throughput values for the sectors that you want to analyze. Packet throughput values can be used in a performance analysis to determine information such as average data rate of packet data carried by the sectors and the average data rate of packet data handled by time slots in each sector.To use packet throughput data with your performance analysis, you must use the Network Data tool to map the packet data for the serving sectors to Planet data. This process is referred to as binding. For more information, see Chapter 13, “Working with Network and Project Data”, in the Planet User Guide.You have two options for importing packet data statistics:

■ You can directly bind network data files that contain the packet throughput values for each sector. See “To import packet throughput information” on page 309.

■ If you have the number of time slots used for each coding scheme by sector for a given sampling period, you can determine packet throughput values for each sector and then bind them to the Planet data. See “To import packet throughput information using time slot data” on page 310.

All packet data that you want to bind must be in an Excel spreadsheet (.xls) or tab-delimited text (.txt) file, and must contain the specific column headings listed in the following sections.

If the traffic maps assigned to the subscriber types that you chose contain no voice traffic, then only one composite traffic map (containing

data traffic) will be generated. If the traffic maps assigned to the subscriber types that you chose contain no data traffic, then only one composite traffic map (containing voice traffic) will be generated.

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To import packet throughput informationNetwork data files that contain the packet throughput values for each sector must have column headings for the site ID, sector ID, and packet throughput, as shown in the example in Table 12.2.

If the network data has a Cell_ID column, the Network Data tool can convert the Cell_ID data to site and sector identifiers. The Cell_ID data must be in the form “sitenameX,” where sitename is the site identifier and X is an alphabetic character representing the sector number (i.e., A for 1, B for 2).

1 In the Project Explorer, in the Operational Data category, right-click Network Data and choose New.

The Network Data dialog box opens.

2 In the External Data Source section, click Browse, navigate to the .xls or .txt network data file that you want to import, and then click Open.

If the external data contains a Cell_ID column, the Planet dialog box opens.

3 If the Planet dialog box opens, click Yes to convert the Cell_ID column data to Site_ID and Sector_ID.

The columns SiteId(Converted) and SectorId(Converted) are listed in the External Data column of the Rules table.

4 On the Data Binding tab, do any of the following to map fields in the external data to fields in the site table:■ Enable the check box beside the serving site ID listed in the

External Data column and choose Site_Id from the Planet Data list in that row.

■ Enable the check box beside the serving sector ID listed in the External Data column and choose Antenna_Id from the Planet Data list in that row.

■ Enable the check box beside the packet throughput in the External Data column and choose Packet Throughput from the Planet Data list in that row.

Table 12.2 Network data for packet throughput per sector

site_id sector_id Packet throughput (kbps)

Site_4 A 8

Site_5 B 12

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5 Click the Results tab.6 Click Fetch.

You can examine the fetched data in the table. The table rows are shaded for sites in the site table that have network data, unshaded for sites that have no data. If the data was not imported properly, you can return to the Data Binding tab, and make changes.

7 Click Save.8 Click Close to close the Network Data dialog box.

Each packet throughput metric is added as a network data file to the Operational Data category of the Project Explorer.

To import packet throughput information using time slot dataNetwork data files that contain the number of time slots used for each coding scheme by sector for a given sampling period must have column headings for the site ID, sector ID, coding schemes used, and sampling duration, as shown in the example in Table 12.3.

If the network data has a Cell_ID column, the Network Data tool can convert the Cell_ID data to site and sector identifiers. The Cell_ID data must be in the form “sitenameX,” where sitename is the site identifier and X is an alphabetic character representing the sector number (i.e., A for 1, B for 2).The Performance Simulator can use Cell Doctor data generated with BSS software version 12.1.1. If you have a Cell Doctor file, you can verify that it is

If you want to view a thematic display of numeric data, before you click Save, enable the Generate Display Info When Saving Results check

box. Then, in the Generate Display Info dialog box, enable the check box for each performance indicator you want to view, and click OK. For more information, see Chapter 13, “Working with Network and Project Data”, in the Planet User Guide.

Table 12.3 Network data for number of time slots used per coding scheme

site_id sector_id CS-1 MCS-5 CS-4 Sampling duration (seconds)

Site_6 A 4 8 7 0.02

Site_7 B 6 12 9 0.02

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the correct version by checking the version information in the header. The header is in the following format:Date : <date>

Menu Command Path : <path>

Version / Report : <version> / <report>

1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click Performance Analyses and choose Tool.

2 In the Performance Simulator dialog box, choose Import ➤ Packet Switch Statistics.

The Import Network Data dialog box opens.

3 If you want to use a Cell Doctor file (which is in text format) from a Nokia switch, click Convert Cell Doctor File to convert the file to a format that Planet can use.

Converting the file removes extra information that is not useful for the Performance Simulator, and produces another file (also in text format) that is stored in the Network Data folder in your project. The name of this file is <cell doctor file name>_converted.txt.

4 Click Open Network Data to choose the network data file that you want to bind to the sectors.

The Network Data dialog box opens.

5 In the External Data Source section, click Browse, navigate to the .xls or .txt network data file that you want to import, and then click Open.

If the external data contains a Cell_ID column, the Planet dialog box opens.

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6 If the Planet dialog box opens, click Yes to convert the Cell_ID column data to Site_ID and Sector_ID.

The columns SiteId(Converted) and SectorId(Converted) are listed in the External Data column of the Rules table.

7 On the Data Binding tab, do any of the following to map fields in the external data to fields in the site table:■ Enable the check box beside the serving site ID listed in the

External Data column and choose Site_Id from the Planet Data list in that row.

■ Enable the check box beside the serving sector ID listed in the External Data column and choose Antenna_Id from the Planet Data list in that row.

■ Enable the check box beside each coding scheme listed in the External Data column and choose the corresponding entry in the Planet Data list in that row.

■ Enable the check box beside the sampling duration in the External Data column and choose Sampling Duration from the Planet Data list in that row.

8 Click the Results tab.9 Click Fetch.

You can examine the fetched data in the table. The table rows are shaded for sites in the site table that have network data, unshaded for sites that have no data. If the data was not imported properly, you can return to the Data Binding tab, and make changes.

10 Click Close to close the Network Data dialog box.

Each packet throughput metric is added as a network data file to the Operational Data category of the Project Explorer.

11 In the Import Network Data dialog box, click Select Sectors.12 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the sectors for which you want to

add packet data statistics, and click Continue.

The number of selected sectors is updated in the Data Binding section of the Import Network Data dialog box.

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13 To view statistics about the data bindings for your network data file, click Refresh.

The number of sectors in the chosen group with throughput data is updated in the Data Binding section.

14 Click Import.15 In the Import Network Data dialog box, click Yes to add the throughput

information to the site table.

16 In the Import Network Data dialog box, click OK.

If you want to view a thematic display of numeric data, before you click Save, enable the Generate Display Info When Saving Results check

box. Then, in the Generate Display Info dialog box, enable the check box for each performance indicator you want to view, and click OK. For more information, see Chapter 13, “Working with Network and Project Data”, in the Planet User Guide.

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Creating a performance analysisYou can create any number of performance analyses for a project.

To create a performance analysis1 In the Project Explorer, in the RF Tools category, right-click

Performance Analyses and choose Tool.

2 In the Performance Simulator, click the New button.

A new performance analysis is created with a default name in the Performance Analyses tree view. The new analysis is also displayed in the RF Tools category of the Project Explorer under Performance Analyses. Previously saved performance analysis files are also displayed in those locations.

3 To change the default name of the analysis, click the analysis name in the tree view, click the Rename button, and type a new name.

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4 To change the description of the analysis, click in the Description box and type a new description.

To open a performance analysis fileYou can open a previously saved performance analysis (.qos) file. Performance analysis files include the settings for running the performance analysis and the results of the performance analysis.

1 In the Performance Simulator, click the Open button.

2 In the Open dialog box, navigate to the performance analysis file that you want to open and click Open.

Defining performance analysis settingsAfter you create a performance analysis, you must define settings for it in the Settings dialog box.

To define performance analysis settings

1 In the tree view of the Performance Simulator, choose the performance analysis for which you want to define settings, and click the Settings button.

The Settings dialog box opens with the Interference Matrix panel selected by default.

You can also access the Performance Simulator by clicking the Performance Simulator Tool button on the Mobile Technology toolbar.

You can modify the settings of an existing analysis by double-clicking it in the Project Explorer.

You can also open a performance analysis file by choosing Performance Analyses ➤ Open in the Performance Simulator.

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2 Choose any of the following items in the tree view to define performance analysis settings: ■ Interference Matrix—enables you to choose an interference

matrix and define interference settings. See “To define interference matrix settings for a performance analysis” on page 317.

■ Voice Traffic and AMR—enables you to define traffic settings. See “To define voice traffic and AMR settings for a performance analysis” on page 318.

■ Codecs—enables you to define codec settings. See “To define codecs for a performance analysis” on page 320.

■ Packet Traffic—enables you to include packet traffic. See “To use packet data statistics in a performance analysis” on page 322.

■ Advanced—enables to define advanced settings used in the calculation of a performance analysis. See “To define advanced performance analysis settings” on page 322.

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3 After you have defined the performance analysis settings, click OK to apply them to the performance analysis.

To define interference matrix settings for a performance analysis1 In the tree view of the Settings dialog box for the performance analysis,

choose Interference Matrix.2 On the Interference Matrix panel, from the Name list, choose an

interference matrix to use for the analysis.

The interference matrix must cover the same group of sites as the performance analysis. The Type field is updated automatically to show the type of interference matrix, which must be Modeled, Network, or Merged. For more information on interference matrices, see Chapter 11, “Working with Interference Matrices”, in the Planet User Guide.

3 Choose one of the following options to convert the affected traffic values in the interference matrix into a C/I distribution:■ Use C/I Weights Tables—uses a C/I curve to convert the

percentage of affected traffic values from the interference matrix into C/I values in dB. This is useful when using a Modeled interference matrix. You can click New to create a new co-channel interference curve or Edit to edit an existing co-channel interference curve. The C/I weights table that you choose must be the same as the C/I weights table that you used to generate the Modeled interference matrix.

■ Use C/I Parameters—generates a Gaussian curve that uses the C/I Threshold as the mean (the weight in the curve where 50% of the traffic is affected) and C/I Standard Deviation values to convert the C/I values from the interference matrix to dB. This option is useful when using a Network Data interference matrix

You can also access the Settings dialog box by double-clicking a performance analysis in the tree view of the Performance Simulator.

You can edit previously defined settings by right-clicking the performance analysis in the Performance Simulator tree view and

choosing Settings, or by right-clicking the performance analysis in the RF Tools category of the Project Explorer and choosing Settings.

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that contains the percentage of traffic that experiences a C/I lower than a C/I threshold. The C/I standard deviation is the standard deviation of the C/I experienced by the traffic. When you choose this option, you must type a C/I threshold in the C/I Threshold box and a C/I standard deviation in the C/I Standard Deviation box. For additional information on these settings, press the F1 key.


To define voice traffic and AMR settings for a performance analysisWhen you define voice traffic settings, keep in mind that for some sectors, if the traffic is loaded on the TCH carriers first and all of the traffic is carried by TCH carriers, then no value can be calculated for the BCCH carrier. If you need to know C/I values for the BCCH carrier, then you can override sector settings and allocate traffic to the BCCH carrier first, as described in Step 2 in this procedure.If the spectrum is not segregated between the TCH and the BCCH carriers and if the TCH carriers are interfering on the BCCH carriers, the C/I is going to be higher than in reality. This is caused by the fact that as the traffic is loaded on the BCCH carrier first, the TCH carriers are less loaded than in the real network and so interfere less with the BCCH carrier.

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1 In the tree view of the Settings dialog box for the performance analysis, choose Voice Traffic and AMR.

2 On the Voice Traffic and AMR panel, choose one of the following options for traffic loading from the Traffic Loading list:■ Use Sector Settings—allocates traffic loads according to the

settings defined per sector. This option is available only for sectors for which frequency hopping is enabled. See “Defining TDMA/FDMA frequency hopping settings” on page 114.

■ TCH Carriers First—overrides sector settings and allocates traffic to TCH carriers first

■ BCCH Carrier First—overrides sector settings and allocates traffic to the BCCH carrier first

If you choose TCH Carriers First or BCCH Carrier First, this setting overrides the BCCH allocation options for each sector. For more information on defining BCCH allocation for sectors, see “To define traffic settings for GSM” on page 117.

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3 In the Traffic Options section, choose one of the following options:■ Use Per-sector Carried Erlangs—uses the defined carried

Erlangs, converted to offered traffic (see Step 4), as the traffic value for each sector

■ Use Per-sector Offered Erlangs—uses the defined offered Erlangs as the traffic value for each sector

4 If you chose the Use Per-Sector Carried Erlangs option, in the Convert Carried Traffic to Offered Traffic section, choose one of the following conversion options:■ No Conversion—uses the existing carried traffic values as

offered traffic■ Erlang B—uses the Erlang B model■ Erlang C—uses the Erlang C model■ Poisson—uses the Poisson model

5 If your network equipment supports AMR codecs, in the Adaptive Multi-Rate Codecs section, enable the Enable AMR check box, and type or choose a value in the AMR-Enabled User Equipment box to indicate the percentage of user equipment that supports AMR codecs.


To define codecs for a performance analysisEach codec has a minimum and maximum C/I value associated with it. The values assigned to the codecs are based on the C/I value. For more information, see “AMR codecs” on page 303.If multiple codecs match the C/I value associated with a call, one of the matching codecs is chosen randomly.

1 In tree view of the Settings dialog box for the performance analysis, choose Codecs.

The Codecs panel opens.

If you did not enable the Enable AMR check box on the Voice Traffic and AMR panel, the only codec that is displayed is EFR. See “To define voice traffic and AMR settings for a performance analysis” on page 318.

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2 To modify the MOS vs C/I curve, click the MOS vs C/I Curve (...) button for the codec and modify the curve in the Curve Editor.

For more information about using the Curve Editor, press the F1 key.

3 For each codec, enable or clear the check box in the Half Rate column.4 To compare MOS vs C/I curves for all available codecs, click

All MOS vs C/I Curves.

The Curve Editor opens, showing all MOS vs. C/I curves. You can modify any of the curves. For more information, press the F1 key.

5 To view the BER vs C/I curve for the analysis, click BER vs C/I Curve.

The Curve Editor opens, showing the BER vs. C/I curve. You can modify the curve. For more information about using the Curve Editor, press the F1 key.

6 To add a codec to the list, click Add.

A new row is added to the table.

7 If you want to edit the values for a codec, double-click a field and type a new value.

8 If your network supports a subset of the available codecs and you need to remove an unsupported codec, choose the codec and click Remove.

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To use packet data statistics in a performance analysisTo include offered packet traffic in a performance analysis, you must ensure that:

■ Coding schemes are defined and enabled for GPRS at the network level. See “Defining GSM settings” on page 34. Optionally, you can also define and enable coding schemes for EGPRS.

■ Data services are defined at the network level. See “Defining TDMA/FDMA services using the Data Service Definition panel” on page 56.

■ Packet data settings are defined at the sector level (all packet data settings, except for the number of time slots to multiplex, are considered). See “Defining TDMA/FDMA packet data settings” on page 112.

■ Packet settings for carriers are defined at the sector level. See “Defining TDMA/FDMA carrier settings” on page 122.

■ Packet data is bound to the sectors that you want to analyze. See “Importing packet data statistics for use in a performance analysis” on page 308.

1 In the tree view of the Settings dialog box for the performance analysis, choose Packet Traffic.

2 Enable the Enable Packet Traffic check box.3 Choose another item in the tree view.

To define advanced performance analysis settingsYou can modify the advanced performance analysis settings to better reflect conditions within your network or to test specific operational scenarios. Typically, you do not need to modify advanced performance analysis settings because default performance analysis settings have been found to generate accurate results for a range of planning scenarios.

If you want to set all codec values to their defaults, and remove any codecs that you have added, click Reset on the Codecs panel.

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1 In the tree view of the Settings dialog box for the performance analysis, choose Advanced.

2 In each of the following boxes, type a value or accept the default:■ C Standard Deviation—the standard deviation of the signal

strength from an interferer to the victim. ■ Interference Correlation—the correlation between the worst

interferer and the next worst interferer.■ Interference Standard Deviation—the standard deviation of

the interference level from a specific interferer to a victim.■ Interferers Filter Threshold—the threshold that causes the

Performance Simulator to ignore all interferers with a C/I value

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that is higher than the C/I value of the worst interferer plus this value.

■ Mean C—the mean carrier level in dBm for BCCH and TCH carriers.

■ Noise at BCCH carriers—the mean level of all system noise affecting BCCH carriers. It excludes the interference resulting from the BCCH frequency reuse and thermal noise.

■ Noise at TCH carriers—the mean level of all system noise affecting TCH carriers. It excludes the interference resulting from the TCH frequency reuse and thermal noise.


To save performance analysis settingsYou can save the performance analysis settings that you have defined so that they can be loaded and used for a future performance analysis.■ At the bottom of any panel on the Settings dialog box for the

performance analysis, click Save Settings.

The current performance analysis settings are saved as savedSettings.qss, which resides in the QoSAnalysis folder in your project. Only one performance analysis settings file can be saved.

To load saved performance analysis settings■ To load saved performance analysis settings, click Load Settings at

the bottom of any panel on the Settings dialog box for the performance analysis.

Loading saved performance analysis settings updates all of the panels on the Settings dialog box.

You can click Default Settings at the bottom of any panel in the Settings dialog box at any time to restore the default performance analysis

settings.

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Running a performance analysisAfter you have created a performance analysis and defined settings for it, you can run the performance analysis.

To run a performance analysis

1 In the tree view of the Performance Simulator, choose the name of the performance analysis that you want to run, and click the Run button.

2 In the Select Sectors dialog box, choose the group of sites for which you want to run the performance analysis, and click Continue.

The Run dialog box opens.

A performance analysis assumes that frequency-hopping sectors at the same site have MAIO values that minimize interference between them.

It also assumes that the network is not synchronized.

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3 If you enabled AMR on the Voice Traffic and AMR panel of the Settings dialog box, choose one of the following options in the Run dialog box:■ Use Convergence—uses an iterative method for performance

simulation. When the difference between the calculated HR codec and coding scheme usage over two consecutive runs is less than the value in the Convergence box, convergence has been achieved, and the performance analysis is complete. Choose or type a value in the Convergence box for the convergence percentage, or accept the default.

■ Use Runs—performs a fixed number of processing runs. The Performance Simulator will complete the specified number of runs, regardless of the calculated HR codec usage. Type a value in the Number of Runs box for the number of iterations to complete in the performance analysis, or accept the default.

4 In the Number of C/I Samples (per Sector) box, choose or type the number of samples to use for the output C/I distribution, or accept the default.

For each call, a C/I value is calculated from which the BER, the RxQual, and the MOS are deduced.

5 Click Run.

The status of the performance analysis is displayed in the Log Messages box.

6 When the performance analysis is complete, in the Run dialog box, click Close.

Typically, when you open a project that contains performance analyses, the analyses are automatically listed under the Performance Analyses

node in the RF Tools category of the Project Explorer, However, if any analyses are larger than 50 MB, they will not be listed automatically, and a message will be displayed when you open the project informing you of this. You can open these analyses manually. For information on opening performance analyses, see “To open a performance analysis file” on page 315.

You can also run a performance analysis by right-clicking the performance analysis in the tree view of the Performance Simulator or

in the Project Explorer and choosing Run.

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Working with performance analysis resultsThe Performance Simulator creates a table that lists the performance metrics for each sector used in the performance analysis. The table provides comprehensive information about performance, including information for each sector about offered and blocked voice and packet traffic, carrier usage, data rates for packet data, and codec usage. For details about each column in the results table, press the F1 key.The following section provides a sample interpretation of the results in one of the table columns.

Sample interpretation of performance analysis resultsTable 12.4 lists a portion of sample performance analysis results for the probability distribution function (PDF) of the RxQual levels. The RxQual measures the average quality of the received signal.

Based on this table, you can calculate the overall percentage of signals that have acceptable, poor, or unacceptable quality.

Table 12.4 Sample distribution of RxQual values

RxQual Probability (%)

0 54.70

1 13.00

2 3.00

3 7.65

4 6.43

5 4.70

6 3.43

7 7.09

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Table 12.5 displays the relationship between the RxQual value and signal quality for the purpose of this example.

You can calculate the attainment of these quality levels as follows:■ To determine the overall percentage of signals that are of

acceptable quality, add the individual percentages from the RxQual levels 0, 1, and 2.

■ 54.70% +13.00% + 3.00% = 70.7% are of acceptable quality.

■ To determine the overall percentage of signals that are of poor quality, add the individual percentages from the RxQual levels 3 and 4.

■ 7.65% + 6.43% = 14.08% are of poor quality.■ To determine the overall percentage of signals that are of

unacceptable quality, add the individual percentages from the RxQual levels 5, 6, and 7.

■ 4.70% + 3.43% + 7.09% = 15.43% are of unacceptable quality.

Keep in mind that these calculations do not consider other measurements that can be used in parallel with RxQual to determine call quality. For example, RxQual is measured independently of codecs. For the same RxQual level, the perceived quality of a call can be different depending on the codec used. The perceived quality of the calls can be found in the MOS Distribution graph, which is displayed on the Results panel of the View Results dialog box.For more information on RxQual, see “Service quality metrics for TDMA/FDMA” on page 181.

To view performance analysis resultsAfter you generate a performance analysis, you can view the results.

Table 12.5 RxQual relation to signal quality

RxQual Signal Quality

0 to 2 Acceptable

3 to 4 Poor

5 to 7 Unacceptable

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1 In the tree view of the Performance Simulator, choose the performance analysis that you want to view, and click the View Results button.

The View Results dialog box opens with the results of the performance analysis displayed on the Results panel.

2 If you want to view a specific performance analysis result graphically in a Map window, click the Graphical Display Options button for that results category.

The Display Options dialog box opens.

3 From the Site Selection list, choose the sites for which you want to display the performance analysis results.

4 If the Display Parameters section is available, choose one of the following options:■ Mean—displays the mean C/I (signal-to-noise ratio) level for

BCCH and TCH carriers■ Standard Deviation—displays the standard deviation of the C/I■ Percentile—displays the C/I value which is higher then or equal

to the percentage of the C/I values. In the adjacent box, type the percentage that you want to use. For example, if you use a value of 5%, the value displayed for each sector is the maximum C/I

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for 5% of the traffic with the lowest C/I or the minimum C/I for 95% of the traffic with the highest C/I.

5 If the Carrier Options section is available, choose whether you want to display the performance analysis result for BCCH or TCH carriers.

6 In the Region Settings section, type in the Radius box the size of the radius for the serving sector symbols that will be used to thematically display the performance analysis result.

The radius should be large enough to be clearly visible at the current scale of the Map window.

7 Click Colors.8 In the Color Tool dialog box, define the color scheme you want to use

and click OK.

For more information on Color tool settings, press the F1 key.

9 Click Save Display Options to save any changes you make to the display options.

10 To view log messages about the performance analysis, in the View Results dialog box, choose Log Messages in the tree view.

11 If you have generated multiple performance analyses, you can repeat this procedure to open additional performance analyses in their own windows.

For some parameters, you can view the PDF graph for a row by clicking the Browse (...) button in the parameter column. For more

information on each column, press the F1 key.

When you modify the display options for a performance analysis result, click Refresh Display to update the graphical display in the Map

window.

You can view performance analysis results from the Project Explorer by right-clicking the performance analysis in the RF Tools category and

choosing View Results. You can view only one performance analysis at a time using this method.

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To choose which columns are displayed in performance analysis resultsYou can choose the columns that are displayed in the View Results dialog box. This enables you to create a custom set of results that you can export or save later.

1 In the tree view of the View Results dialog box for the performance analysis, choose Column Manager.

2 On the Column Manager panel, clear the check boxes for any columns that you do not want to view, and enable the check boxes for any columns that you want to view.

3 Choose Results in the tree view to view the performance analysis columns you chose.

4 Click the Close button in the top right corner of the View Results dialog box to close it.

To export performance analysis resultsYou can export any performance analysis results displayed in the View Results dialog box to text (.txt) files or to a Microsoft Excel (.xls) file containing several worksheets. Exporting the data makes it available for use in other applications.

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Two types of text files are supported:■ Formatted text files—limit the number of decimal places to

facilitate printing■ Unformatted text files—do not limit the number of decimal

places and record percentage values in decimal form (e.g., 0.12).

Both types of text files contain one line for each row of data and separate the column values with tabs.

1 In the Performance Simulator dialog box, from the Export menu, choose one of the following options:■ Export to Excel—creates and opens a spreadsheet of the results,

including calculated performance simulation statistics.■ Export to Text Files—creates three tab-delimited text files

containing performance analysis statistics, BCCH C/I, and TCH C/I probabilities. Numbers are limited to three decimal places for readability. The Planet dialog box displays the location of the exported files.

■ Export to Unformatted Text Files—creates three tab-delimited text files containing performance analysis statistics, BCCH C/I, and TCH C/I probabilities. The Planet dialog box displays the location of the exported files.

2 Click OK.

To export performance analysis results to an Excel file, Microsoft Excel must be installed on your computer.

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To save a performance analysisYou can save a performance analysis to a file with the extension .qos. A saved performance analysis includes the settings for running the performance analysis and the results of the performance analysis.

■ In the tree view of the Performance Simulator, choose the performance analysis that you want to save, and click the Save button.

The file is saved to the QoS Analysis folder in your project.

Interpreting exported performance analysis results Exported results of the performance analysis are stored in the QoSAnalysis folder of your project. If you export to Excel, the worksheets are contained in an Excel workbook file named <Performance Simulation name>.xls.

Comparing RxQual resultsUsing the Excel worksheets, you can compare the RxQuals generated by the Performance Simulator with those measured by the switch using the RxQualsQoSAnalysisTemplate.xls worksheet. The macros in the worksheet simulate the effect of lost RxQual values because of low C/I. Each RxQual level (from 0 to 7) has an associated coefficient in the cells E1 to L1 of the sheet ‘CorrectedRxQuals’. If the value is lower than 1, corresponding RxQual values are lost. If the value is equal to 1, no values are lost. The resulting RxQual distributions are then normalized.

Place the Excel file in the PerformanceAnalyses directory of your project and rename it to QoSAnalysisTemplate.xls. When you export analysis results to Excel, the processed RxQuals will be in the CorrectedRxQuals worksheet. The original RxQuals are still in the Results worksheet.

You can also save performance analysis settings by right-clicking the performance analysis in the Performance Simulator or the Project

Explorer tree view and choosing Save.

When you compare RxQual levels, keep in mind that the lower the C/I, the less precise the measured values are. The transmission of the

RxQual values on the signaling time slots is also affected by low C/I. The Performance Simulator takes all RxQual measurements into account, even if the C/I is low.

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The values provided are valid for any network but can be adjusted for a specific set of sites.

Types of exported dataTable 12.6 describes the types of data that the Performance Simulator exports.

Probability densities of carrier C/ITable 12.7 describes the columns that contain C/I probability density information for BCCH and TCH carriers.

Table 12.6 Types of data exported by the Performance Simulator

Data type Text file Excel worksheet

Probability densities of C/I for BCCH carriers

<analysis name>.bcch.txt

BcchCIPdf

Probability densities of C/I for TCH carriers

<analysis name>.tch.txt

TchCIPdf

Analysis results from the View Results dialog box

<analysis name>.results.txt

Results

Statistical summary (Excel only) Stats

User-configurable parameters (Excel only)

Parameters

Table 12.7 Probability densities of carrier C/I

Column Description

Run Number The performance analysis run

Site Site ID

Sector Sector ID

Mean Mean value of C/I

Standard Deviation Standard deviation of C/I values

Out Min_Bound Percentage of the traffic that has a C/I lower than -20 dB

Out Max_Bound Percentage of the traffic that has a C/I higher than 79 dB

-20 to 79 Percentage of the traffic at each integer C/I level from -20 to 79 dB

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Results table formatTable 12.8 describes the columns in the results table.Table 12.8 Results table format

Column Description


Site Site ID

Sector Sector ID

Offered Traffic (Erlangs)

Offered traffic

BCCH Usage Percentage of BCCH carriers in use

TCH Usage Percentage of TCH carriers in use

Blocked Calls (Erlangs)

Traffic that was not served

OTD BCCH Percentage of offered traffic distribution served by BCCH carriers

OTD TCH Percentage of offered traffic distribution served by TCH carriers

OTD Blocked Percentage of offered traffic distribution that was not served

Adjacent Interference Percentage of traffic affected by adjacent channel interference

RxQual0 to RxQual7 Probability of experiencing each RxQual level for all carriers

MOS1_0 to MOS5_0 Probability of experiencing each MOS level from 1.0 through 5.0 in increments of 0.1

BER0_00010 to BER1_00000

Probability of bit error rate, a logarithmic scale of BER values from 0.01 percent to 100 percent

Full Rate Codecs (%) Average percentage of full rate codecs for the sector

Packet Throughput (kpbs)

Average data rate of packet data handled by the sector

TS AV_Throughput (kpbs)

Average data rate of packet data handled by a transceiver

Coding Schemes Percentage of offered traffic distribution for each coding scheme used for the sector

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Statistical summaryThe Stats worksheet lists for each sector the percentage of traffic for which the RxQual, C/I, MOS, and BER metrics are poorer than the threshold values. The traffic percentages are calculated by macros when you open the spreadsheet.Table 12.9 describes the columns in the statistical summary.Table 12.9 Statistical summary

Column Description


Site Site ID

Sector Sector ID

Percentage of traffic with RxQual >= threshold

Calculated by summing the Results worksheet values for the Run/Site/Sector row from the RxQual columns that are equal to or above the threshold. For example, if the threshold is 3, the values for columns RxQual 3 through RxQual 7 are summed.

Percentage of traffic with C/I <= threshold

The BcchCIPdf and TchCIPdf worksheet values are summed for the Run/Site/Sector row from the C/I columns that represent C/I values at or below the threshold. For example, if the threshold is 10, the columns -20 through 10 are summed. The sums for BcchCIPdf and TchCIPdf are added and divided by the total offered traffic distribution for BCCH and TCH combined.

Percentage of traffic with MOS <= threshold

Calculated by summing the Results worksheet values for the Run/Site/Sector row from the columns that represent MOS equal to or below the threshold. For example, if the threshold is 3, the values for columns MOS1_0 through MOS3_0 are summed.

Percentage of traffic with BER >= threshold

Calculated by summing the Results worksheet values for the Run/Site/Sector row from the BER columns that are equal to or above the threshold. For example, if the threshold is 0.01, the values for columns BER0_01000 through BER1_00000 are summed.

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User-configurable parametersThe Parameters worksheet enables you to change the threshold values for the calculations on the Stats worksheet. You recalculate the statistics by clicking the Update Statistics button on the worksheet.

Excel macros for performance analysis worksheetsThe exported spreadsheet includes macros that format the worksheets and write a statistical summary of the results to the Stats worksheet. If you have experience working with Excel macros, you can modify these macros to suit your needs.The exported Excel spreadsheet is based on the template, QoSAnalysisTemplate.xls, which is located in the Planet 4\Global\GSM folder. If you modify this template, the changes affect all subsequently exported spreadsheets. Table 12.10 describes the macros in the exported Excel spreadsheet.

ExampleTo add columns to the Stats worksheet for the signal quality ratings discussed in “Sample interpretation of performance analysis results” on page 327, you need to modify the doStats macro.The existing statistics fill columns A through G. Add column headings for the signal quality columns H through J:

Table 12.10 Excel spreadsheet macros

Macro Description

autoMacro Formats the Results, BcchCIPdf, and TchCIPdf worksheets and calculates the statistics on the Stats worksheet by calling the other macros listed in this table.This macro executes automatically when you open the spreadsheet. It also executes when you click the Update Statistics button on the Parameters worksheet.

doStats Calculates the statistics for the Stats worksheet. This macro generates a row for each Run/Site/Sector, sets up the statistics for the first row, and then uses AutoFill to generate the statistics for the rest of the rows.

formatResults Formats the Results worksheet

formatCIPdf Formats the selected C/I probability densities

formatStats Formats the Stats worksheet

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Range("H1").Select

ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = "Acceptable"

Range("I1").Select

ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = "Poor"

Range("J1").Select

ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = "Unacceptable"

Add formulas for the first row of signal quality statistics in cells H2, I2, and J2. The following example uses the R1C1 reference system to define the ranges in the formulas. You must add these lines before the AutoFill operation at the end of the doStats macro. ' Acceptable RxQual- sum Results cells M2 through O2

Range("H2").Select

ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = "=SUM(Results!RC[5]:RC[7])"

'

' Poor RxQual- sum Results cells P2 and Q2

Range("I2").Select


'

' Unacceptable RxQual- sum Results cells R2 through T2

Range("J2").Select


Range("J2").Select

To include the new columns, modify the range upon which the AutoFill method operates from D2:G2 to D2:J2:' Then expand the results !

Range("D2:J2").AutoFill Destination:=Range(Cells(firstRow, 4), Cells(firstRow + count - 1, 7 + 3)), Type:=xlFillDefault

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Appendix A: TDMA/FDMA Site Table Columns

A.
TDMA/FDMA Site Table Columns
This appendix describes the site table fields that are specific to TDMA/FDMA technologies. For details about the fields that are common to all technologies, see Appendix A, “Site Table Format”, in the Planet User Guide.

Field Name Field Type Description

Technology Character (10) Technology assigned to the sector, for example, GSM or IS-136

HCL_Priority Integer Priority of the sector (1-10)

HCL_Signal_Offset Float Amount (0-100 dB) that will be added to the sector to determine best server when priorities are equal

HCL_Max_Range Integer Maximum range of the sector (0-150 km)

Min_Signal_Level Integer Minimum signal level required for a server to be designated as the best server (-200-0 dBm)

GPRS_MAX_CS Character (10) Highest data rate coding scheme for GPRS

EGPRS_MAX_CS Character (10) Highest data rate coding scheme for EGPRS

Hopping_Type Integer Hopping type for the sector:■ 0 indicates no hopping■ 1 indicates baseband hopping■ 2 indicates synthesized hopping

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Appendix ATDMA/FDMA User Guide

BCCH_Hopping Character (2) Indicates whether BCCH hopping is enabled for the sector (T or F)

DLPC_Enable Character (2) Indicates whether downlink power control is enabled for the sector (T or F)

Max_Packet_TS Integer Maximum number of time slots dedicated to packet data (0-8, but not less than Min_Packet_TS)

Max_Time_Slots Integer Maximum number of time slots for multislot (2-8)

LAC Character (5) Location Area Code of the sector

BSIC_CC_DCC Integer For sectors assigned the GSM technology, the Base Station Identity Code (BSIC) for the sector. For sectors assigned iDEN or User Defined technology, the Color Code (CC) for the sector. For sectors assigned NAMPS technology, the Digital Color Code (DCC) for the sector.Note: The BSIC_CC_DCC site table field is labeled as Color Code in the List of Columns to Update section of the TDMA/FDMA Global Edit dialog box.

MCC Integer Mobile Country Code of the sector

BSC Character (20) Base Station Controller of the sector

MSC Character (20) Mobile Switching Center of the sector

RAC Character (5) Routing Area Code of the sector (GRPS and EGPRS parameter)

ILA Character (5) Interconnect Location Area of the sector (iDEN only)

DLA Character (5) Dispatch Location Area of the sector (iDEN only)

IS136_DCC Integer For sectors assigned IS-136 technology, the Digital Color Code (DCC) for the sector.


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TDMA/FDMA Site Table ColumnsTDMA/FDMA User Guide

DSAT Integer For sectors assigned NAMPS technology, the Digital Supervisory Audio Tone (DSAT) value for the sector.

MNC Integer Mobile Network Code of the sector

HCL_Override Character (2) Indicates whether the sector overrides the network-level hierarchical cell layer (HCL) settings, T or F

DTX_Enable Character (2) Indicates whether discontinuous transmission is enabled for the sector (T or F)

DTX_Factor Float Factor between 0 and 1 indicating the amount of time in the conversation that the mobile is transmitting

DLPC_Gain_or_AMPS_carried Float Improvement to interference (used to model power control) (0-20 dB)For IS-136, the AMPS carried traffic in Erlangs

Traffic_Loading Float Traffic loading for the sector in Erlangs (1-100)Note: The Traffic_Loading site table field is labeled as Carried Traffic in the List of Columns to Update in the TDMA/FDMA Global Edit dialog box.

Offered_Traffic Float Carried traffic minus any blocked traffic in Erlangs (1-100)

Traffic_Percentage Float Traffic loading for the sector as a percentage of the time slots in the sector in use (0-100%)For IS-136, the percentage of total traffic for AMPS


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BCCH_Alloc_or_AMPS_Percent Integer Indicates whether mobile users are allocated to TCH or BCCH transceivers first:■ 0 indicates that mobile users are

allocated to BCCH transceivers first■ 1 indicates that mobile users are

allocated to TCH transceivers firstFor IS-136:■ 0 indicates that analog traffic

(AMPS_carried and AMPS_offered) is in Erlangs

■ 1 indicates that analog traffic is a percentage of total traffic for AMPS

TCH_Alloc_Type Integer Indicates the order that mobile users are allocated to MALs■ 0 (Large MAL First) indicates that

mobile users are loaded on the transceivers with the largest MALs first

■ 1 (Small MAL First) indicates that mobile users are loaded on the transceivers with the smallest MALs first

■ 2 (No Preference) allocates a MAL to a mobile user randomly

Target_Receive_Level Float Receive level of the mobile, which is used to calculate the Required Mobile Power analysis layer (-200-0 dBm)

Timing_Advance_Limit Float Timing advance limit for the sector (0-200 km) Default values are: ■ GSM—35 km■ IS-136—140 km■ iDEN—113 km■ user defined—35 km■ NAMPS— not applicable

Packet_Enable Character (2) Indicates whether packet data is enabled for the sector (T or F)

Min_Packet_TS Integer Minimum number of time slots dedicated to packet data (0-8, but not more than Max_Packet_TS)


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Cost_Factor Float Cost factor assigned to the sector for frequency planning exceptions

IS136_Control_Channel_Status Character (2) For IS-136, indicates whether:■ the digital control channel (DCC) is

enabled for the sector, T or F (first character of the two-character string)

■ the analog control channel (ACC) is enabled for the sector, T or F (second character of the two-character string)

Illegal_Carrier Character (254) Comma-delimited list of illegal carriers defined for the sector

Demand_Carrier_Type_ID Character (50) Comma-delimited list of the IDs of each carrier type in the network

Demand_NonHop_TRX Character (50) For non-hopping transceivers, a comma-delimited list of the number of transceivers required for each carrier type defined in Demand_Carrier_Type_ID

Separation_Site_ID Character (254) Comma-delimited list of the sites that require a minimum carrier separation (Separation_Distance) from the current sector.

Separation_Sector_ID Character (80) Comma-delimited list of the sectors that require a minimum carrier separation (Separation_Distance) from the current sector.

Separation_Distance Character (80) Comma-delimited list of the spacing, in carriers, between the current sector and each sector listed in Separation_Sector_ID.

Separation_Override Character (40) Indicates whether the separation defined for the sector overrides the separation defined for the carrier type (T or F)

Carrier_Group_IDCarrier_Group_ID2

Character (119)Character (105)

Comma-delimited list of the carrier groups used to narrow the lists of carriers assigned to each non-hopping transceiver in the sector


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Carrier_Type_IDCarrier_Type_ID2


Comma-delimited list of the carrier types used to narrow the lists of carriers assigned to each non-hopping transceiver in the sector

Carrier_NonHopCarrier_NonHop2


Comma-delimited list of the carriers assigned to non-hopping transceivers in the sector

MinPacketTS_NonHop_or_AnalogMinPacketTS_NonHop2


Comma-delimited list indicating the minimum number of time slots reserved for packet data on each non-hopping transceiver in the sector.For IS-136 (MinPacketTS_NonHop_or_Analog), a comma-delimited list indicating whether analog is enabled for each transceiver (T or F).

MaxPacketTS_NonHop_or_SATMaxPacketTS_NonHop2


Comma-delimited list indicating the maximum number of time slots reserved for packet data on each non-hopping transceiver in the sector.For IS-136 sectors (MaxPacketTS_NonHop_or_SAT), a comma-delimited list indicating the supervisory audio tone (SAT) assigned to each transceiver in the sector:■ 0—5970 Hz■ 1—6000 Hz■ 2—6030 Hz

Carrier_Group_ID_Hopping Character (47) Comma-delimited list of carrier groups

Carrier_Type_ID_Hopping Character (47) Comma-delimited list of carrier types

MAIO Character (47) For hopping transceivers, a comma-delimited list of the mobile allocation index offset for each transceiver

HSN Character (47) For synthesized hopping, a comma-delimited list of the HSNs for each hopping transceiver in the sector


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MAListID_Carrier_Hop Character (95) For synthesized hopping, a comma-delimited list of the IDs of the mobile allocation lists assigned to the synthesized hopping transceivers in the sector

MinPacketTS_Hop Character (31) For synthesized hopping, a comma-delimited list indicating the minimum number of time slots reserved for packet data on each hopping transceiver in the sector

MaxPacketTS_Hop Character (31) For synthesized hopping, a comma-delimited list indicating the maximum number of time slots reserved for packet data on each hopping transceiver in the sector

Packet_Thruput_or_AMPS_offered Float The effective data rate of packet data that is handled by time slots in the sectorFor IS-136, the AMPS offered traffic in Erlangs

CC_Exceptions Character (50) A delimited list of the illegal color codes for this sector. Illegal color codes are grouped according to color code type.

HSN_Exceptions Character (50) A delimited list of the illegal hopping sequence numbers (HSN) for this sector.

Demand_Hop_Or_Analog_TRX Character (50) For baseband and synthesized hopping transceivers, a comma-delimited list of the number of hopping transceivers allocated to the sector. This indicates the requirement for frequency hopping transceivers on the sector.For IS-136, indicates the requirement for analog transceivers

Demand_MAL_Length Character (50) For synthesized hopping, a comma-delimited list of the length of the mobile allocation lists (MALs) used by each hopping transceiver in the sector. This provides the number of frequencies to plan for the MALs.


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Index

Index
Numerics2-Sector C/I tool
using 213

AAdding

repeaters 163Allocating spectrum 64, 67AMR codecs

defining C/I range 320effect 303enabling for performance analyses 320

Analysescreating 187defining layers 188defining settings 189deleting 209generating 206modifying settings 209

Analysis layers2-Sector C/I 210best server 176calculating statistics 293defining 188defining defaults for 186generating predictions 183interference 178overview 176recoloring Best Serving Sector layers

208required mobile power 183service coverage 183service quality metrics 181viewing 207

Analysis settingsanalysis area 204analysis resolution 206BER 196coverage 202defining 189FER 197, 198modifying 209required mobile power 204SQE 199traffic 199

Analysis settings files 21

BBand configuration files 71Bands

defining 68importing and exporting 68

Base station link budgetscalculating 99global edit 105

Baseband hopping transceivers 122BCCH allocation 116BER

analysis settings 196Performance Simulator 300ranges for RxQual 182service quality layer 182

Best server analysis layersHCL 176settings 191

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IndexTDMA/FDMA User Guide

Best Serving Sector Recolor tool 208

CC/I

and AMR codecs 303and GPRS or EGPRS 28and Performance Simulator 300

Carrier Display tool 153Carrier groups

defining 72overview 65

Carrier In-Map Display tool 149Carrier settings

defining 123overview 122

Carrier typeschoosing as interference victim 194constraints based on 228defining 81import file formats 137importing 90overview 65

Carrierschanging hopping type 132defining 67defining illegal for a group 142defining sector settings 123determining MAL assignments 89mobile allocation lists 66overview 65refreshing 70viewing 71

Cellular/PCS projectsmigrating 19

CodecsAMR 303

Coding schemesEGPRS 29GPRS 28

Color code plansapplying to projects 255comparing 257constraints 248costs 249creating 248deleting 257exporting 257importing 239overview 238reports 253

Color codesdefining illegal for

GSM 40iDEN 51IS-136 44NAMPS 48sectors 145user-defined technologies 55

structure 108Comparing

color code plans 257frequency plans 257

Composite traffic mapsusing in performance analysis 307

Configuration filescustom default settings 20site configuration 98

Configuring sites 96Constraints

automatic frequency planning 219carrier type 228color code planning 248

Costsautomatic frequency planning 219color code planning 249interactive frequency planning 262minimizing for automatic frequency

planning 225

348


Creatinganalyses 187performance analyses 314projects 17

DDefault settings files 20Deleting

analyses 209Discontinuous transmission (DTX) 114Donor antennas (repeaters) 168Downlink power control (DLPC) 114

EEditing sectors

using the Global Edit dialog box 158EGPRS

coding schemes 29settings 39

Exportingband configurations 71color code plans 257frequency plans 257network settings files 60performance analysis results 331reports 290sector settings 21

FFER

analysis settings 197service quality layer 182

Frequency hoppingchanging hopping type 132settings 114

Frequency planningautomatic

constraints 219defining cost factors 229optimization method 220

overview 218results 234specifying carrier usage 226

definingsector settings 134

importing requirements 137interactive

interference costs 262overview 262violations 263

Frequency plansapplying to projects 255comparing 257deleting 257exporting 257importing 254

from CSV TDMA 243from Ericsson GSM 241from Ericsson TDMA 243from Nortel TDMA 245from Planet DMS 240

opening, saving, and viewing 254Frequency ranges 68

GGenerating

analysis layers 206automatic frequency plans 234carrier group names automatically 74color code plans 248MAL names using a naming scheme 85predictions 183reports 291

Traffic Analysis 155Global Edit

base station link budgets 105sector settings 158

GPRScoding schemes 28settings 38

349


GSM settings 34

HHelp

accessing 6getting technical support 4

Hierarchical cell layers 29defining

GSM 36iDEN 50IS-136 42NAMPS 46user-defined technologies 53

network settings 29sector settings 111

Home operator 32Hopping sequence number (HSN)

automatic frequency planning settings232

illegal 143sector settings 122

Hopping transceivers 122Hopsets (MAL)

description 66importing 90

IiDEN settings 49Illegal carriers

defining for groups 142Illegal color codes

definingGSM 40iDEN 51IS-136 44NAMPS 48user-defined technology 55

sector 145

Importingband configurations 68color code plans 239frequency plans 239, 254network settings files 60packet data 308sector settings 146

Interactive frequency planning 262Interference analysis

layers 179settings 192traffic options 199

IS-136 settings 41

LLayer statistics 293Link Budgets. See Base station link bud-getsLocating

repeaters in a Map window 173

MMacros, in analysis results 337Mean Opinion Score (MOS) 300Mentum products 1Migrating

Cellular/PCS projects 19Mobile allocation index offset (MAIO)

automatic frequency planning settings232

baseband hopping 130synthesized hopping 132

Mobile allocation listsdefining 84overview 66

350


Mobile power analysis 183Mobile Technology projects 16

NNAMPS settings 45Network configuration

defining 63spectrum allocation 64

Network operatorsdefining 32

Network settingsall technologies

configuration settings 60, 61network technologies 33spectrum allocation 68

data service definition 56EGPRS 39general 24GPRS 39GSM 34HCL 29iDEN 49IS-136 41NAMPS 45noise 25user-defined technologies 52

Network settings filescreating 21importing and exporting 60

Network technologiesdefining 23overview 24

Noise, definingGSM 35iDEN 49IS-136 42NAMPS 46user-defined technology 53

Non-hopping transceivers 122

OOnline Help 6Opening

Project Settings dialog box 19projects 20

Operatorsallocating spectrum 69

Optimization methodsPlanet Fast 220Planet Optimizer 220

PPacket data

importing 308settings 112using in a performance analysis 322

Performance analysescreating 314defining 315results 327running 325

Performance analysispreparing data 301using subscriber data 307

Performance Simulator toolAMR codecs 303overview 300using 299

Planet Optimizer 220Power

defining mobile settings 204downlink 114repeaters (EIRP) 162required mobile 183

Predictions 183Products

Mentum 1

351


Project settingsaccessing 19creating default settings files 20

Projectscreating 17creating default settings files 21opening 20

QQuasi-omnidirectional cells

analysis setting 193

RRecoloring Best Serving Sector layers 208Refreshing

carriers 70Repeaters

adding to sectors 163changing donor sectors 172donor antenna settings 168editing 172link settings 171locating in a Map window 173overview 162prediction settings 170re-parenting 172service antenna settings 166viewing predictions 185

Reportsadding layer statistics 297deleting 291designing 286generating 291output 290overview 286saving 291

Required mobile power 183Results

2-Sector C/I statistics 2102-Sector C/I tool, viewing 216color code planning 253performance analyses

exporting 331overview 327

performance analyses, viewing 328RxQual

analysis results 327Performance Simulator 300service quality layer 182

SSaving

frequency and color code plans 254performance analyses 333performance analysis settings 324reports 291

Sector settingsBCCH and TCH 116carriers 122downlink power control 114frequency hopping 114frequency planning 133hierarchical cell layers 111illegal color codes 145illegal HSNs 143importing 146, 147packet data 112technology 108traffic settings 116updating traffic information 147

Sector settings files 20Sectors

adding repeaters 163viewing predictions 185

Sector-to-sector interferenceviewing 260

352


Service antennas (repeaters) 166Service coverage analysis layers 183Service quality metrics 181Services

defining 56importing 57

Site configuration files 98Site table format 339Sites

placing 97settings overview 96

Spectrum allocationbands 68carriers 67exporting band configuration 71importing band configuration 68overview 64removing bands 71

SQEoverview 182settings 199

Subscriber informationusing in performance analysis 307

TTCH allocation 116Technical support 4Technologies 32Technology sector settings 108Tools

2-Sector C/I 210Automatic Frequency Planning 218Base Station Link Budget 99Carrier Display 153Carrier-In-Map Display 149Color Code Planning 248Illegal Carrier 142Interactive Frequency Planning 261Performance Simulator 299Traffic Analysis and Dimensioning

154Traffic analysis and dimensioning 154Traffic settings

BCCH and TCH allocation 116options for analysis 199traffic loading 116updating using a traffic map 147

Transceiversadding 93and hopping types 122defining 92modifying number of time slots 93overview 66

353


UUser-defined technology settings 52

VViewing

2-Sector C/I results 216analysis layers 207carrier allocation for sectors 153carrier and group details 75carrier and MAL details 87carriers 71color code plan reports 253color codes in a Map window 252frequency and color code plans 255frequency assignment information 149performance analysis results 328predictions 185sector-to-sector interference 260

354