Atoll ACP Module (GSM/UMTS/LTE)

3GPP Multi-RAT

Version 3.1.0

Confidential – Do not share without prior permission

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New ACP module

New Concept of ACP implemented as an integrated Function of the

Planning Tool

Easy to use & administrate

One GUI for RF Planning & ACP

Common HW and system infrastructure

Common database

Automatic Optimisation of Network Parameters to increase Coverage and

Capacity

Site selection

Antenna selection & parameter optimisation (azimuth, height, mechanical & E tilt)

Antenna Height

Power

…

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ACP Integration into Atoll

Fully integrated in the Atoll GUI and database

Additional data folder

Additional functional menus

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Product Availability

Based on an ACP Technology developed by Softwave Wireless

Joint technology development with major European operator

Field Tested & Proven

Option to the Atoll UMTS GSM LTE modules

Combined GSM/UMTS/LTE optimisation

Also available for Atoll version 2.7 and 2.8

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Features

Pre defined Optimisation objectives

UMTS

• Network coverage (RSCP)

• Pilot interference (Ec/Io)

• Pilot Pollution

• Soft Handover

GSM

• BCCH coverage

• Cell Dominance

LTE

• RS coverage (RSRP, RS C/N, Signal level..)

• RS CINR (RSRQ...)

All technologies : Overlap threshold

User defined Optimisation objectivesFlexible interface

Allows Cross layer or Cross technology objective

Complex objective definition (logical operation between objectives)

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Features

Through automatic adjustments of selected network parameters

Antenna parameters

• Type

• Azimuth

• Mechanical tilt and Electrical downtilt

• Height

Transmit Power

• GSM – Transmission power-

• UMTS –Pilot Power-

• LTE –total power-

Site selection optimisation process

Candidate sites based on existing sites or station templates

User-driven optimisation process

Surface / traffic-based optimisation

Convergence criteria

Usage of live network data

Tuned propagation models

Drive-test calibrated pathloss matrices

• Path loss matrices of Atoll project are used by Atoll ACP

Optimisation Process with Atoll ACP

Confidential – Do not share without prior permission

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Optimisation Setup -1-

Optimisation parameters

Radio layers to be optimised (UMTS, GSM900, GSM1800, LTE)

User can activate/deactivate the radio layer to be used/optimized

Number of iteration (maximum number of potential changes )

Selection of Reconfiguration Area (cells within a specific geographical area, i.e.

focus zone)

Definition of Custom zones for objective/target (Hot Spot/ group of clutter class)

Radio Layers Zone definition

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Optimisation Setup -2-

Optimisation parameters

Cost control

• No Cost control (Optimisation only based on Quality)

• Compromise between Quality and Cost (Parameter Change Cost, Site Visit Cost..)

• Site class can be defined, with specific reconfiguration costs (friendly sites..)

Cost Control parameters

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Optimisation Setup -3-

Reconfiguration

List of cells to be optimised (based on geographical area or cell list)

Parameter modification defined per cell or per parameter (e.g. antenna group,

min/max downtilt angle)

• Antenna azimuth with asymmetric values and/or minimum angle separation between sectors

• Antenna height optimisation requires path loss calculation by ACP

Cell list selection for Reconfiguration

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Optimisation Setup -4-

Reconfiguration

Parameter modification defined per cell (ie UMTS Pilot Power)

“Display on” feature based on custom zones to select list of cell

Cell list can be exported/modified in Excel (ie “Min/Max” values, “Use” field)

and re-imported in ACP Setup

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Optimisation Setup -5-

Physical antenna creation based on Antenna pattern

Dual band antenna (GSM/UMTS) with common E tilt

Antenna definition

Antenna patterns to create physical antennas for electrical tilt optimisation

• Automatic creation based on antenna pattern name or Atoll antenna table

• Manual allocation is also possible

Radome creation with merge of physical antennas (Dual/Tri band antennas)

Antenna groups -group of radomes- for selection of best antenna type (within

group allocated to each sector)

Additional Electrical Tilt (AEDT) optimisation available

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Optimisation Setup -6-

Objectives

Flexible Cost function allowing selection of optimisation criteria/constraints

List of objectives

• Target zones for geographical areas

• Weighting between objectives (RSCP Coverage vs EcIo)

• Choice between Surface (Uniform traffic) or traffic based optimisation (Traffic Weighting)

• All traffic maps defined in Atoll are supported

List of Pre -Defined objectives

Objective Criteria on EcIo

Objective Condition• Weighting is considered in order to give more priority to selected zones

• Objective thresholds per zone (Computation –default- , focus zone, custom zones)

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Optimisation Setup -7-

Objective thresholds on EcIo

Objective Target• % coverage on Target zone

• Optionally, filter on measurement points for Objective (i.e. consider only area for UMTS

Objective where GSM signal level is low)

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Optimisation Setup -8-

Specific Objectives (i.e. UMTS)• % coverage on Target zone

• Optionally, filter on measurement points for Objective (i.e. consider only area for UMTS

Objective where GSM signal level is low)

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Optimisation Setup -9-

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Optimisation Control

Key parameter evolution over time for objective

Coverage (RSCP, BCCH, LTE RS)

UMTS Ec/Io, LTE RS CINR...Cell Dominance

Graphical display in real time for

Quality

• Variation per Radio layer

Each Objective

• Initial/Final plots (Success/fail area for target)

Number of changes per type

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Optimisation Results

Network-level parameter report

Initial/Final statistics and

improvement per Objective

Statistics provided for :

• Computation

• Focus zones

• Hot spot zones

Global report available in Excel

format

Reconfiguration Statistics

(Changes of parameters –tilt,

azimuths, …)

Graphical Analysis

Final/Initial plot comparison for

each Objective

Histograms provided for all

zones

Initial/Final plots for area where

target is reached.

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Implementation Plan Analysis

Improvement vs. Changes

Graphical analysis

Allows user to analyse global

improvement according to the

number of changes

Improvement also provided for

each objective

• Coverage

• 3G Ec/Io, RS CINR...

Allows to build a modification

implementation

• Changes can be ranked by

„profitability‟ (Change

Order)

• Most „profitable‟ changes

will be applied first

Change number (order)

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Cell-level Analysis

ACP displays initial / final cell parameters

User-selectable modification list

User can commit modifications into Atoll or keep the results as an optimisation

scenario in the Atoll project

New settings can be analysed using the Monte-Carlo simulator and Atoll

prediction plots / analysis tools.

Commit Changes directly in transmitter/cell tables

Restore original values in database

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ACP Coverage plots

Output results availableQuality Analysis

• RSCP, Ec/Io

• BCCH Coverage...

Change Analysis

• Type of change

• Tilts, Azimuth, Power…

Best server Analysis

• Absolute values of parameter changes(Tilt, Azimuth...)

Objective Sector Analysis

• Improvement per cell

Objective Analysis

• Success/Fail area

ACP map for Final electrical tilt values

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Optimisation Results (Example)

EcIo Coverage (Initial / Final)

Statistics available for RSCP Coverage Statistical results for all zones

Initial /final coverage

Status map for RSCP Objective

• Display area before and after optimisation

where target is reached or not (success/fail)

Site Selection Process with Atoll ACP

(UMTS or LTE examples)

Confidential – Do not share without prior permission

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Site Selection Process for UMTS- First Scenario

Site Selection between candidates for nominal site

Existing sites/sectors can be locked or removed

Site status flag can be defined in site table as custom field

Definition of groups of candidates (minimum / maximum number of sites)

Cells can be optimised or not (reconfiguration for existing sites available

during site selection)

Group of candidates

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Optimisation Results / First Scenario

Statistics report

Site/sectors selected within each group (here 1 amongst 2)

Existing sites were locked (kept)

Number of cells reconfigured (if reconfiguration mode selected)

Other statistics for zones (computation, focus or hot spots)

Implementation plan for site selected

with reconfiguration for existing sites

Statistics in term of number of sites

and coverage statistics for all zones

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Implementation in database / First Scenario

Commit Results in database

Quick evaluation thanks to ACP coverage plots

Predictions can be recalculated in Atoll project once changes are

committed in database

Example of prediction for final network configuration

Initial and Final coverage

with statistics on Hot spot zone

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Site Selection Process for UMTS– Second Scenario

Deployment scenario with potential candidates, already defined in database

All 3G sites are supposed to be candidates (to be selected/activated)

GSM sites :

• are already existing, and share same antennas (E tilt not linked)

• can be reconfigured during UMTS site selection

ACP to choose the optimal sites to fulfil objectives (RSCP, EcIo)

Minimum/maximum number of sites to consider within the area

Group of Candidate sitesExisting GSM sites

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Optimisation Results / Second Scenario

Statistics report

Total number of Site/sectors removed/added and selected

Number of cells reconfigured (if reconfiguration mode selected)

Other statistics (RSCP, EcIo…) for computation and focus zones

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Implementation Plan Analysis / Second Scenario

Improvement vs. Changes Graphical analysis

Sites or sectors added or removed to fulfil requirements (Objectives)

Changes of parameters (tilts…) if reconfiguration mode selected

Site activated

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Cell-level Analysis / Second Scenario

“Cell result” table

Candidate sites to be de-activated/activated in database (UMTS)

List of changes for candidates if reconfiguration mode selected

List of changes for GSM sites if reconfiguration activated for this layer

Cells reconfigured Cells selected/activated

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Site Selection Process for LTE– Third Scenario-

Deployment scenario with potential candidates, either defined with their

coordinates in database or based on existing GSM/UMTS sites

Candidate site location (X/Y) for LTE can be :

• Added in site table as location only

• Imported as a list (text format) directly in ACP

• Automatically created from location of existing GSM or UMTS sites

Reconfiguration of Station template parameters is user defined

Atoll ACP associates candidate location with Station template types, according to

geographical area (ie Urban/Rural station depending on area)

Common multi band antenna (UMTS/LTE) can be allocated to new LTE sites to

link sectors

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Optimisation Setup / Third Scenario

Principles of Site selection based on “New candidates”

ACP calculates path loss matrices of candidates at beginning of optimisation

process (only once)

LTE Sites are always reconfigured when selected

Control of existing Layers (avoid degradation of quality)

Flexible settings

• Zone Weighting (focus on specific area, ie dense urban)

• Objectives weighting (RS Coverage vs RS CINR)

• Objectives per zone (Focus, Hot spot, group of clutter class..)

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Optimisation progress / Third Scenario

Graphical display for objectives, radio layers, change type

User can stop based on parameter evolution (% Coverage, number of sites

added..)

Automatic stop when maximum number of iteration reached

LTE Coverage and CINR

evolution over time

GSM/UMTS sites upgraded to LTE

and new LTE site added,

with reconfiguration of existing sitesInitial and Final RS CINR Coverage showing

where target is reached or not

(Success/Fail for CINR threshold )

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Optimisation results / Third Scenario

Final implementation

List of LTE sites selected, with potential reconfiguration of default template

parameters (tilt...)

GSM and UMTS layer : list of changes for existing sites, with statistical results

for all zones

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Optimisation results / Third Scenario

Visual analyse with ACP plots and Atoll predictions

ACP results for planned LTE layer

ACP coverage plots displayed in map window

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ACP Summary and Benefits

New Concept of ACP implemented as an integrated function of the RF

Planning Tool

Optimised Design for Network in the Planning & Roll-Out phases

Optimisation of Live Networks

Integrated Planning/Optimisation Process & Workflow

Thank You!