Site planning, 2G and 3G

Comsil engineers have a wide range of field experience using industry standard planning tools and more hands-on techniques as required in urban areas. While often overlooked, the importance of regular field visits and familiarity with the terrain and environment is key to a successful radio plan. Additionally, for example, choosing a good site naming and numbering convention early on seems trivial, but if not implemented can prove costly later on.

Site Audit

Analyze selected site statistics to assess and prioritize their contribution and impact to the overall network performance. Key criteria are dominance and coverage, cell overlap, traffic and quality and how they affect surrounding sites. Make proposals for improvement.

Site Antenna Configuration Management

Good base site antenna configuration and installation is crucial to the performance of the network. An accurate site database verified by site inspections is an important part of the overall quality control process.

Network Evolution Planning

New networks have to balance site rollout requirements with cost efficiency. Simple and timely planning for equipping cells, sites and BSC and location borders can avoid additional expense later in a project.

Frequency Planning and Audit

Validate the frequency planning process. Identify flaws in the frequency plan and suggest improvements and alternative solutions. Rollout frequency planning will minimize revisiting the frequency plan during network rollout avoiding the associated errors and delays repairing it. Comsil has a proprietary frequency plan assessment tool - DNA, that can ‘score’ the frequency plan and identify possible optimizations.

Interference Control

Minimize interference by frequency planning, re-engineering and antenna configuration at specific sites. Identify external interference sources where they affect the network performance and to propose techniques to minimize, avoid or eliminate the problem.

Comsil has experienced some of the most demanding radio environments in the world, the importance of eradicating serious external interference cannot be stressed enough.

Parameter Management and Audit

Consistency checking handoff relations and cell/BSC parameter settings is necessary, difficult and laborious. By establishing a relational database taken directly from the network this task can be made much simpler, more accurate and less time consuming.

Network Features and Parameter Selection

To recommend parameter settings or network features where they will benefit network performance – for example, frequency hopping techniques and band planning.

Technical Training Services

Comsil can help transfer technology, experience and know-how to the local engineering staff through on-the-job training, regular contacts and formal training courses. Training courses can be provided in-house to minimize costs to the operator. Training on a wide range of subjects reflects the scope of Comsil personnel experience.

Ancillary Equipment Selection

By using ancillary equipment the performance of the system can be improved or interference problems avoided. Sites that would benefit are identified and the ancillary equipment for example MHAs and RX filters. Additional equipment can avoid poor handover between sectors where fast handover is required, for example at tunnel portals.

Special Coverage Projects

Comsil has been closely involved in the design and engineering of some of the world’s most challenging special coverage projects, these include:

Very high capacity inbuilding systems for special events (including interference management with TV and radio broadcasters, and security services).
Outdoor and in-building designs for shared infrastructure, multi-operator, multi-band, multi-technology systems.

• Road and rail tunnel coverage systems.
• Metro and underground railway coverage systems.
• Multi-operator co-location and shared antenna and mast techniques and technologies.
• High speed railway systems and tunnel portals.
• Comsil engineers are familiar with the potential intermodulation interference sources and techniques to avoid the problems.

Network Technology Feasibility Study

Comsil’s wide exposure to many network technologies and systems allows us to objectively assess their suitability to their impact and usefulness. This can avoid large expenditure investments equipment that may be unnecessary with proper network optimization. Projects undertaken include:

• Site sharing technology assessment
• Fixed wireless access technology review

GPRS/Edge Optimization

Data applications on mobile platforms may require high performance throughput for latency, data rate, etc. Comsil can support optimizing the data network from core to the mobiles.

Fixed/Core Network Engineering

We can help engineer and specify fixed networks. Through our industry associations we can assemble a team to tackle projects of varying sizes.