Microwave Engineering Europe - November 2007 - (Page 24)

24 WiMAX NETWORK PLANNING Planning a WiMAX network: maximising the ROI by using advanced optimisation tools By Dr. Eustace Tameh, ProVision Communications he cost of installing and running a WiMAX network will be a major factor in determining how successful WiMAX operators will be. The use of advanced WiMAX planning and optimising tools can result in signiﬁcant economic returns through reduced capital investment and operating costs, while at the same time improving the network quality of service and maximising the data throughput per user. Although this article focuses mainly on the WiMAX planning process, the same approach applies equally as well to 4G broadband wireless access networks using LTE and UMB technologies. There is accelerating global demand for high capacity wireless broadband access networks for last mile and mobile applications, using multiple standards and formats – WiMAX, LTE, UMB and TD-SCDMA – as competitive solutions. Traditional network planning methods, based on rudimentary planning tools that were not designed for use with NLOS (non line of sight) systems, result in a solution that is expensive and can suffer from low capacity and serious post-build interference. These new systems however, need a new approach to network planning and optimisation to let planners achieve the right balance between technical and commercial constraints. Network planning for a WiMAX system deployment is a multi-dimensional task that includes traditional network and frequency planning, trafﬁc and interference analysis, basestation (BS) load balancing, along with optimisation for a wide range of interdependent parameters. Planners are also concerned with maximizing the quality of service (QoS) and keeping capital expense and operational costs (CAPEX and OPEX) as low as possible to maximise revenues – tasks that are vital in order to establish economic and technical feasibility prior to network deployment. Achieving these goals demands a new generation of WiMAX planning tools that are very accurate, ﬂexible and easy to use. T Figure 1: ProPhecy excels at modelling difﬁcult environments, such as cities with signiﬁcant terrain undulation, or nearby mountain ranges, and foliage. Ideally the data needs to be presented in an informative and intuitive manner that gives clear rankings to the optimised solutions. The planning process for high capacity broadband wireless access networks such as WiMAX consists of two distinct functions – (1) propagation and coverage planning, and (2) site and trafﬁc optimisation, which includes design and conﬁguration of the backhaul network. To support both of these phases ProVision has developed a sophisticated planning and optimising suite of software tools called ProPhecy™. ProPhecy has a highly accurate and scalable propagation prediction engine and coverage planning tool while the ProPhecy advanced optimising tool is an extremely ﬂexible technical/commercial tool for site and trafﬁc optimisation, network analysis (e.g. in uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) interference analysis, frequency planning, load balancing and so on) as well as backhaul analysis and design. ProPhecy incorporates a new threedimensional radiowave propagation tool that models open rural areas, as well as dense urban environments. This tool is uniquely based on the use of Radar Cross Section (RCS) techniques, which allow detailed scatter and diffraction analysis to be performed over large areas. Scatter and diffraction based tools deliver the most accurate prediction results available. ProPhecy excels at modelling difﬁcult environments, such as cities with signiﬁcant terrain undulation, or nearby mountain ranges (Figure 1). ProPhecy supports full 3D modelling of base station and CPE antennas and can auto-align ﬁxed wireless directional CPE antennas towards the optimum sector. It is capable of modelling the latest MIMO antenna systems. The ProPhecy optimising tool is a powerful network optimisation platform that works with the ProPhecy prediction engine to dimension and design radio networks. In particular, this tool dimensions the network and then selects the optimum location of basestations and allocation of radio resource, taking both ﬁnancial and technical constraints into account to deliver the most cost effective and optimum performance network solution. The algorithms exploit the link-adaptive nature of the WiMAX PHY layer to ensure that both capacity and coverage are maximized. Planning a network Planning a broadband wireless access network such as WiMAX in an urban area is extremely difﬁcult because of the complexity of city environments. This is particularly true for street-level coverage, where coverage from many basestations must combine to achieve the desired coverage level. The ability to deliver the required level of service with the minimum number of basestations, or from less expensive rooftops, can be critical for long-term proﬁtability in this competitive market. Microwave Engineering Europe ● November 2007 ● www.mwee.com 024_025_026_MWEE.indd 24 25/10/07 14:01:43 http://www.mwee.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Microwave Engineering Europe - November 2007

Microwave Engineering Europe - November 2007 Contents News Comment Metamaterials: Metamaterials Tackle Communications Wavelengths Microwave Components — EM tools: Microwave Component Design Easier With New EM and EDA Tools Cover Feature: RF Testing for OFDMA in LTE Base-Stations Startup Eyes Battery-Free Wireless Sensor Nets High-speed ADC Technology Paves the Way for Software Defined Radios Planning a WiMAX network: Maximising the ROI by Using Advanced Optimisation Tools Transporting Video Over Wireless Networks Ultrawideband Under the Gun Specifying the Proper SAW Filter Products Product Feature: RF Test Solution Supports Emerging 4x4 MIMO as Well as Multiple Commercial Standards Calendar

Microwave Engineering Europe - November 2007

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