Network Planning Principles

For discussion and adaptation !!!

Objective
The main objective of the this document is to lay down high level service, applications, technical and economic frameworks which have to be followed during the development of the network during the TEP period. Much of the framework principles are the derivatives of the RFP, the national growth and transformation plan, accepted strategies in the industry and lessons learned in the last vendor financing program. All planners involved in the planning of the build up of telecom infrastructure shall use this framework as a blue print for detailed planning activities.

TEP Main Objectives (RFP)

Extending the GSM geographic coverage to 85% to reach coverage to the. ..(This has to be detailed from the RFP and further discussion from further requirements)

Principles
Network planning activities should evolve with the proper evolution of the network, the services, the technologies, the market and the government requirement. These evolutions imply a wider set of options to implement a network than in the past and as a consequence, the importance of careful planning and analysis for alternatives have larger impact on the network capabilities today in order to assure the needed capacities, the associated quality of service and the required investments. There shall be no costly over-investment nor bad utilization of already earlier made investments, and at the same time ensures fluent migration of the services for the considerable amount of existing subscribers.

Principles
The inherent layering structure of the network and related technologies together with the complexity of the overall network implies that the network planning has to be performed also by layers, sub-networks and technologies. By Layers in a vertical dimension following the client-server relation (one layer is supported in the layer below and provides resources for the layer up) as indicated: Physical, Transmission, Routing/Switching, and Applications/Services/Control. By Segments or splitting of the end to end communication into sub areas as customer premises, access, core national, core international By Technologies or underlying technique as FO, DWDM, SDH, Metro Ethernet, PTN, ATM, IP, GSM, 3G, etc.....

Network Architecture Principles

Layering and segmenting are the main principles for building the architecture of the new network. The architecture defined in the last vendor financing project shall be revised in light of the convergence and technology developments. Convergence has been tried to be fully applied in the bearer backbone transmission network. The new network architecture shall as far as possible and wherever possible, advocate convergence and infrastructure sharing in all layers. The most feasible candidate for convergence is the new backhaul (aggregation) network in the new network architecture. A new Infrastructure layer is added this time to be planned in an integrated way.

Network Architecture (2007)

NOC & BSS
OSS

SERVICE LAYER
CONTROL LAYER

Internet

IP/MPLS Backbone Network

BEARER LAYER
MGW MGW AGW

TGW TGW

International Network

BSC

BSC

ACCESS LAYER

MSAN

Existing PSTN & GSM Network

CDMA

GSM/WCDMA

Proposed Layers in the New Architecture

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. OSS/BSS Layer Service Layer Control Layer Backbone layer Backhaul Layer Access layer Infrastructure layer Functions of Layers
Reference points for planning and design of the network Boundaries for achieving the convergence and infrastructure sharing issues Framework for resource planning Framework for the organization of project implementation Framework for vendor allocation.

Proposed Network Architecture

OSS

NOC & BSS

SERVICE LAYER CONTROL LAYER BACKBONE LAYER

IP/MPLS Backbone Network

Backhaul (Aggregation) Network IP/MPLS, SDH,DWDM, Metro Ethernet MSTP/PTN/OTN

Internet

BACKHAUL LAYER
ACCESS LAYER
BSC

International Network

BSC

MSAN/METRO

Existing Legacy Network

CDMA/EVDO
INFRASTRUCTURE LAYER

GSM/WCDMA

Tower & Foundation

OSS/BSS Layer
This layer is responsible for all end to end network management functions irrespective of the layer, technology, network building block, vendor involved; Standardization is achieved through the north bound interface visible to all layers; Convergence of IT platforms, OS and databases is required at this layer. There shall be one system vendor in this layer.

Service Layer
This layer involve all applications and services related issues of the Next Generation Networks. The abstract representation of the functional grouping in the service layer include: the service control functions including service user profile functions; and the application support functions and service support functions. Service layer functions and networks include:
Billing and Customer Care SMS gateway VMS gateway

One vendor is recommended for each application service in this layer Convergence of IT platforms, OS and databases is required at this layer.

Control Layer
The control

Node Hierarchy
National / Regional PLMN Architecture

Core Network Planning Principles

GSM/UMTS networks are built in a hierarchical manner with independent regional areas with access networks, each one controlled by an MSC. In small PLMNs the MSCs are connected in a meshed network. However, as PLMN grow large the backbone network is divided into a transit layer and a regional MSC layer. In order to simplify routing and traffic prediction, a ring topology can be implemented in the transit layer. It is also recommended that all incoming and out going traffic be in the transit layer. This enables the operator to choose the most cost-effective solution in terms of far-end drop or near-end drop. Each regional MSC should be connected to at least two transit layer nodes. This is called dual homing and it enables them to have full protection or to have load sharing. The most common option is something in between.

Node Determination Factors

Capacity factor, i.e. when will their capacity run out ? Where should small nodes be located in the network? O&M factor, i.e. does it cost more to have many small-capacity nodes compared to having a few large ones? Network robustness, i.e. would the network be more robust with many more nodes rather than a few large ones? Transmission efficiency, i.e. is it more efficient to have concentrated large nodes rather than many smaller ones? Spare parts handling, the practical issues with holding spare parts in different places and the management of spare parts. Other costs, such as the cost of new sites against co-location. Placing many small nodes in the network would entail more site costs, especially if they are to be spread out geographically. Co-location must be considered. Would the network topology of one, which consists of a few large nodes or one, that has many small nodes be more flexible for expansion?

Network Planning Process (1)

Network Planning is one of the sub-processes that are included in the Network Design for the Mobile Systems.

Scope of the Network Planning is determined during the Start-Up and Information Gathering sub-process. The approved Solution Specification is the main output from Network Planning and is the input to next activity in the Network Design, that is Detailed Network Design

Network Planning Process (2)

The Network Planning sub-process serves the following purposes: Identify, at a high level, the network equipment required to carry the required services. Define topology and architecture of the network. Anticipate network security issues. Define the roadmap for network evolution. Provide key network elements for budgeting purposes and a preliminary equipment list. Identifies high-level impacts on existing / future network systems. Provides an input to help identify impact of business systems. Provides an input to the Detailed Network Design sub-process.

Network Planning Process (Inputs)

Each work package included in the Network Planning sub-process requires different types of inputs at various stages of the network planning process. However, high-level inputs are: Customers business plan Network information Subscriber information Detailed inputs will be discussed in the relevant sub-process.

Requirement Analysis
Requirements analysis is the analysis of data and information supplied by the customer. Apart from performing initial analysis of the requirements, it is advisable that preliminary meetings with the customer should take place in order to establish and/or confirm customer requirements. Requirements are categorized under the following issues: Customers business and strategies Customer network requirements Customers specific network design rules Design constraints (budget, time, products) Other issues relating to any previous discussion held with the customer The requirements analysis allows the Network Designers to create a proposal for service, detailing the scope of the work, the tasks involved, the methodology, estimated length of the job, the resources required, start time, and the expected outcomes of the job.

Network Planning Work Packages

The Network Planning sub-process consists of a number of work packages. Each work package has its own inputs, outputs and dependencies.

Outputs from one work package may be used as input to another work package, or be used as output to the Network Planning sub-process process itself.

Network Planning Work Packages

Following work packages are included in the Network Planning: Network Baseline/Review and evaluation Services and Traffic Planning Security Solution Migration/Expansion Planning Core Network Architecture Solution Circuit-Switched Network Solution Packet-Switched Network Solution Signaling Network Solution Interconnection Planning Transport Planes Solutions (IP and TDM Networks) Synchronization Network Solution Requirements on transmission Transmission Network Solution Node Dimensioning Verification Audit Network Evolution Planning

Network Baseline/Review/Evaluation
If the network requires expansion, it is necessary to understand the current network capability and capacity. For an established 2G operator, it is vital that the existing network be fully understood by the network planner. Obviously, equally vital is a full understanding of the short and medium term plans, which are in place for the introduction of new services and network infrastructure. To this end, a network baseline study is necessary. Depending on the requirements, the network will be studied in terms of: Network architecture and topology Network capacity Network traffic Node configuration and performance In addition customer-specific network design rules and guidelines should be captured and understood.

Services and Traffic Planning

Services Modeling
The objective of services modeling is to calculate the payload requirements, upon which network dimensioning is based. It requires the following inputs: Applications (web browsing, email, voice, FTP, etc.) Services (voicemail, internet banking, web surfing, horoscope, etc.) User profiles per service type Quality of service Busy hours for each type of service Service distribution and penetration Service areas Service profiles for each service area Customer profiles The services model will be used for services demand forecasting, and sensitivity analysis. Changes in marketing plans to the number of services offered, or the number of customers forecast, can be quickly re-calculated so that the network plan can be updated, and impacts on the existing network can be determined.

Services and Traffic Planning

Traffic Modeling
The purpose of traffic modeling is to forecast traffic demand in order to establish network requirements. The process consists of: Traffic analysis (distribution and dispersion) Network traffic modeling Network traffic forecasting Traffic distribution / dispersion Traffic analysis involves the determination of user behavior, call MHT, BHCA, busy hours in the day, user mobility related procedures such as handover per subscriber and location update frequency, SMS events, and so on. Traffic origin and destination(dispersion) for each type of call case or service must also be determined. It allows the traffic planner to establish traffic flow in the network, and is used for traffic forecasting. Traffic volume distribution is estimated for the purpose of network topology and connectivity network planning. The traffic model is especially useful for traffic sensitivity analysis.

Services and Traffic Planning (Inputs)

The modeling above shows processes with respect to both internal and external inputs. Internal Internal inputs are those that can be obtained from studies, outputs from calculations and network statistics. Examples of internal inputs are: Default parameters from applications and mobility models Customer profiles Number of RNCs as dimensioned Traffic at each RNC External External inputs are those coming from the operator. These are: Service Application profile Customer forecast and distribution Customer profiles Services offered .

Traffic Planning (Detailed Inputs)

The objectives of the Traffic Planning work package are to determine traffic volume and flows across the network. Traffic planning generally starts with Information gathering and can extends into network planning, if assumptions need to be made. Some of the inputs are: Business Plan (list of services) Services plan, profiles and penetration Subscribers forecast & distribution Subscriber profile Network coverage information and Radio Network evolution Traffic growth forecast and distribution Traffic profiles Signaling capacity towards other nodes Number of nodes to interface RAN requirements O&M, Billing requirements Requirements Specification

Services and Traffic Planning (Outputs)

The output from this process also feeds into the next process along the chain as seen in Figure of the planning overview process. The main outputs are: Services payload matrix Traffic distribution Solution Specification containing Traffic Plan Services Payload The services payload allows the planner to arrive at the total data payload requirements in each region and areas (sub-regions) in the network. It also gives the planner the design criteria to apply in network design such as quality and bandwidth. The criteria can be classified as types of services, such as Real Time, or Non Real Time. Traffic Distribution Traffic distribution is an important criterion for dimensioning nodes, links and transmission requirements.

Security Solutions
The objectives of the Security Solution work package are to produce a clear strategy for the implementation of a secure network.

Inputs
Traffic and Services Plan Traffic forecast from other external networks (data, voice) Traffic distribution matrix (2G 3G, 3G - external networks) Points of Interconnect Interface requirements Roaming requirements Customer security requirements and business objectives Security recommendations from 3GPP, 3GPP2 and GSMA

Outputs
Zone definitions Inter-zone connections and policy decision points Filter and firewall criteria Equipment access security issues Management access Boarder elements

Migration/Expansion Planning
The objective of Migration/Expansion Planning work package is to cover all aspects of Network planning for the successful migration from an operators current network architecture and topology to that planned architecture and topology.

Inputs
Current network topology and architecture Operational constraints Business plan Product roadmaps and plans Core Network architecture solution

Outputs
Core Network architecture solution CS user plane solution PS user plane solution Signaling Network solution Interconnection planning Transport plane solutions Synchronization Network solution

Network Architecture and Topology Planning (Activities)

Network architecture and topology planning comprises the following activities:
Current network architecture and topology review Network scenario planning Network loads Network routing design Network redundancy and robustness design Estimate additional network capacity requirements Estimate number of network elements

Core Network Architecture Solution

The objectives of the Core Network Architecture Planning work package are to produce a target network architecture and topology that will form the basis for network development and design. This includes determining the hardware components and software needed for the deployment of the network. The output of the dimensioning is the quantity and configuration of the nodes in the core network.

Inputs
Services and traffic plans Network baseline for target network Site location Requirements Specifications for rules, policies and guidelines Equipment capacity and capability Access Transport Network plan Signaling plan (from other CND work packages) Interconnect plan (from other CND work packages) Service Network plan

Outputs
Network Architecture and Topology Quantity and types of network nodes Network capacity Routing policy Security assessment

Circuit Switched Network Solution

Circuit-Switched Network Solution includes CS User plane and CS Call Control & Mobility Management of the Control Layer.

Inputs
Requirement Specification Traffic plan Target network baseline Call cases and expected signaling load Current network baseline Customer forecast and service penetration Network architecture and topology

Outputs
The outputs of this work package are Solution Specification containing Circuit-Switched Network Solution and Input to preliminary equipment list

Packet Switched Network Solution

Packet-Switched Network Solution includes PS User plane and PS Call Control & Mobility Management of the Control Layer.

Inputs
Requirement Specification Traffic plan Target network baseline Call cases and expected signaling load Current network baseline Customer forecast and service penetration Network architecture and topology

Outputs
The outputs of this work package are Solution Specification containing Packet-Switched Network Solution and Input to preliminary equipment list

Signaling Network Solution

The objectives of Signaling Network Solution work package are to produce a signaling network architecture and topology that will form the basis for signaling network development and subsequent design

Inputs
Traffic plan Target signaling network baseline (capacity and configuration) Signaling Point Code allocation and naming policy Call cases (for each service introduced) and expected signaling load Customer forecast and service penetration Requirements Specification

Outputs
Signaling network plan Signaling network Architecture and topology Signaling network requirements (capacity, interface requirements, etc) specification

Interconnection Planning
The objectives of the Interconnection Planning work package are to produce a high level Interconnection plan that will allow a design to be specified that will satisfy the interconnection arrangements between carriers.

Inputs
Traffic plan Traffic forecast from other external networks (data, voice) Traffic distribution matrix (2G 3G, 3G - external networks) Points of Interconnect Interface requirements Roaming requirements Requirements Specification

Outputs
Interconnect plan Interconnect traffic forecast (internal and external) Interface requirements Interconnect network diagram Interconnect Requirements Specification

Transport Plane Solution

The objectives of Transport Planes Solutions work packages are to produce a network architecture and topology that will form the basis for the transport planes network development and subsequent design.

Inputs
Traffic plan Traffic distribution matrix (between the major locations) Target backbone network baseline Site location Requirements Specification document for rules, guidelines, and policies on QoS, Interconnect arrangement Equipment capacity and capability

Outputs
Backbone network plan Backbone network architecture Quantity of packet backbone network elements Backbone network capacity Routing policy

Synchronization Network Solution

The objectives of Synchronization Network Solution work package are to identify synchronization methods and sources, and develop a synchronization plan that will form the basis for network synchronization development and design.

Inputs
2G or existing Synchronization network Synchronization points of Interconnect Requirements Specification containing rules guidelines and corporate policies on synchronization Network baseline

Outputs
Network plan with network configuration Points to/from other synchronization sources Priority and recovery capability and Network Requirements Specification.

Requirement on Transmission
The objective of Requirements on Transmission work package is to identify the requirements placed on the transmission network by the transport planes of the Core Network.

Inputs
Requirement Specification Network baseline Existing transmission network CS network solution PS network solution TDM network solution IP network solution ATM network solution FR network solution

Outputs
Output of this work package is Solution Specification containing Requirements on transmission

Transmission Network Solution

Transmission Network Solution work package involves determination of the physical layer design, including the architecture, topology, link capacity, and protection and investment cost of the network..

Inputs
Core Network design overview Radio Network design report Traffic forecast Existing transmission network Topology plan Requirements specification

Outputs
Equipment list Node configuration layout Network design layout Solution Specification

Node Dimensioning
The objective of Node Dimensioning work package is to define the equipment needs for the Core Network.

Inputs
Requirements specification Network baseline Upgrade plan Product roadmaps including node specific inputs High-level node requirements from the other work packages including traffic plan

Outputs
The node configuration is documented in the Solution Specification and may also be set up the in Node Configuration document Equipment List

Verification Audit ?
The Network Design for Mobile Systems service assures that all delivered design work relies on proven solutions. This can be achieved firstly by using techniques from the proven reference networks. The other opportunity to have a proof of concept is to use the solutions in live networks as the proof. If the design had to create a new solution, then a proof of concept has to be produced. The design project defines their need in a test Specification document.

Inputs
Solution Specification Equipment list

Outputs
Output of this work package is an assessed Solution Specification that can possibly include a Test Specification.

Network Evolution Planning

The objectives of Network Evolution Planning work package are to develop a plan to evolve the target network to future technologies within a suitable timeframe.

Inputs
High-level network plans (Convergence of other network, e.g. GPRS, PBN/PCN, GSM) Product roadmap Customer forecast and future requirements Services and traffic forecast Network baseline Requirements Specification Upgrade plan

Outputs
Network evolution phases with timeframe Network capacity Capability and technical/network proposals