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INTRODUCTION

RADIO FREQUENCY PLANNING AND OPTIMIZATION

Drive Test
Khawaja Waqas Ahmed

KEY TECHNICAL DEPARTMENTS IN A CELLULAR COMPANY


1. Radio Frequency planning and optimization. 2. Transmission planning and optimization. 3. Core networks planning and optimization

Questions to be Answered
What

is Drive Test? What is the Importance of Drive Test? When do we perform Drive Test? What are the Types of Drive Test? What are the Inputs Required? What will be the Output? What are the Equipments Required? Which Software is used? How to carry out Drive Test?

Drive Test?
RF

engineering activity that ensures optimum network performance and meets the Quality of service. Drive Testing is one of the method to keep track of Network. It is a continuous process of monitoring the network performance.

Importance of Drive Test

The quality of the network is ultimately determined by the satisfaction of the users of the network, the subscribers. Drive tests give the feel of the designed network as it is experienced in the field. Drive testing is the most common and maybe the best way to analyze Network performance by means of coverage evaluation, system availability, network capacity and call quality. It gives idea only on downlink side of the process, but it provides huge perspective to the service provider about whats happening with a subscriber point of view.

When we do Drive Test?


Vendor and Operator do drive tests in special cases.
System

Tuning Cluster Based Testing (Routine drive tests) Customer Complain Area BSC Stats Monitoring

Complains?
Customer Complains: Call Drop Interference Call Muting Congestion BSC Stats Problems: Call setup success rate (CSSR) Handover success rate (HSR) TCH/SDCCH congestion

Types of Drive Tests?


Normal

Drive Tests Benchmarking (Qvoice) Mute Testing

Normal Drive tests


Drive

test is the backbone of Network Optimization. The more frequently it is carried out, least will be the customer complains. For this reason, RFO Department also do drive tests in those areas where there is no complain. These normal Drive Tests, cluster based, are carried out on the basis of resources available to the operator, since cost is a big factor in Drive Tests.

Benchmarking (Qvoice)
It

is a process of comparing different Networks on the basis of Quality and services. It is a different type of Drive test, different mobiles operating with different Networks are connected to Laptop. Then these Networks are monitored and log files are saved. Benchmarking is important for Operator to find the standard of performance by others in market.

Mute Testing
In

mute testing short duration calls are made after every 1 min. Car speed have to be Moderate to identify the exact location.

What are the Inputs required?


Complain

Area: To find the area where drive test have to be taken, MapInfo and Google Earth is used to identify the location. Cluster Information: This Information is important if RF Engineer wants to do Cluster based drive tests. Cell Files: Using these files Cell information can be displayed on TEMS.

What will be the Output?


The

outcome of Drive test is a Log File. The log file contains a detailed information about Rx level ,Rx Qual , C/I ,BER, and SQI of the specific DT area for which DT is done. By analysis of the log file and Engineer gives recommendations.

Equipment Required?
Laptop
TEMS

Compatible Mobile phone Data Cable Global Positioning System (GPS)


Dongle

Dongle?
A

dongle is a small piece of hardware that connects to a computer and may be portable like a USB. The usual function of a dongle is to authenticate a piece of software (TEMS). Without the dongle, the software will run only in a restricted mode, or not at all. Dongles are used by some vendors as a form of copy Protection.

Software used?
TEMS

MapInfo
Google

Earth

How to do Drive Test?


Define

the Area: The testing process starts with selection of the live region of the network where the tests need to be performed and the drive testing path. Connect Devices to Laptop: Mobile Phone and GPS (Global Positioning System), Dongle are connected to the Laptop. MapInfo: Point out the Cluster on Map. TEMS: Identify the problem by analyzing different parameters. Record the drive test for reference.

Modes?
In drive tests, mobile phone works in two modes. Idle mode Dedicated Mode

Idle Mode
A

powered on mobile station (MS) that does not have a dedicated channel allocated is defined as being in idle mode. While in idle mode it is important that the mobile is both able to access and be reached by the system. The idle mode behavior is managed by the MS. It can be controlled by parameters which the MS receives from the base station on the Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) In this mode RX level is monitored

Dedicated Mode
Once

the call is established, the MS is allocated a dedicated channel, Hence called dedicated mode. Layer 3 messages are used in TEMS to monitor it. In this mode RX level and RX Quality is monitored.

Sound Messages
TEMS

got functionality of informing the Engineer about events occurring with voice message. Like call established, Handover, Handover Failure, call dropped, etc.

THE END

THANK YOU

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