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Page 1: 9955_ACCO_User_Manual_4.15.3

User Guide

4.15.3

3DF 01955 7185 PCZZA Edition 01

9955 ACCO4.15.3

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Status

Change Note

Short Title

Originator

Edition 01

Alcatel-Lucent

All rights reserved. Passing on and copying of this

document, use and communication of its contents

not permitted withoud written authorization from

Alcatel-Lucent

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Table of contents

T

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I Contents

Table of Contents

Part I 2Software overview

..................................................................................................... 21 System Requirements

..................................................................................................... 22 Workflow

..................................................................................................... 53 Data Preparation

..................................................................................................... 54 Data Flow

..................................................................................................... 85 Shortcuts

Part II 10Data import/export

..................................................................................................... 101 Create optimization environment

..................................................................................................... 112 Create measurement environment

..................................................................................................... 153 Measurement environment statistics

..................................................................................................... 174 Load optimization results

..................................................................................................... 185 Exporting data from Aircom Asset

..................................................................................................... 216 Importing data from Aircom Asset into 9955

Part III 25Optimization Settings

..................................................................................................... 251 Project settings

............................................................................................................................ 25Optimization Project Specification

............................................................................................................................ 28Import previous optimization, templates

..................................................................................................... 292 Network settings

............................................................................................................................ 29Networks and parameters

............................................................................................................................ 32ISI-Calc

..................................................................................................... 333 Optimization Parameters

............................................................................................................................ 33Optimization Ranges

............................................................................................................................ 42Advanced Technology Activation

............................................................................................................................ 44Electrical Tilt Editor

............................................................................................................................ 46Antenna Editor

............................................................................................................................ 47Edit in Excel

..................................................................................................... 494 Optimization Targets

............................................................................................................................ 49Target definitions

............................................................................................................................ 50Common target settings

............................................................................................................................ 53Optimization Targets 3G/4G

............................................................................................................................ 62Optimization Targets 2G

............................................................................................................................ 65Optimization Targets TD-SCDMA

............................................................................................................................ 67Traffic Weighting

............................................................................................................................ 69Captured Traffic and Traffic Sharing

..................................................................................................... 715 Optimization Options and Constraints

............................................................................................................................ 71Optimization Options

............................................................................................................................ 75Implementation plan details

..................................................................................................... 786 Optimization Run

............................................................................................................................ 78Optimization Run

............................................................................................................................ 81Optimization Mode Details

............................................................................................................................ 82Optimization Warnings

..................................................................................................... 837 Optimization Progress and Results

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IIContents

............................................................................................................................ 83Optimization Progress

............................................................................................................................ 85View Report

Part IV 90Options Settings

..................................................................................................... 901 Options - General

..................................................................................................... 902 Options - Network Defaults

..................................................................................................... 913 Options - Activation Defaults

..................................................................................................... 924 Options - Range Defaults

..................................................................................................... 945 Options - Target Defaults

..................................................................................................... 976 Options - Other Defaults

..................................................................................................... 1017 Options - Maintenance

Part V 104Multi System

..................................................................................................... 1041 Multi System Overview

..................................................................................................... 1062 Parameter Synchronization

Part VI 109Optimization Guidelines

..................................................................................................... 1091 Optimization Weight Examples

..................................................................................................... 1122 Clutter dependent optimization weights

..................................................................................................... 1203 Optimization with measurements

Part VII 125Inspector

..................................................................................................... 1251 Overview

..................................................................................................... 1262 Visualizations

..................................................................................................... 1293 Implementation Plan

..................................................................................................... 1314 User Interface

..................................................................................................... 1395 Statistical Analysis

............................................................................................................................ 139Plot Analysis

............................................................................................................................ 141Parameter Analysis

............................................................................................................................ 143Optimization Objective Analysis

..................................................................................................... 1446 Settings and Hotkeys

Part VIII 148Greenfield Deployment

..................................................................................................... 1481 Overview

..................................................................................................... 1492 Greenfield modes

..................................................................................................... 1533 Standard Mode

..................................................................................................... 1564 Advanced Mode

..................................................................................................... 1655 Deployment Strategies

..................................................................................................... 1676 Additional information

Part IX 174Incident Reports

..................................................................................................... 1741 Sending Incident Reports

..................................................................................................... 1742 Manually Creating Incident Reports

..................................................................................................... 1753 Managing Incident Reports

Part X 178Cleanup

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III Contents

..................................................................................................... 1781 Overview

Part XI 181License Manager

..................................................................................................... 1811 Overview

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C H A P T E R 1

1Software overview

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I Software overview

Using 9955 ACCO

Due to the integrated architecture of 9955 ACCO, the software provides

· Straightforward workflow

· Easy data preparation

· Simplified data flow

I.1 System Requirements

CPU Intel Pentium with NetBurst microarchitecture

Memory Min. 1GB physical RAM

Operating System 9955 ACCO 32bit: Microsoft Windows XP Professional with SP3

9955 ACCO 64bit: Microsoft Windows Vista Business 64bit

Interfaces 1 free USB 1.1 port if local dongles are used

I.2 Workflow

The 9955 ACCO workflow is shown below.

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Step 1 - Analysis

The first step towards optimization is the analysis of the radio network itself. The key questionsare:

· What is the main problem?

· What are the key performance measures?

· Where do problems occur?

· Which sites/sectors/transmitters are active within the problem area?

Step 2 - Data preparation and Launch

Prior to the optimization in 9955 ACCO some data has to be prepared within 9955. This includes:

· Definition of the optimization area (focus zone).

· Define a group of sites to be optimized - if required.

Optimization Area—The optimization area defines the region where the optimization objectivewill be evaluated, e.g. where the received best pilot signal power should be above a certain level.

The optimization area in 9955 is generated by drawing a focus zone. Select Geo > Zones >Focus zone > Draw to create the area of interest in 9955. This focus zone will then automaticallybe loaded as the optimization area into 9955 ACCO.

Create 9955 ACCO optimization environment (Launch of 9955 ACCO)—After datapreparation, the 9955 ACCO optimization environment has to be created that automaticallylaunches the optimization.

Choose Tools > Create 9955 ACCO optimization environment. A dialog box will appear.

For further information see also Create 9955 ACCO optimization environment.

Step 3 - Project and Parameter Settings

Optimization environment—9955 ACCO automatically exports the 9955 ACCO optimizationenvironment from the 9955 project that includes all relevant input data for the optimization.Before the individual parameter and optimization settings can be done, this optimizationenvironment has to be loaded. Some additional project specifications have to be defined as well.

For further details see Project Specifications.

After loading the data from the optimization environment, all required parameter modificationscan be set within 9955 ACCO. This includes the optimization parameters, the optimization rangesas well as the costs (and time) associated to each individual parameter modification.

For further details see Optimization Ranges.

Step 4 - Optimization targets and options

Optimization targets

The optimization objective is to maximize the sum of the optimization targets evaluated in theoptimization area.

Examples for the individual optimization targets in 9955 ACCO are:

· Coverage

· Quality (Difference between the 1st and the Nth best serving pilot signal)

· Interference aspects (Ec/Io), etc.

For example, coverage optimization targets are defined by the received best pilot signal strength.Different quality targets are available, e.g. as the difference between the first and the second bestreceived pilot signal strength.

The optimization targets can be weighted individually to control their significance and influence on

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the total objective. Doing so, different key performance measures can be emphasized againstothers. The weights of the optimization targets can be set globally, i.e. constant value for theentire optimization area, or conditioned on clutter data, i.e. different weights for each clutterclass.

For further definitions see Optimization Targets.

Optimization options

The optimization options allow the user to set optimization constraints on both COSTS and TIME.

In the optimization options the user can also enable the implementation plan. The implementationplan provides an ordered list of the modifications so that they can be implemented into realnetworks depending on the operator's focus. The implementation plan can sort the modificationsby

· highest total gain first

· highest gain per cost first

· highest gain per time first

They are used to weight the importance of the individual optimization targets based on the clutterfile.

For further details on these and other optimization options see Optimization Options.

Step 5 - Run optimization

9955 ACCO allows you to select between different optimization modes. The modes are

· Fast or

· Advanced

and represent different levels of compromise between optimization speed and optimization depth.

Furthermore, 9955 ACCO allows various grid (pathloss) resolutions for the optimization. Thisallows you to reduce the amount of required memory and to achieve an optimization result withina very short time. A coarse simulation resolution provides fast results, however, the best resultsand the highest accuracy can be achieved with the finest simulation resolution.

For further details see Optimization Run.

Step 6 - Generate Results

While 9955 ACCO is running, a progress indicator shows the ongoing advance of theoptimization process. The selected optimization targets and their progress are shown.

After successful completion, an optimization report file and the optimized network configurationfile are generated.

For details see Optimization Progress.

Step 7 - Verify results

The optimized network configuration file can easily be imported into 9955 for verification.

1. In 9955 select Tools > Load 9955 ACCO optimization results

2. A dialog box will appear. Browse the directory for the 9955 ACCO optimized network file (.con) defined before

3. A name for a new 9955 project is suggested that is the same as for the .con file.

4. Click OK to create a new 9955 project file (.ATL) that includes the optimized networkconfigurations or to import the optimized configuration into the existing 9955 project.

5. For a new 9955 project, the optimized 9955 file will be displayed

6. Re-run the analysis within 9955 and compare and verify the results with the original findings.

For details see Load optimization results.

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Step 8 - Implementation

After verification, implement the optimized site configuration in the real network.

I.3 Data Preparation

The data preparation in 9955 for the optimization in 9955 ACCO is reduced to

· Definition of the optimization region

· (filter sites - if required)

Optimization region

The optimization process will modify the radio network parameters available for the optimizationin order to maximize the optimization target within a certain area. This area is called theoptimization region or optimization area.

In 9955 ACCO this optimization area has to be defined by means of a FOCUS ZONE in 9955.

How to define and save a focus area for the optimization in 9955?

In order to define an optimization area in 9955 ACCO, you have to draw a focus zone within9955.

1. In 9955 select Tools > Focus zone > Draw to draw a focus zone.

2. You can save the focus zone as 9955 geographic file (.agd) with Geo > Zones > Focus zone> Save as.

3. You can import a predefined, or previously saved focus zone with Geo > Zones > Focuszone > Import.

4. By saving the 9955 project with File > Save or File > Save as, the actual focus zone willautomatically be stored in the 9955 project.

Note9955 ACCO automatically draws a computation zone around the optimization area (focuszone). This computation zone includes all sites that could have a potential influence on theperformance inside the optimization area (focus zone). If nothing else defined (i.e. not filter isapplied within 9955), all sites within this computation zone will be considered during theoptimization. Furthermore, only these sites are considered for parameter modifications in 9955ACCO.

Filter sites by a polygon

If nothing else defined, 9955 ACCO considers all sites within the computation zone (which isautomatically drawn around the optimization area, i.e. focus zone) for the optimization. If not allsites are potential candidates, a limited number of sites can be filtered in 9955, e.g. by means ofa polygon.

How to filter sites inside a polygon in 9955?

1. In the Project Explorer, right-click on Sites and go to Filter inside a polygon.

2. With Draw you can then draw a polygon.

3. Only the sites within this polygon will then be considered in the calculations in 9955.

4. 9955 ACCO then only used the filtered sites.

I.4 Data Flow

The data flow between 9955 and 9955 ACCO is fully automated and consists of two steps:

· Data export from 9955 (before optimization)

· Data import into 9955 (after optimization)

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The 9955 ACCO data flow is shown below.

The actual project data available in 9955 builds the basis for the optimization.

This data is also the basis for the result data that goes back to 9955.

Data export from 9955 (before optimization)

Before starting an optimization in 9955 ACCO the required project data needs to be exported.

This is done automatically from within 9955 by selecting Tools > Create 9955 ACCOoptimization environment.

The 9955 ACCO optimization environment includes all required data to optimize the network,such as:

· Antenna Patterns

· Clutter Data

· Elevation Data

· Information about the optimization area

· Pathloss data9955 ACCO works with propagation models that generate unmasked predictions as well aswith propagation models that generate masked predictions (e.g. ray-tracing models). In caseof masked predictions, 9955 ACCO de-masks the pathloss values when reading them fromthe pathloss files to be able to apply the masking algorithm according to the one used in9955. The parameter modifications should be limited to small ranges to not cause too largedeviations between the predictions done in 9955 ACCO and in 9955. Please refer to Extended sector selection for information how to select only sectors with ray-tracing models.

· Network settings

After generating the 9955 ACCO optimization environment, 9955 ACCO can be launchedautomatically with the new optimization environment.

The name of the optimization environment consists of the name of the underlying 9955 projectfile with the suffix "_OptEnv(n).coe". The index "n" is automatically increased by 9955 ACCO incase that multiple optimization environments are created based on the same 9955 project file.

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Several optimizations can be performed for a single optimization environment. For example,different optimization objectives or different parameter settings can be used. Therefore, eachindividual optimization will result in an individual optimized network configuration. These 9955ACCO optimized network configurations will automatically be stored in .con files.

The name of the 9955 ACCO optimized network configuration file consists of the name of theunderlying optimization environment file with the suffix "_OptResult(n).con". The index "n" isautomatically increased by 9955 ACCO in case that multiple optimization results are createdbased on the same optimization environment file.

In the same way as the optimized network configuration file an optimization report file will begenerated in Microsoft Excel format. The name of the optimization report file consists of thename of the underlying optimization environment file with the suffix "_OptResult(n).xls".

Data import into 9955 (after optimization)

After the optimization in 9955 ACCO is finished, the results can easily be loaded into 9955 forverification

This is done automatically from within 9955 by selecting Tools > Load 9955 ACCO optimizationresults.

With the re-import of the optimized network configuration a NEW 9955 project file can begenerated or the parameter modifications can be loaded into the original 9955 project file. Bydefault a new 9955 file will be generated. The name of this 9955 project will be the same as the9955 ACCO optimized network configuration file, but with the extension .ATL.

Due to the smooth import of the optimized network configuration into 9955, there is no additionaleffort required to re-import and verify the optimized radio network configuration. All the datahandling is done automatically.

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I.5 Shortcuts

Like many other applications working under Windows environment, 9955 ACCO provides a set ofshortcuts in order to ensure an easy handling and provide a quick way for using the differentfunctionalities.

The different available shortcuts are listed below:

Ctrl keys

Ctrl+A: Select all records in tables (from the active table)

Ctrl+C: Copy the selected data

Ctrl+D: Fill down selected data in tables (in the active table)

Ctrl+U: Fill up selected data in tables (in the active table)

Ctrl+V: Paste the content of the clipboard

Ctrl+X: Cut the selected data

Function keys

F1: Open the online help for the specific tab sheet or relevant subject

F2: Edit the actual item

F9: Toggle warning window

Alternate keys

When a letter is underlined in a command, press Alt+letter to run it. Use the Alt button to makeunderlines active/inactive.

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C H A P T E R 2

2Data import/export

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II Data import/export

II.1 Create optimization environment

Target file

Before 9955 ACCO is launched, the 9955 ACCO optimization environment (.coe) has to becreated. It consists of a .coe-file together with a folder of the same name. This folder containsproject information required for the optimization process. The proposed file name is the file nameof the actual 9955 project file with the suffix "_OptEnv(n).coe". The index "n" is automaticallyincremented by 9955 ACCO in case that the file name already exists, i.e. if the same 9955project file is used to generate multiple optimization environments.

The 9955 ACCO optimization environment includes all required data to optimize the network.This includes:

· Antenna Pattern

· Geographic data like clutter and terrain data

· Information about the optimization area

· Pathloss data

· Network configuration

Pathloss data will be re-computed, because 9955 uses masked predictions while 9955 ACCOneeds unmasked predictions (except for propagation models which natively calculate maskedpredictions, like ray-tracing models). For some certain ray-tracing models, the pathlosscalculation will not be re-done, and existing pathloss files will be copied from the 9955 pathlossdata folder. Thus, 9955 ACCO will check if these pathloss files are valid and will show an errorotherwise. The current list of such models is

· Pace4G.

Clutter data is exported at least as large as the focus zone bounding box plus a buffer of 3pixels. Height data is exported at least as large as the focus zone bounding box plus a buffer of 3 pixels.If transmitters use a propagation model that cannot generate unmasked predictions (e.g. ray-tracing models), the height data must cover the bounding box around all such transmitters plus abuffer of 2 pixels.

Click the button to select a folder and specify a file name for the 9955 ACCO optimizationenvironment file. The default folder is the same as for the current 9955 project folder. After the export has finished, a dialog is presented which is named Export Successful. Clickingon Details >> shows log information of the export. You can also save it as an html report byclicking Save Report.

Cf. also Software Overview - Data Flow.

CautionThe 9955 transmitter table contains a column Additional Electrical Downtilt. These values areignored by 9955 ACCO. Note that analyses will most likely differ between 9955 ACCO and9955 if Additional Electrical Downtilts are not zero. Therefore make sure that all AdditionalElectrical Downtilts are zero in the transmitter table. The better way to consider e-tilts is toselect the appropriate antenna pattern matching the desired electrical tilt.

Previous environment

Use the button to select an optimization environment which has been exported previously.9955 ACCO will use pathloss files from this environment instead of re-calculating them again, ifsuch a pathloss file contains valid predictions for the corresponding transmitter in the currentproject. The decision about the validity of an existing pathloss file is made transmitter bytransmitter.

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Move files—Use this option to move the pathloss files from the other environment to thecurrently created environment instead of copying them. This is faster, but it destroys the otherenvironment.

Options

Resolution—The resolution for the optimization has to be set. 9955 ACCO will use thisresolution to generate the propagation files in 9955 for all sites considered for the optimization.For the default value the most frequently used setting (for the active transmitters in the 9955project) is used.

Export extended calculations—If extended pathloss matrices are defined in the project, thenthis checkbox can be enabled. In this case, define the resolution with which the extendedmatrices shall be calculated in the adjacent input field. The resolution of the extended matrixshould be coarser than the resolution of the main matrix. 9955 ACCO will use both matrices whilein areas where they overlap, the main matrix overwrites the values of the extended matrix.

Frequency band—Multiple frequency bands may be defined in the actual 9955 project (networksettings, frequency band). With this list box the frequency bands that should be consideredduring the optimization process can be selected for the generation of the optimizationenvironment.

Carrier—In case of multiple carriers available (transmitter settings) in the 9955 project, theoptimization environment can be restricted to a subset of the carriers.

Allow optimization of sites outside the focus zone—Enable this check box if you want toallow parameter modifications for the sites inside and outside the focus zone; otherwise only sitesinside the focus zone can be modified. In either case, all sites with pathloss files reaching into thefocus zone are considered for the network analysis.

Support site activation—This option is only available if there are inactive transmitters in the9955 project. If this is the case, enable this check box to include the inactive transmitters in theexport for a site activation optimization. These inactive sites/transmitters will be the candidates.

Active column—Optionally, instead of the default Active column, a custom column can be usedto define the activation status of transmitters. Define the value which represents "active" in thesubsequent field.

3rd Party Antenna Correction—If you use a propagation model offering a feature to modify theused antenna pattern prior to the propagation prediction, then you can select here to apply thesame modification to all antenna patterns before exporting them to the optimization environment.Select from the drop-down list of supported propagation models or "None" to disable themodification. The currently list of supported models is

· Volcano.

Note that either no pattern is modified or all of them with the selected algorithm regardless of theused propagation model of the transmitters. Use this feature only if the antenna correction is alsoturned on for the propagation model to maintain the calibration between 9955 ACCO and 9955.

Launch GUI—To launch 9955 ACCO automatically after the generation of the optimizationenvironment, this check box has to be enabled.

II.2 Create measurement environment

Introduction

9955 ACCO measurement environments are similar to optimization environments with two majordifferences:

· Measurement environments are based on measurements while optimization environmentsare based on predictions

· Measurement environments can only be used in combination with an optimizationenvironment.

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Measurement environments are used in 9955 ACCO by assigning them to individual targetfunctions. This allows maximum flexibility to combine different target functions for measurementsand predictions with individual weights.

Follow these steps to use measurements in 9955 ACCO:

· Create a measurement environment for the desired measurement.

· Create an optimization environment for the project and launch 9955 ACCO.

· Load the project and specify optimization ranges.

· Create target functions and assign weights. Assign measurement environments to therequired target functions.

Target functions with measurement environments assigned are based on measurements theremaining functions are based on the predictions in the optimization environment.

Example

Create two target functions to consider both coverage based on predictions and coverage basedon measurements, for example:

Coverage-P weight 1.0 (no measurement environment)Coverage-M weight 0.5 D:\Data\DemoMeasurementEnvironment.cme

Please refer to section Optimization with measurements for details on measurements, thissection describes the 9955 add-in to create measurement environments.

Launching the add-in

Use the icon or the menu item Create measurement environment in the 9955 tools menu tocreate a measurement environment.

The 9955 ACCO measurement environment includes all required data to handle measurementsin combination with an optimization environment. This includes:

· network settings

· site, transmitter and cell configuration

· measurements for individual transmitters and cells

CautionThe 9955 project used to create the measurement environment has to reflect the networkconfiguration during the measurement as close as possible.

Usually the same project should be used to create the measurement environment and theoptimization environment and this project should contain the network parameters used duringthe measurement (azimuths, tilts, antenna patterns, pilot powers, loads...).

If this is not possible, for example if parameters have been modified since the measurementwas done and these parameter changes have to be considered in the optimization, two 9955projects have to be used.

· one 9955 project with the network configuration during the measurement to create themeasurement environment

· one 9955 project with the current network configuration to create the optimizationenvironment

The add-in allows to specify various parameters as shown below:

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File name

Target file—The 9955 ACCO measurement environment (.cme) will contain the measurementdata for 9955 ACCO. The proposed file name is the file name of the actual 9955 project file withthe suffix "_MeasEnv(n).cme". The index "n" is automatically incremented by 9955 ACCO incase that the file name already exists, i.e. if the same 9955 project file is used to generatemultiple measurement environments.

Browse (...)—click this button to choose a folder and specify a file name for the 9955 ACCOoptimization environment file. The default folder is the same as for the current 9955 projectfolder.

Options

Measurement—Select one of the measurements contained in the actual 9955 project to beexported to the measurement environment.

NoteMeasurements have to be imported into the 9955 folder Test Mobile Data before creating ameasurement environment.

Carrier—Select the carrier to be used if the project contains more than one carrier. The powersand loads for this carrier will be used to create the measurement environment.

Mapping of measurement columns—The columns containing the received pilot power and thereceived Ec/Io have to be specified in these dropdown boxes. To ensure optimium quality of theoptimization environment, as many columns as possible should be specified, it is howeverpossible to assign the value -- None -- if columns are not existing or the values are not reliable.

Please refer to Mapping of measurement columns for details.

Auto map—Use this button to automatically map the columns in the measurement to theindividual transmitter numbers. The function searches for columns containing keywords such as

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RSCP, Ec, Ec/Io or Ec/No and tries to associate them to the transmitters.

NoteIf the order of the columns does not match the order of Transmitter 1..N or the naming does notmatch the naming convention mentioned above, the automatic mapping might fail or assignwrong columns.

CautionAlways verify the mapping after using the automatic mapping function. Invalid column mappingwill lead to a poor quality of the measurement environment and potentially bad optimizationresults.

Unmap—Use this button to remove all column mappings.

Resolution—Specifies the target resolution for the measurement environment. Measurementslocated on the same pixel for the specified resolution will be combined to one measurement toreduce fading.

Maximum distance—Limits the distance of measurement samples to transmitters similar to thecalculation radius for pathloss predictions. All samples beyond this limit are ignored. Smallerdistances improve processing speed and reduce memory requirements but relevant interferersmight be dropped. Using a distance larger than the maximum distance in the measurement datadoes not negatively impact the optimization as the resulting pathloss files are automaticallyreduced to the required size. The only effect is that memory consumption and processing timeduring the creation of the measurement environment will increase. Thus, you should use adistance large enough to include all required interferers. The default value of 5000m should besufficient for most UMTS and CDMA2000 projects.

Scanner total gain—Please specify the total gain of the scanner used for the measurements.The total gain is removed from the measured pilot powers as the optimization allows to selectdifferent terminals.

Receiver noise figure—Please specify the scanner's noise figure as used for themeasurements. This parameter is important if Ec/Io measurements are used. The noise figure isremoved from measured Ec/Io values as the optimization allows to select different terminals.

Mapping of measurement columns

The mapping of measurement columns is important for the generation of an measurementenvironment.

When importing scanner data into 9955 a mapping of different scrambling codes to transmittersis automatically done if the columns for the SC identifier are specified correctly. 9955 thanautomatically generates columns named Transmitter 1..N containing the mapped transmittername and the scrambling code.

9955 however does not automatically map the measurement values to the transmitters as theseare not used internally. It is up to the user to select the appropriate columns when for exampledisplaying values or generating CW measurements.

To processes the measurements in 9955 ACCO it is important to specify the columns containingthe measured pilot powers and Ec/io for the individual transmitters.

Example 1If the measurement contains the columns X, Y, Transmitter 1, Transmitter 2, Transmitter 3,RSCP_1, RSCP_2, RSCP_3, EcIo_1, EcIo_2 and EcIo_3 the mapping would be

Transmitter 1 RSCP_1 EcIo_1Transmitter 2 RSCP_2 EcIo_2Transmitter 3 RSCP_3 EcIo_3

If the measured Ec/Io values are not used and the third pilot power is not reliable, the mappingshould be

Transmitter 1 RSCP_1 -- None --Transmitter 2 RSCP_2 -- None --Transmitter 3 -- None -- -- None --

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Example 2If the measurement contains the columns X, Y, Transmitter 1, Transmitter 2, Transmitter 3,RSCP[0], RSCP[1], RSCP[2], EcIo[0], EcIo[1] and EcIo[2] the mapping would be

Transmitter 1 RSCP[0] EcIo[0]Transmitter 2 RSCP[1] EcIo[1]Transmitter 3 RSCP[2] EcIo[2]

Please note the offset between the transmitter's number and the number in the measurementcolumns in this case.

CautionIt is a key required that the mapping of the columns is correct. Especially if the measurementcolumns use a different naming scheme than 1..N it is important to assign those measurementcolumns containing the measurement values for the transmitters referenced in the Transmitter1..N columns.

Statistics

After the measurement environment has been created, a summary of important quality indicatorsis presented to check the quality of the data. The meaning of these values is described in section Measurement environment statistics.

II.3 Measurement environment statistics

After the measurement environment has been created, a summary of important quality indicatorsis presented to check the quality of the data.

Overview on quality indicators

The quality indicators are presented in a series of bar graphs as shown below:

All quality indicators should be green and as large as possible. A rule of thumb is

· Green (2/3 length .. full length) indicates that the quality is sufficient (2/3 length) or excellent(full length)

· Yellow (1/3 length .. 2/3 length) informs you of data that could lead to poor ACP results andrequires caution

· Orange or red (zero length .. 1/3 length) highlight critical deviations in the data.

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Description of individual quality indicators

This section describes the meaning of the various quality indicators and possible reasons andsolutions for poor quality values.

Fraction of usable measurements

A measurement is not usable if:· It is located outside a 5 km bounding rectangle of the focus zone· It does not contain a single usable server and measured power value.

The figure is the ratio of usable measurement locations to all measurements. Ideally it should beclose to 100%. If the value is below 95% you should check if the scanner data contains a largenumber of samples without valid scrambling codes or if the maximum distance is too small.

Fraction of usable samples

A measurement sample (i.e. a single detected server per measurement) is not usable if:· No server is detected by the scanner· No or an unknown scrambling code detected· The scrambling code format is invalid· It exceeds the maximum distance· Etc.

The figure is the ratio of usable samples to all samples in the bounding rectangle. Ideally it shouldbe close to 100%. If the value is below 95% you should check if the scanner data contains a largenumber of samples without valid scrambling codes or if the maximum distance is too small.

Average Samples per Transmitter

Counts the number of samples assigned to a transmitter averaged over all transmitters. 100 is agood average, 1000 is an excellent average. A low number below 50 indicates sparse distributionof the measurements, the optimization result will probably not be reliable in this case.

Average Servers per Measurement

This is number of detected servers averaged over all measurement samples. The value shouldbe at least 2, recommended is 2.5, values of 3 and more are excellent. A value of 1, as thecontrary example, indicates only a single server per sample. With this figure, Ec/Io optimization ishighly unlikely to be reliable, because inter-cell interference cannot be considered.

Average Servers per Pixel

This is the average number of detected servers per pixel for the specified resolution. The valuewill be higher than the average servers per measurement, because the averaging of samples topixels increases the number of servers. It should be assessed in combination with the averageservers per measurement parameter. A value of 1 or close to 1 describes a data set where only asingle server was measured in all or most cases. As described above, Ec/Io reproduction ifprobably not reliable in this case. Values of 2.5 should be considered good, 4 is excellent.

Quality of geographical distribution

Quantifies the regularity of the data samples over the area. A value less than 50% indicatessparse measurements or a high concentration on small areas. Optimization results producedunder these conditions will tend to be unreliable.

Quality of DL loads

Analysis of the total transmit power settings of the 9955 project. The algorithm basicallycompares the best (highest) measured Ec/Io values per transmitter with the ratio of pilot power/total transmit power for the same transmitter. The percentage of transmitters with a deviation ofless than 1dB gives the quality indicator. A value of 100% means that all transmitter's Ec/Io canbe reproduced. A value less than 80% most likely indicates that there are inaccurate totaltransmit power settings in the 9955 project. In this circumstance you should only perform Ec/Ioplanning if you are sure that all power settings in the project are correct.

RSCP Reproduction Confidence

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Compares the reproduced pilot power of each pixel, based on the average pathloss calculatedfrom the Ec measurement values, with the average of all measured pilot powers on that pixel.This quality indicator is the percentage of pixels with a deviation of less than 1dB. The valueshould always be greater than 90%. Lower values can indicate extremely high fading, problems inthe geo referencing or in the processing algorithm, or other critical inconsistencies. The datashould not be used in that case.

Ec/Io Reproduction Confidence

Compares the reproduced Ec/Io of each pixel, based on the average pathloss calculated from theEc measurement values and the transmitter total powers, with the average of all Ec/Iomeasurements on that pixel. This quality indicator is the percentage of pixels with a deviation ofless than 1dB. It can be close to 0.0 in the case where measurement data only contains a singleserver per sample, or the total transmit powers in the 9955 project are wrong. In such casesavoid planning with Ec/Io targets. A reproduction confidence of better than 80% can beconsidered good.

II.4 Load optimization results

9955 ACCO Optimized Network file

After the optimization is finished in 9955 ACCO, an optimized network file will be generatedautomatically. This optimized network configuration file includes all relevant parametermodifications in the network. To verify the results within 9955, this optimized networkconfiguration has to be loaded back into 9955.

The name of the 9955 ACCO optimized network file consists of the name of the underlaying 9955file, the corresponding 9955 ACCO optimization environment suffix and the suffix "_OptResult(n).con". The number in bracket is automatically incremented when multiple 9955 ACCOoptimized network configurations are generated from the same optimization environment file, i.e.the same source file.

Browse (...)—click this button to choose a folder and specify a file name for the 9955 ACCOoptimized network file. The default folder is the same as for the current 9955 project folder.

Implementation Plan Settings

Perform all modifications—Select this option if you want to import the optimized networkconfiguration that includes all modifications done in the optimization process.

Perform modifications up to implementation plan step—Select this option if you want toimport the optimized network configuration with modifications up to a particular step in theimplementation plan. This allows you to verify the optimization results for intermediate steps inthe optimization process, e.g. for lower budget limitations than originally expected.

View implementation plan—Use this button to view the implementation plan of the selected9955 ACCO Optimized Network file. Use this to directly view the gradual performance of thenetwork optimization and to import the network state of highest interest.

Import Settings

Import into current 9955 project—Select this option if you want to import the optimized networkconfigurations into the same 9955 project file, i.e. the same 9955 project as the original one.

Import and save 9955 project as—Select this option if you want to import the optimized networkconfigurations into a NEW 9955 project file. The default file name will be the same as the 9955ACCO optimized network file, but with the extension .ATL. With this option a NEW 9955 file willbe generated that includes the optimized network configuration. All other parameter settings arethe same as in the original 9955 project.

This option is used by default.

Example9955 source file: Test.ATL

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9955 ACCO optimization environment: Test_OptEnv(1).coe

9955 ACCO optimized network file: Test_OptEnv(1)_OptResult(1).con

9955 ACCO optimization report file: Test_OptEnv(1)_OptResult(1).XLS

Re-imported new (default) 9955 file: Test_OptEnv(1)_OptResult(1).ATL

See also Software Overview - Data Flow.

Browse (...)—click this button to choose a folder and specify a file name for the optimized 9955project file. The default folder is the same as for the current 9955

Column containing the Active flag—An alternative column can be selected here which will beused to store the activation status of transmitters instead of using the default Active column.Define the value which represents "active" in the subsequent field.

II.5 Exporting data from Aircom Asset

9955 ACCO provides a tool to export projects from Aircom Asset into a special optimizationenvironment. This optimization environment can be imported into 9955 for further processing.Please note that Asset optimization environments cannot be loaded into 9955 ACCO directly.

Basic information

Asset optimization environments contain a large set of data in the Aircom Asset project, such as:

· Site names and locations

· Sector settings (including pattern, azimuth, tilt, height)

· Cell settings (including carrier number and powers)

· Antenna patterns (including gain and directional diagram)

· Clutter data

· Height data

· Propagation predictions

Asset optimization environments cannot be used in 9955 ACCO directly as some majorinformation is missing, such as the focus zone. They can, however, be imported into 9955 with animport wizard. A special propagation model allows to use the Asset propagation data in 9955 forbest possible calibration.

Generating an Optimization Environments

To create an optimization environment from an Aircom Asset project, the tool 9955 DataConversion for Aircom Asset has to be launched. The tool is a standalone executable and can bestarted from the start menu or with the desktop icon.

If the tool is not yet configured, please select File > Configuration to enter the configurationparameters. Please refer to the next section for configuration details.

When the settings are correct, use the button Load Projects to load a list of projects as shownbelow:

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Aircom projects—Displays a list of project Ids and project names. Use the button Load Projectsto load or refresh the project list. Click or select a list entry to select the project Id.

Load projects—Use this button to load the project list from the database. In case of an error, thedatabase is not available or the configuration is not correct. Please refer to the next section forconfiguration details.

Aircom project Id—Use this control to manually specify the project Id. The value entered hereoverrides the selection in the project list.

Aircom user Id—Enter the user Id in this control. The user Id is required to locate the predictionfiles on the file system. Prediction files start with <project-id>.<user-id>.... Please ensure that allrequired prediction files are available for the specified user Id.

Target file name—Use this input field to specify the output file name. Alternatively the ellipsisbutton (...) can be used to browse for a file name.

Target resolution—This control specifies the target resolution for clutter and height data. Theresolution of prediction files will not be converted, the best matching resolution is used instead.

Create environment—Use this button to start the creation of the optimization environment. Thetwo memo fields will display the progress information and errors or warnings. If there arewarnings, please read them carefully to see if and how the actions taken by the conversionprocess influence the simulation results.

Configuration Parameters

Several configuration parameters are required to access the Aircom Asset database and the filesystem.

The next screenshot shows the configuration dialog:

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Standard configuration

Usually 9955 ACCO is installed on a machine with Aircom Asset installed, too. In this case theconfiguration is relatively simple:

· enter the database name as specified in the Oracle network manager

· enter the required user name and password

· use the default connection string (Provider=OraOLEDB.Oracle.1...)

· hit the button DB test to check the database connection, the test should pass successfully

· mapping of directories is not required

Alternative configuration

If Asset is not installed on the same machine or a different database driver than the Oracle clientis used, some advanced configuration parameters may be required.

To manually configure the database connection:

· Use the ellipsis button (...) to open the Database connection wizard.

· Select the database driver you want to use (probably one of the Oracle drivers) and click Next

· Enter the required database parameters (database name, user name and password), don’tforget to check the option Allow saving password, otherwise the wizard won’t return the fullconnection string including the password parameters.

· Hit the button Test to test the database connection. Don’t proceed until the test issuccessful, the database connection won’t work otherwise.

· Hit the button OK when you’re done. The connection string is automatically inserted into thecombo box and the default parameters (data source name, user name and password) arereplaced with placeholders allowing you to enter these parameters in the correspondingconfiguration controls.

· If placeholders are not automatically recognized, you can edit the configuration stringmanually and use the placeholders %userid%, %password% and %datasource%. Pleasenote that this is only required to use the corresponding input controls.

Usually directory mapping will not be required. If, however, the prediction path that is stored in thedatabase (for example c:\map_data\demo\predictions) is not available from the current machine,it can be re-mapped to a different location. To change the path to \\server01\map_data\demo\predictions, the following settings should be made:

· check the option Enable mapping...

· Enter the common part of the source path as stored in the database into database directory,

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for the previous example this is c:\map_data

· Enter the common part of the destination path in local directory, for the previous examplethis is \\server01\map_data

Detailed description of configuration parameters

Asset database name—Use this field to specify the Asset/Oracle database name as defined inthe Oracle network manager. The value will be used for the placeholder %datasource% in theconnection string.

Asset user name—Use this field to specify the Asset/Oracle user name. The value will be usedfor the placeholder %userid% in the connection string.

Asset password—Use this field to specify the Asset/Oracle password. The value will be used forthe placeholder %password% in the connection string.

remember user name and password—Check this option to store user name and password. Ifthe option is unchecked, the tool will prompt for user name and password once every time it isstarted.

Database connection string—Use this combo box to select or edit the ADO databaseconnection string. You should either select the pre-defined value for Provider=OraOLEDB.Oracle.1 or use the ellipsis button (...) to open the database connection wizard.

DB test—Click this button to run a short database connection test. The test only checks if thedatabase can be opened, but this is a prerequisite for proper operation.

Enable mapping...—Use this checkbox to enable the directory mapping for prediction, clutterand height files.

Database directory—Enter the common part of the directories as stored in the database. Alldirectories starting with this value will be changed to the value in local directory.

Local directory—Enter the common part of the directories as accessible from the local machine.

Example: If database directory is 'c:\map_data\' and local directory is '\\server01\asset_map_data\', the directory 'c:\map_data\demo\' will be mapped to '\\server01\asset_map_data\demo\'. The same applies to all sub-directories.

II.6 Importing data from Aircom Asset into 9955

This section describes how to import Aircom Asset projects into 9955.

Basic information

Use the 9955 add-in Import Optimization Environment to import project data from an Assetoptimization environment. The wizard will import the following data:

· Clutter data

· Height data

· Antenna patterns

· Site locations

· Transmitters and settings (azimuth, tilt, pattern...)

· Cells and settings (carrier, powers)

A special propagation model is delivered with 9955 ACCO that allows to use the unmaskedpredictions that are stored in the optimization environment. If this clone propagation model isused, the following data will be used:

· Pathloss predictions (including pathloss and inclination angle)

NoteIt is only possible to import Asset optimization environments with the add-in. Atoll or otheroptimization environments cannot be imported.

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Importing Asset optimization environments

There are some prerequisites if the propagation predictions from the environment shall be used.If you do not use the clone propagation model and use 9955 propagation models instead, theadditional column is not required.

Adding a column EnvPropFileName to table Transmitters

Please follow these steps to create a new column in the table Transmitters:

· Right click on Transmitters in the 9955 data tab and select Properties.

· Select the tab sheet Table in window Transmitter properties.

· Click Add to add a table field.

· Enter column name EnvPropFileName, type text, size 512 and hit Ok to create the column.

· Click Ok to finish the process.

NoteIt is only possible to use the pathloss predictions from the environment, if the columnEnvPropFileName is existing and large enough to hold the propagation file names as containedin the environment.

Creating frequency bands and carriers

The import add-in does not create new frequency bands or carriers. If you require different orother bands or carriers, please create the required settings before launching the add-in.

Importing an Asset optimization environment

Use the add-In Import Optimization Environment to import an Asset optimization environment.

Follow these steps to inport the data:

· Enter the environment file name or use the ellipsis button (...) to browse for the .coe file.

· Click the button Load to analyze the project and load frequency bands and carriers.

· The add-in checks the project and and the environment. If the current project is UMTS, onlyUMTS carriers can be imported. If the current project is GSM, only GSM networks can beimported.

· Map the environment's frequency bands or carriers to the current project's bands or carriers.

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Please note that the add-in does not create new bands or carriers, in this case please canceland manually create the required bands and carriers.

· Use the checkbox Import/overwrite clutter and height data to import clutter and heights fromthe optimization environment. Please note that existing clutter data and color schemes willbe overwritten.

· Use the checkbox Import sector and cell data to import sectors and cells. If the option is notchecked, only site locations will be imported.

· The checkbox Apply custom propagation model is only available if the columnEnvPropFileName exists. If the option is checked, the clone propagation model will beassociated to the sectors using the propagation predictions in the environment. Otherwisethe default propagation model is associated to the sectors.

· Click OK to run the import.

Additional settings

Various additional settings have to be adjusted manually. Please set the terminal, service,usability parameters and create prediction studies depending on your requirements.

The Clone Propagation Model

A special propagation model is delivered with 9955 ACCO that allows to use the unmaskedpathloss predictions as contained in the optimization environment.

The propagation model does not require or offer special parameters, it directly uses theunmasked prediction files and applies antenna masking.

Please note some restrictions:

· As the existing pathloss files are used, it is not possible to extend the propagation rangeover the existing range.

· If the calculation resolution is finer than the pathloss files, the data will be interpolated.

· Each transmitter has to have the proper propagation file name referenced in the columnEnvPropFileName.

· Do not move or delete the optimization environment, otherwise propagation calculation willnot be possible.

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3Optimization Settings

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III Optimization Settings

III.1 Project settings

III.1.1 Optimization Project Specification

Use this tab to view and modify 9955 ACCO project information and settings.

Source files

Optimization environment—this field displays the name of the 9955 ACCO optimizationenvironment that was automatically suggested after creating this 9955 ACCO optimizationenvironment in 9955. The name includes the 9955 project name with the suffix "_OptEnv(n).coe". The number in bracket is automatically incremented when multiple optimization environmentfiles are generated from the same 9955 project file.

The 9955 ACCO optimization environment includes all required data to optimize the network.This includes:

· Antenna Pattern

· Clutter Data

· Elevation Data

· Information about the optimization area

· Pathloss data

· Network settings

Browse (...)—click this button to choose a folder and specify a file name for the optimizationenvironment file. The default folder for the optimization environment file is the same as for thecurrent 9955 project file.

Source 9955 project file—after the 9955 ACCO optimization environment file is loaded, this fielddisplays the name of the underlying .ATL file for this optimization environment for information.

Traffic map (optional)—in order to apply weighting of the optimization targets based on trafficdensity maps, i.e. to focus system coverage and performance on areas with higher traffic density,a traffic map can be loaded. See also Weighting on Traffic Density Maps. A traffic map can beexported from the actual 9955 project. To do so, right click on the traffic folder in the Geo datadirectory in 9955. Select the "Export cumulated traffic" to export the traffic map for theconsideration in the optimization process. (Note: this feature does not work without problemsprior to build 1311 of 9955, in all builds you should export either the entire project area orrectangular computation zones, otherwise the resulting traffic map file may contain uninitializedpixels).The traffic map is also needed to consider the captured traffic per cell during the optimizationprocess. For details please see the Captured Traffic Description.

Alternative clutter (optional)—9955 ACCO allows the consideration of an alternative clutter filethat can be used to focus on different requirements. For example, this allows the user to definedifferent areas or combine clutter and population density maps to focus maps that can be usedfor the parameter optimization. Another example for the usage of the alternative clutter file is the Greenfield Deploymentfunctionality for vector data in 9955 ACCO. For further details please see the GreenfieldDeployment Settings.

Source files for second optimization environment (optional)

A second optimization environment is only required in case of multi system network planning andoptimization. An overview and more details are given in Multi System Optimization.

Optimization environment—this field displays the name of the 9955 ACCO optimization

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environment that can be used for the multi system joint optimization of different radio networks. The second optimization environment is required to jointly improve the performance of differentradio network technologies that either share common technology, e.g. shared antennas, or,which have common goals such as the inter-system handover areas between the different radionetworks.

This optimization environment includes the same network data as the optimization environment inthe first case, but for a different radio network. For example, the first optimization environmentmay include the 3G UMTS radio network data, while the second optimization environment mayinclude the network configuration of a GSM network. Both, the UMTS and the GSM networkmight be connected via shared multi band antennas.

For more details on the 9955 ACCO multi system joint optimization, please see section of MultiSystem Optimization.

Browse (...)—click this button to choose a folder and specify a file name for the optimizationenvironment file. The default folder for the optimization environment file is the same as for thecurrent 9955 project file.

[Source 9955 project file]—after the 9955 ACCO optimization environment file is loaded, thisfield displays the name of the underlying .ATL file for this optimization environment forinformation.

Traffic map (optional)—in order to apply weighting of the optimization targets based on trafficdensity maps, i.e. to provide system coverage and performance there where the traffic is, a trafficmap can be loaded. See also Weighting on Traffic Density Maps. A traffic map can be exportedfrom the actual 9955 project. To do so, right click on the traffic folder in the Geo data directory in9955. Select the "Export cumulated traffic" to export the traffic map for the consideration in theoptimization process. (Note: this feature does not work without problems prior to build 1311 of9955)The traffic map is also needed to consider the captured traffic per cell during the optimizationprocess. For details please see the Captured Traffic Description.

Alternative clutter (optional)—9955 ACCO allows the consideration of an alternative clutter filethat can be used to focus on different requirements. For example, this allows the user to definedifferent areas or combine clutter and population density maps to focus maps that can be usedfor the parameter optimization. Another example for the usage of the alternative clutter file is the Greenfield deploymentfunctionality for vector data in 9955 ACCO. For further details please see the GreenfieldDeployment Settings.

Source files for parameter synchronization

Automatically create multiband parameter synchronizations for aligned antennas—enablethis checkbox to automatically create synchronizations of the antenna azimuth, the mechanicalantenna tilt and the physical antenna pattern of two co-located sectors. The synchronization isdone if the antennas are co-located and the mechanical tilt, the azimuth, and the height coincide(with small tolerances for rounding errors).

In order to save these parameter synchronization settings, in the 9955 ACCO tool bar select: File-> create parameter synchronization template. This function creates a template (.ParamSynchfile) by first re-creating automatically synchronized sectors and then writing thesesynchronizations to the template file for further manual modifications or reuse in other projects.

Parameter synchronization file (optional)—use this file to include synchronizations betweendifferent network parameters and settings when optimizing networks that use sharedinfrastructure between different radio technologies, e.g. multi band shared antennas. Details onhow to generate such a parameter synchronization file are described in the Multi SystemOptimization.

Optimization Scope

Start from initial network configuration—select this option start the optimization from the initialnetwork configuration exported from 9955.

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Start from pre-optimized network configuration—select this option start the optimization froman already optimized network configuration in 9955 ACCO.

.con file (optional)—specify the output file from a previous optimization that contains the pre-optimized parameter values.

Output Files

Optimized configuration file—this box displays the name of the optimized networkconfiguration file to save modified radio parameter settings after optimization. The suggestedname for the 9955 ACCO optimized configuration file is the name of the optimization environmentextended with the suffix OptResult(n).con. The number in parenthesis is automaticallyincremented when multiple optimization result files are found.

Example

Optimization environment file: UrbanSites_OptEnv(1).coe

Optimized configuration file: UrbanSites_OptEnv(1)_OptResult(1).con

If another optimization is done with the same data input, i.e. the same optimization environment,then the suggested name would be UrbanSites_OptEnv(1)_OptResult(2).con.

The optimized network configuration file contains the modified radio parameter settings.

Browse (...)—click this button to choose a folder and specify a file name for the optimizednetwork configuration file. The default folder for the optimized network configuration file is thesame as the optimization environment file folder.

Optimization report file—this box displays the name for the optimization report file. Theoptimization report file is stored as a Microsoft Excel (*.xls) workbook. The suggested name forthe optimization report file is the name of the optimization environment file extended with thesuffix _OptResult(n).xls. The number in bracket is automatically incremented when multipleoptimized network configuration files are generated from the same optimization environment file.

ExampleOptimization environment file: UrbanSites_OptEnv(1).coe

Optimized configuration file: UrbanSites_OptEnv(1)_OptResult(1).con

Optimization report file: UrbanSites_OptEnv(1)_OptResult(1).xls

If another optimization is done with the same data input, i.e. the same optimization environment,then the suggested name would be UrbanSites_OptEnv(1)_OptResult(2).xls.

The optimization report file stores all relevant information regarding the optimization process,which includes the following:

· Optimization settings· Optimization ranges· Results overview· Roll-out report· Implementation plan

NoteIf the optimization is terminated by the STOP button in the Progress tab, NO implementationplan is generated. The implementation plan can only be computed if the optimization iscompleted successfully. Otherwise an intermediate state would be the result that does notsatisfy the requirements of the implementation plan.

Browse (...)—click this button to choose a folder and specify a file name for the optimizationreport file. The default folder for the optimization report file is the same as the optimizationenvironment file folder.

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III.1.2 Import previous optimization, templates

This functionality allows to import parameter and optimization settings from previously conductedoptimization projects, if this project was saved into a project file.

Save optimization settings

You can save the settings of a currently open optimization project with

File Save—choose this command to save the current 9955 ACCO project, or to save it undera different file name with

File Save As—choose this command to save the 9955 ACCO project in a new file.

Within such a project file the settings of the following tabs of the dialog box are recorded:

· Project specification

· Optimization ranges

· Optimization targets

· Optimization options

All other parameters, such as settings for the RUN tab are stored globally, i.e. the settings of thelast optimization will be used.

Import from previous optimization

By selecting the File Import settings menu you can load the parameter settings from apreviously saved optimization project.

While ALL parameters will be stored in the same optimization project file, i.e. parameter settingsas well as optimization targets, you can load them individually with this import functionality.

Optimization project file—this box displays the name of the optimization project file of which thesettings should be used for the current project.

Browse (...)—click this button to locate and choose the optimization project file.

Settings on "Optimization ranges" sheet—enable this checkbox to apply the settings from theoptimization project file to the optimization ranges sheet of the current project.

Settings on "Optimization target" sheet—enable this checkbox to apply the settings from theoptimization project file to the optimization target sheet of the current project.

Settings on "Optimization options" sheet—enable this checkbox to apply the settings from theoptimization project file to the optimization options sheet of the current project.

Settings on "Run" sheet—enable this checkbox to apply the settings from the optimizationproject file to the run sheet of the current project.

ExampleGiven that you save the optimization project for certain networks at a given time, which includesboth parameter settings as well as optimization requirements, targets and associated weights.In case that you do another optimization for the same network, but with different optimizationparameters, you can directly use the optimization targets - ONLY the optimization targets - of theprevious optimization by selecting the check box Settings on "Optimization target" sheet andpressing the OK button. Only the settings in the "Optimization targets" sheet will then bereloaded.The same applies if you want to keep the optimization parameters, but define differentoptimization targets. The Settings on "Optimization ranges" sheet need to be enabled. Only theoptimization ranges (and parameter settings and costs/time) will be imported, nothing else.Of course, all of the settings or any combination of them can be imported jointly.This allows you to load the individual settings from previously saved optimization project. It alsoallows you to load the optimization ranges from a "project_A" and the optimization targets from apreviously saved "project_B" into your current optimization project.

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By clicking the Import from previous optimization button you can load the parameter settings froma previously saved optimization project.While ALL parameters will be stored in the same optimization project file, i.e. parameter settingsas well as optimization targets, you can load them individually with this import functionality.

NoteThe settings from previously stored optimization projects do not even have to be from the sameproject. This means that you can load optimization targets from any previously savedoptimization project. The same applies to parameters settings, however, the same sites andsectors (recognized by their ID) have to be available in the project files in order to loadparameter settings.

III.2 Network settings

III.2.1 Networks and parameters

Use this tab to view and modify the networks involved in the optimization task.

Networks

The list of networks shows the network layers that are present in the actual project. Select anetwork to view or edit its properties.

Networks are considered separately, and hence listed separately, if they differ by at least one ofthe following properties:

· Technology, e.g. LTE, UMTS, GSM, CDMA2000 1x, CDMA2000 EVDO, TD-SCDMA,WiMAX, etc.

· Frequency bands, e.g. GSM900, GSM1800, UMTS2100, etc.

· Carriers, e.g. CDMA/UMTS carriers 1 or 2, LTE carriers, etc.

Parameters and properties

Name—use this field to view and modify the name of the actual network selected in the networkslist. The name of the network can me modified in 9955 ACCO but this does not change the namein the 9955 project or data base.

Frequency—use this field to view the frequency band for the selected network. The value is forinformational purpose only.

Technology—this field provides information about the actual radio access technology as definedin the radio network planning tool data base.

Carrier—this field provides information about the actual carrier number for the particular networkas defined in the data base.

Inter-system interferer—select a network layer which introduces interference to the currentlyselected network layer. Note that a network layer can only interfere with one other network layer,a network layer can only be interfered from one other network layer, and a network layer affectedfrom inter-system interference cannot interfere with any other network layer.

Inter-system interference factor—set the attenuation of the power transmitted by the interferingnetwork layer to the power interfering with the victim network layer. This factor is in dB.If, e.g., a200KHz GSM channel entirely falls into a 3.84MHz UMTS carrier, set the factor to -12.8dB(0.2/3.84=5.2%, which is equal to -12.8dB).

ISI-Calc—The button starts a tool to easily calculate the inter-system interference factor witha graphical user interface. This tool is called ISI-Calc.

Use clutter indoor loss—check to consider additional clutter losses defined in 9955 in allpredictions.

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Traffic map settings and traffic limits

Use this section to select a traffic map for weighting of optimization targets, to consider the trafficcaptured by the footprint of cells in the network and to edit the traffic limits of the cells. For detailssee also the description in Captured Traffic.

Traffic map—use this field to select a traffic map for the weighting of the optimization targetsbased on a traffic density map. The traffic density map has to be scaled in units/km². Thesupported file format is band interleaved per line (.bil or .cbil). See also Weighting on TrafficDensity Maps.

The <default> traffic map is the traffic map defined in the project settings.

NoteThis field is grayed out in case that no default traffic density map is defined in the projectsettings. This ensures that at least one traffic density map is available for all networks, andtherefore to avoid mistakes.

NoteTraffic maps used for captured traffic analysis or for density based capacity targets need to bescaled in units/km² to provide useful results. See below how traffic maps can be re-scaled usingthe Scaling factor.

Scaling factor—use this value to scale the entire traffic map. The scaling factor can for examplebe used to run studies with increased traffic demand (e.g. enter 1.25 for 25% more traffic) or tore-scale the traffic map from unit/pixel to unit/km² (enter 1000000/resolution²).

Clutter based scaling factor—on top of the global scaling factor described above the traffic

map can also be scaled clutter based. Press the button to open the input dialog where youcan define a scaling factor for each clutter class. The default value is 1. Each pixel of the cluttermap will be multiplied by the factor according to the clutter class of that pixel and the globalscaling factor. The list of clutter scaling factors can be saved to and read from files.

Include captured traffic in report—use this checkbox to compute the captured traffic during theoptimization and present these numbers in the optimization report and in Inspector, but withouttaking the limits of the maximum traffic per sector into account in the optimization run. Thecaptured traffic values are then listed for each sector in the optimization report. This checkboxcan only be enabled if the "apply captured traffic limit" checkbox is DISABLED for all optimizationtargets.

Edit traffic limits—click this button to view and edit the maximum traffic settings for theindividual sectors. These settings include the sensitivity that is required to capture the traffic. Thissensitivity is the minimum power that has to be exceeded by the received down-link pilot signal.This global parameter can be edited in the field Requirement for best server. If no minimumsignal level is entered, 9955 ACCO automatically considers a value of -200dBm. Enter themaximum traffic limits for every individual sector in the sector list. In addition to the sector limits,site (base station) limits can be defined as well in the Site traffic column. Site limits are pernetwork limits, i.e. the sum of the captured traffic of each sector of a site in a certain networklayer is compared against the site limits. Both sector limits and site limits are optional. You candefine either of them, none, or both. If both are defined, the more stringent limit will apply for thesectors of the site.

NoteIn order to consider the limitations correctly, the limits have to be entered in the same unit asthe traffic density map. For example, if the traffic density map is given in Erlangs/km², amaximum traffic limit of "40" means a maximum traffic of 40 Erlangs that can be handled by thissector.

Traffic sharing—enable this checkbox if the selected network shall share traffic with othernetworks. In this case, all networks which will share the traffic, will use the same traffic map as abasis; it will be the traffic map of the first network (with the lowest rank).

Traffic sharing rank—Use the button to open a dialog where the networks, which shallshare traffic, can be ordered. The first (lowest rank) network is shown on the bottom of the dialog.

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It will be the network which uses the original traffic map for the captured traffic analysis. Thesecond network will use the traffic remaining from the first network rather than the traffic given bythe traffic map, etc. Note that this analysis only makes sense if you define target functions thatuse Apply captured traffic limit (cf. Common target settings). Therefore, at least one targetfunction in the highest ranked network must use Apply captured traffic limit, otherwise the trafficsharing analysis is deactivated. Refer to Captured Traffic for further details.

3G Cell load

For 3G technologies and beyond, the down-link cell loads (DL total power) for interferenceanalysis can be used as given in the 9955 project, or specified as a fixed percentage of the max.PA power. . For details about targets refer to Optimization Targets 3G.

Use imported cell loads—select this radio button to use the DL loads from the 9955 project (i.e.from the optimization environment). The setting is applied to all cells of the selected network.

Use custom cell loads—select this radio button to use constant cell loads for all cells of theselected network. Define the used cell load in the input field in % of the maximum PA power ofeach cell.

Technology conversion

This control allows the conversion of the network layer to a different technology and is onlyavailable if a license for the target technology is available.

Use project conversion to compare different radio access technologies or if your planning tooldoes not provide support for the technology. In this case, a project can be created using aconventional technology (e.g. UMTS) and converted to LTE for analysis in 9955 ACCO andInspector.

After the conversion to LTE, use the input field Res. blocks to define the number of resourceblocks your network uses in the frequency domain. An LTE resource block is a sequence ofconsecutive sub-carriers with a total bandwidth of 180kHz. Usually the number of used resource blocks is 0.9 * Bc / 180kHz, where Bc is the carrier

bandwidth in Hz.

NoteTechnology conversion is supported for GSM, UMTS, and CDMA2000-1x.

OFDM settings

Use this section to select the bandwidth and the cyclic prefix (CP) length (guard interval) forODFM based technologies like WiMAX or LTE.

Bandwidth—enter the bandwidth in MHz. The systems use constant sub-carrier spacing, thusthe FFT size is deduced from the bandwidth. If possible, the bandwidth will be read from theproject settings of 9955. However, it can be modified here.

Res. blocks (LTE only)—enter the number of resource blocks that are used by the network. Thenumber of resource blocks is calculated from the bandwidth of the network.

Cyclic prefix or Guard period—select the correct OFDM guard period length. This guardinterval will be used for all transmitters.

LTE parameters

This section provides additional parameters for LTE.

Common channel overhead—enter the fraction of resource units in % overhead channelsoccupy. This has an effect on a density based capacity analysis. If possible, the correct value willbe read from the 9955 project.

Multi user scheduling/Frequency diversity gain—use this function to specify clutter dependentmulti user scheduling gains and frequency diversity gains in dB. These gains are applied for C/(I+N) and capacity targets. Functions to save and load the clutter based values are available as

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well as clipboard functionality.

III.2.2 ISI-Calc

ISI-Calc ("Inter-System Interference Calculator") is a tool to calculate the interferencesuppression between two networks given a filter curve and the frequency bands.

The filter curve defines the spectrum of the interfering power, that is the distribution of thetransmitted power over the frequency. Upon start, ISI-calc always displays the standard filtercurve. The filter curve is defined by vertices, their frequency/signal values are displayed in the table.

Adding points—Define a frequency in kHz and a signal level in dB (usually negative) using thefields "Frequency" and "Signal". Use the "Add Point" button to add this vertex to the frequencypolygon of the filter curve. The added point will be shown in the graph immediately, its x/y-valueswill be displayed in the table.

Deleting points—Select one or more rows in the table and use the "Delete selected points"button to remove vertices from the frequency polygon.

Symmetric filter—Select the "Symmetric" check box if your filter curve shall be symmetric in thefrequency domain. The point with the smallest frequency (can even be negative) will be used tomirror the curve from right to left.

Loading and saving filter curves—Use the load and save buttons to load filtercurves from files and store the currently defined curve to a file.

Calculation of the interference suppression

Define a start and a stop frequency of the frequency block of the victim network using theaccording input fields. ISI-Calc will immediately show the fraction of the total transmittedinterfering power which falls into the defined frequency block of the victim network. Both the linearvalue in % and the logarithmic value in dB are displayed. The power fraction is calculated using the areas under the curve, that is by integrating the filtercurve after transformation from the logarithmic to the linear signal domain.

OK—will assign the attenuation factor in dB to the intersystem interference factor in the 9955ACCO user interface and exit ISI-Calc.

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Cancel—will exit ISI-Calc without adopting the intersystem interference suppression in the userinterface.

III.3 Optimization Parameters

III.3.1 Optimization Ranges

Use this tab to view and manipulate the parameter settings for the optimization process.

This tab includes three main sections:

· Sector List

· Activation Parameters

· Modification Parameters

Sector List

The sector list displays and describes the sectors considered in the optimization process.

List of Sectors to Optimize—choose from this list one or more sectors to view and modifysector specific parameter ranges for the optimization process.

Donor—sectors marked with [D] indicate that this sector represents a donor cell.

Repeater—sectors marked with [R] indicate that this sector represents a repeater cell.

Splitter—sectors marked with [S] indicate splitters. Splitters are supported in the same way as in9955.

Each repeater belongs to a donor cell. Each donor cell has at least one repeater. The connectionof each donor and repeater cell is shown in the Attributes field. Repeaters for CDMA networkstypically have a constant gain, while repeaters for GSM/iDEN networks typically have a constantoutput power. Consequently, the power levels at the repeater can not be optimized.

The following fields provide additional information about the individual cells of the sector list.

Cell—this field shows the name of the selected sector or cell. If multiple cells are selected in thesector list, this field shows the number of selected cells.

Network—this field shows the name and type of the network of the selected cell.

Technology—this field displays the technology of the selected cell.

Attributes—this field shows different attributes of individual cells. For example, in case thatrepeaters are used in the network, the attributes show the corresponding donor and repeatercells.

NoteThe radio access technology of each sector is indicated by different numbers. For multi system,

multi band projects, e.g. GSM900, GSM1800 and UMTS this is for example for thedifferent sectors. The number itself do not say which technology the particular sector used, but

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it highlights that the sectors marked with the same indicator belong to the same technologygroup.

Sector selection

The button Select > contains a number of standard selections and an extended selectionmechanism allowing to select sectors fulfilling specified criteria.

All—Select all sectors available for optimization.

By activation status—allows to select active or candidate sectors

By network—allows to select sectors of one network

By azimuth—allows to select sectors in +/- 60° range for various directions

By type—allows to select sectors by their donor/repeater status

Extended—opens the dialog window for extended selection (see next section for details)

Invert—inverts the current selection

Extended sector selection

The extended sector selection can be invoked with the entries Extended in the sector selectionmenu. If the top level entry is used, the dialog is opened with default settings (or with last usedsettings), if one of the entries in the sub-menus is used, the corresponding parameter is pre-selected.

Network selection—It is possible to restrict the selection operation to one or several networks orto use all networks in the project.

Parameter—Allows to select the parameter to apply rules to.

Absolute/Relative—Use these radio buttons to specify absolute or relative selection

Min/Max—Enter the absolute selection range with these controls, the rule applied is (min <=sector_value < max). Please note that the upper limit is not included to allow distinct azimuthselections.

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Value/Delta—Enter the relative selection range with these controls, the rule applied is (value-delta <= sector_value < value+delta). Please note that the upper limit is not included to allowdistinct azimuth selections.

Invert selection—Allows to invert the specified criteria including the network selection. Inversionis executed before applying the search mode.

Search mode—Three different search modes are available:

· Search in all cells: the algorithm is applied to all cells and the current selection is replaced.

· Search in selected cells: the algorithm is applied to the selected cells only, cells not fulfillingthe criteria are removed from the selection.

· Add to selected cells: the algorithm is applied to the non-selected cells, cells meeting thecriteria are added to the selection.

Non-numeric parameter values can be selected in a list window. You can select

If the 9955 project includes transmitter grouping levels as shown below, these can be used forextended selection, too. First select the grouping level, then the appropriate value.

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Activation

Use this tab to view and manipulate the parameter settings for the site (cell) activation processduring the optimization.

The site (cell) activation feature allows you to optimize

· Network roll-out—based on a number of potential site (cell) locations, 9955 ACCOautomatically selects and configures the sites (cell) required to fulfill the optimization targetsin the best way for the network roll-out. The potential candidates are defined by inactive sites(cell) in the 9955 project.

· Network extension—based on a predefined set of potential site (cell) locations, 9955ACCO automatically selects and configures the sites (cell) required to fulfill the optimizationtargets in the best way for the network extension. The potential candidates are defined byinactive sites (cell) in the 9955 project.

Allow activation—this check box is visible if the current status of the transmitter (cell) isINACTIVE. This means that this transmitter has to be inactive in 9955 before creating anoptimization environment. Active transmitters are not considered during the activation process. Ifthe transmitter is inactive, enable this check box to allow the activation of this transmitter duringthe optimization.

Current Status—this field, right to the "allow activation" checkbox, displays the current status ofan individual sector. It can be ACTIVE or INACTIVE. If all sectors of the list are selected, thisfield shows the number of active and inactive sectors.

Availability restriction

The availability restriction allows you to optimize your network that includes sites not yet available.Examples for such scenarios are:

· Availability of site permissions

· Site construction to be finished

· Equipment not yet available

· Site access permissions

· Availability of advanced RF technologies, e.g. tower mounted boosters

· etc.

It could also be that additional sites are planned for a future network extension phase in a fewyears time.

The availability restriction helps to optimize the radio network including sites that will be availablein future, as well as future technologies.

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NoteTo learn more about the availability restrictions and the impact on the implementation planplease see Implementation plan details. You can also find there some examples and how touse.

Site is not available before—this check box is visible if the current status of the transmitter (cell)is INACTIVE and the check box Allow activation is enabled. This means that availabilityrestrictions can only apply to inactive transmitters considered in the optimization process.Enable this check box to consider the availability of this transmitter during the optimization.

Date of availability—use this drop down menu to select the date of availability in for thistransmitter. The format for the date is given in ISO international standard date notation YYYY-MM-DD.

NoteDuring the optimization the individual sites will not be activated just because they are available.Sites are only activated if they provide a sufficient benefit to the overall network performance.The availability of a site hence has a major impact on the implementation plan, i.e. when canthis site be implemented to the network.

CautionAll parameters marked with [*] indicate that this parameter is SITE specific rather than sectorspecific. This means that changing such a parameter on a per sector basis will automaticallychange this parameter at the other sectors (of the same site) to the same value!If you edit these parameters in Excel (see also Edit in Excel) you can define different values forthe individual sectors. However, when re-importing them, the parameters of all sectors will beadjusted to the value of the first sector at that specific site (if the values are different).

Activation resources

Use this section to define sector specific costs associated to the activation of an inactive site orcell. Default values for the costs and time parameters are defined in the Range Defaults tab ofthe Options dialog box. Default values are applied to parameters when the Load network databutton is clicked on the Project Specification tab. The currency for the cost data is defined in theGeneral tab of the Options dialog box. As default value the currency defined in the Regional andLanguage Options in the Windows Control Panel is used.

Costs—type in these boxes the expected expense of site and/or cell activation

Time—type in these boxes the associated amount of time required to implement site or cellactivation.

NoteThe costs and time requirements are split into two categories.Site Costs and Time consider the costs and time required to prepare the site for the activationof a new transmitter. They do not include the costs (and time) to install a new sector.Cell Costs and Time consider the costs and time to install (activate) a new cell on a specificsite.The Total Costs (and Time) are the sum of the Site Costs (Time) and the individual Cell Costs(Time).

CautionAll parameters marked with [*] indicate that this parameter is SITE specific rather than sectorspecific. This means that changing such a parameter on a per sector basis will automaticallychange this parameter at the other sectors (of the same site) to the same value!If you edit these parameters in Excel (see also Edit in Excel) you can define different values forthe individual sectors. However, when re-importing them, the parameters of all sectors will beadjusted to the value of the first sector at that specific site (if the values are different).

ExampleIf the physical mast already exists, e.g. because it is used for an existing GSM network, the SiteCosts (and Time) are the costs and time required to upgrade the existing site to install (activate)a new cell/sector.

The Cell Costs (and Time) consider the costs for the deployment of a new sector (cell), i.e. it

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includes costs like the RF equipment, installation, etc.

The TOTAL costs assigned to the activation (deployment) of a new site with 3 sectors arehence: 1 x Site Costs + Costs Cell 1 + Costs Cell 2 + Costs Cell 3.

If the site already exists, e.g. one or more cells are already active at this site, only the Cell Costswill be considered; no additional costs for the site activation apply.

Apply additional modification resources—enable this check box if the site (cell) activation andthe parameter modification costs (implementation time) are adding up to the total costs/time.

Parameter Modification

Use this section to define sector specific parameter ranges for the optimization process. Defaultvalues for the parameters to optimize are defined in the Range Defaults tab of the Options dialogbox. Default values are applied to parameters when the Load network data button is clicked inthe Project Specification tab.

Optimize Parameter—enable the check box beside an optimization parameter to enableoptimization of the parameter. Clear a check box to disable optimization of an individualparameter.

Current Value—these fields display the current value of an individual optimization parameter.These values can be displayed even during the optimization.

Range Specification—choose from these lists the type of values specified for the OptimizationRange of an individual optimization parameter. The available types are as follows:

· Relative—values relative to the current setting

· Absolute—absolute value range

NoteFor absolute values the antenna azimuth 0° means north. With this, negative values can alsobe used, since the optimization requires a range of possible angles. An absolute range ofminimum=-60° to maximum=60° is the range from 60° east to 60° west of the north. Themaximum range for absolute azimuth settings is [-360°...360°]. All other values can beexpressed within this range.

Optimization Range—type in the Min box the minimum value for the optimization range of anindividual optimization parameter. Type the maximum value for the optimization range in the Maxbox.

The parameters to be optimized include:

Mechanical Antenna Tilt

Use this checkbox to allow modifications of the mechanical antenna tilt during the optimizationprocess.

Only the mechanical antenna tilt is considered in here. The electrical antenna tilt is considered inconjunction with the antenna pattern (for the individual electrical tilts). See below for details.

Pilot and Common Channel Power

Enable this checkbox to allow modifications of the pilot power during the optimization process.

The common power levels associated to the pilot power are changed accordingly so that thesame ratio is maintained after the optimization process.

Antenna Azimuth

Enable this checkbox to allow modifications of the antenna azimuth during the optimizationprocess.

The antenna azimuth can be modified in a sector-per-sector specific manner. Sometimes theazimuth of a single sector can not be modified, e.g. TriSector antennas (3 sector antennas within

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a single radome). Therefore, with 9955 ACCO you can either allow azimuth modifications persector, or you can force the optimization algorithm to rotate the entire site.

Rotate Entire Site—enable this checkbox to rotate the entire site. The tightest limitation of allsector setting on that site will be used for the limitation of the site rotation. For example: Sector 1:+/- 10°; Sector 2: +/-15°; Sector 3: +/-20°. Enabling the rotate entire site check box on Sector 3will still lead to a maximum rotation of the entire site of +/-10°.

CautionAll parameters marked with [*] indicate that this parameter is SITE specific rather than sectorspecific. This means that changing such a parameter on a per sector basis will automaticallychange this parameter at the other sectors (of the same site) to the same value!If you edit these parameters in Excel (see also Edit in Excel) you can define different values forthe individual sectors. However, when re-importing them, the parameters of all sectors will beadjusted to the value of the first sector at that specific site (if the values are different).

CautionIf the pathloss prediction of a sector was done with a propagation model that provides maskedpathloss values (e.g. ray-tracing models), then the azimuth range should be limited to +-5°relative to the current value at maximum, mechanical tilt changes should be limited to +-2°, andpower changes can be done without further limitation. Any other parameter modification shouldbe avoided (like pattern swaps). Warnings will be presented if these limits are violated. Use the extended selection functionality to select sectors distinguished by the propagation model.

Antenna Pattern and Electrical Antenna Tilt

Current antenna pattern—this field displays the currently used antenna pattern.

There are two possibilities to allow different antenna patterns in the optimization process. Itincludes:

· Pattern exchange - Electrical tilt (different electrical tilts are represented by different antennapattern)

· Pattern exchange - Antenna type (different antenna types are represented by differentantenna pattern).

Both methods can be done separately or combined. This means that both the electrical andmechanical antenna tilts can be changed for a given antenna, and the physical antenna can beexchanged. The physical antennas can have multiple electrical tilt pattern, which are consideredas well when the physical antenna is exchanged.

Electrical tilt variants of current pattern—enable this checkbox to allow modifications of theelectrical tilts for the current antenna pattern. The available electrical tilt pattern can be edited byclicking the "Electrical tilt pattern grouping" button.

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Custom pattern list—use this checkbox to allow modifications of the actual antenna pattern.Next to the checkbox 9955 ACCO displays the number of selected antenna pattern that areallowed for exchange during optimization. All antenna patterns in a 9955 project can be used.The list can be edited by using the Antenna Selection Editor.

Edit—click this button to use the Antenna Selection Editor for further definition of the antennaparameters used in the optimization.

NoteIf both the electrical tilt variants of the current pattern AND the custom pattern list are enabled,9955 ACCO will also consider both. To illustrate that we give some examples.

Electrical tilt variant limit—if this checkbox is enabled, only patterns whose electrical tilts fall inthe range given by the min and max fields next to the checkbox will be used for exchange. Thisrange can be absolute or relative to the current value according to the selected option.

Example 1 Only electrical tilt variants: Consider that only the Electrical tilt variants of current pattern areenabled. This means that during the optimization process only the electrical tilt changes areconsidered, but not the change of the antenna type. Furthermore, the electrical tilt variants can bereduced to a set of tilt variants. For example, if you want to allow a limited range of electrical tiltsin the first roll-out (and keep the remaining electrical tilts for later adjustments during the networklife cycle). This can be done by grouping only the limited number of electrical tilt pattern to thecurrent antenna type by using the Electrical Tilt Grouping Editor.

Example 2 Only custom pattern list: We now consider that only the Custom pattern list is enabled. Thismeans that during the optimization process only those pattern are considered that are included inthe list. The selected antenna pattern are displayed in the associated list. This list can be editedby using the Antenna Selection Editor.

The definition of the grouping of the individual antenna pattern as electrical tilt variants of thesame antenna type, i.e. which pattern belong to the same antenna, happens in the Electrical TiltGrouping Editor. Whatever pattern are then selected for the custom pattern list, the algorithmsautomatically check if these pattern are electrical tilt variants of the current antenna pattern(based on the grouping in the Electrical Tilt Grouping Editor). Thus it can be ensured that achange in the electrical tilt will not result in higher costs associated to the exchange of a physicalantenna type.

Example 3 Electrical tilt variants and custom pattern list: We now consider that both the Electrical tiltvariants of current pattern and the Custom pattern list are enabled. This means that the bestavailable antenna pattern will be found during the optimization process. Of course, all resourceconstraints will be considered as well.

Advanced technology activation

9955 ACCO allows the activation of advanced technologies, which change the behaviour of thelink budget in both the uplink and the downlink, during the optimization process. In order to verifythe behaviour of these technologies, 9955 ACCO uses the properties of TMAs (tower mountedamplifiers) as specified in 9955. Details are described in the advanced technology activationsection.

Current TMA—this field displays the currently used TMA.

Allow TMA modification—enable this checkbox to allow the modification and selection of theselected TMAs for the selected sector.

Edit—press this button to edit the selection of the TMA candidates for the selected sector. Seealso advanced technology activation.

Modification resources

Use this section to define sector specific costs associated to the implementation of the parameter

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modifications. Default values for the costs and time parameters are defined in the RangeDefaults tab of the Options dialog box. Default values are applied to parameters when the Loadnetwork data button is clicked on the Project Specification tab. The currency for the cost data isdefined in the General tab of the Options dialog box. As default value the currency defined in theRegional and Language Options in the Windows Control Panel is used.

The costs associated to parameter modifications of a sector are split into Site Access costs,which include costs to access the site, e.g. the use of a crane, permission etc., and the actualcosts of the parameter modifications, i.e. for the actual change of an RF parameter.

Site Access Required—enable this check box for a parameter when it is necessary to visit thesite to implement the associated parameter modification. Changing the azimuth of an antennamay require a person to visit the site. Other parameters, such as power modifications, can bedone remotely from the operation and maintenance center.

Costs—type in these boxes the expected expense of implementing a parameter modification.

Time—type in these boxes the associated amount of time required to implement a parametermodification.

NoteSite access costs accrue only once per site, regardless of the number of sectors that are beingchanged. Site access costs could be different for the individual sectors if the sectors are not co-located. Therefore, the value you enter to 9955 ACCO should be the highest access costs persite for the optimization.

CautionAll parameters marked with [*] indicate that this parameter is SITE specific rather than sectorspecific. This means that changing such a parameter on a per sector basis will automaticallychange this parameter at the other sectors (of the same site) to the same value!If you edit these parameters in Excel (see also Edit in Excel) you can define different values forthe individual sectors. However, when re-importing them, the parameters of all sectors will beadjusted to the value of the first sector at that specific site (if the values are different).

Adaption

9955 ACCO locks the input mask for the selected sectors when changing parameters. Therefore,you have to click Revert or Apply in order to adapt the parameter changes and to unlock the listof sectors. After applying (reverting) the modifications, you can then select a new sector to repeatthe procedure.

Edit TMAs—click this button to edit the global settings for the TMAs available in the project. Seealso advanced technology activation.

Electrical tilt pattern grouping—click this button to group the antenna pattern associated to asingle physical antenna. For further details on this functionality see Electrical Tilt Grouping Editor.

Edit in Excel—click this button to edit all parameters shown in this tab within Microsoft Excel.Editing the parameters in Excel adds a lot of flexibility to the parameter input. For furtherinformation, features and limitations see Edit in Excel.

Defaults—click this button to change all parameter settings (parameter settings as well as costsand time) back to their default values. The default values can be set in the Options - RangeDefaults tab.

Revert—click this button to change all parameter settings (parameter settings as well as costsand time) for the chosen sectors back to their previous values.

Apply—click this button to apply all parameter changes (parameter settings as well as costs andtime) to the chosen sectors.

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III.3.2 Advanced Technology Activation

The advanced technology activation in 9955 ACCO allows the activation of technology modulesthat influence the link budget in both the uplink and the downlink.

In order to have full verification of these functionalities in 9955, tower mounted amplifiers (TMAs)are a proper technology to handle gains and losses in both the uplink and downlink link budget. Before these technologies can be optimized in 9955 ACCO, the need to be specified in 9955.

Definition of the TMA properties in 9955

9955 allows the definition of TMA properties. This can be done with a right click on"Transmitters" --> "Equipment" --> "TMA Equipment".

In the TMA equipment settings in 9955 the user can then define different noise figures, receptiongains and transmission losses. As all of these figures can be either positive or negative, it ispossible to define gains and losses in both the uplink and downlink.

Some examples would be:

TMA: A TMA typically has gain in the reception, while it has a insertion loss in the transmit case(downlink). Hence proper settings could be, for example, reception gain = 3dB, transmission loss= 2dB.

Booster: A booster increases the transmit signal, while can have an additional loss in thereception case (combined with an additional noise figure). Hence, the settings for a boostercould be a transmission loss of -12dB (i.e. 12dB gain), and a reception gain of -1dB (i.e. 1dBloss).

Other examples can be considered.

9955 ACCO will automatically consider these settings for the different technology modules whenthe optimization environment is exported.

NoteOnly the TMAs defined in 9955 can be considered by 9955 ACCO. This is to make sure thatthe optimization results can be verified in 9955 after processing in 9955 ACCO.

Editing global properties of TMAs in 9955 ACCO

To edit the global settings for the different TMAs, press the "Edit TMAs..." button in the optimization ranges tab in 9955 ACCO.

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TMA Name—this field displays the name of the advanced technology modules as defined in9955.

Unit price—use this field to display and modify the unit price of the individual advancedtechnology modules. 9955 ACCO will compare the unit price of the different technologies andselect the most cost effective solution. For example, if two equivalent TMA solutions areavailable for selection, 9955 ACCO will select the one with the lower unit price.

Acquisition time—use this field to display and modify the acquisition time of the individualadvanced technology modules. 9955 ACCO will compare the acquisition time of the differenttechnologies and select the most time effective solution. For example, if two equivalent TMAsolutions are available for selection, 9955 ACCO will select the one with the lower acquisitiontime.

The global parameter settings are stored when the 9955 ACCO project is saved.

NoteThe global properties of the TMAs are required once. The defined unit prices and acquisitiontimes apply to the entire project. If the same functionality should be considered but at adifferent price, then the TMA needs to be duplicated in 9955 beforehand.

Selection of TMAs per sector in 9955 ACCO

To select a number of TMA solutions (out of the defined list of TMA solutions in 9955), press theEdit button in the range definition for the advanced technology activation. Then the menu allowsyou to select the different advanced technology modules for consideration (and activation) duringthe optimization process. Each of the selected TMAs will be considered. The selection can bedone on a per sector basis!

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NoteThe selection of a set of TMAs can be done on a per sector basis. If multiple sectors areselected, and then the TMA selection is done, the list applies to each of the selected sectors.

III.3.3 Electrical Tilt Editor

Use this dialog to view and modify the electrical tilt pattern grouping for the optimization processin 9955 ACCO.

Handling electrical tilt patterns

Use this section to select antenna pattern and to save and load lists of available antennapatterns.

Ungrouped Antenna Patterns

Sort—click this button to sort all antenna patterns shown in the antenna pattern list box inalphabetic order.

All—click this button to select all antenna patterns shown in the antenna pattern list box.

Used—click this button to select all antenna pattern that are used in at least one sector in thecurrent 9955 project. The list of used patterns refers to all sectors in the project, not just thesectors inside the optimization area.

None—click this button to select none of antenna patterns of the list.

Grouped Antenna Patterns (electrical tilt groups)

Sort—click this button to sort all antenna patterns shown in the antenna pattern list box inalphabetic order.

All—click this button to select all antenna patterns shown in the antenna pattern list box.

All In Use—click this button to select all antenna pattern that are used in at least one sector inthe current 9955 project. The list of used patterns refers to all sectors in the project, not just thesectors inside the optimization area.

None—click this button to select none of antenna patterns of the list.

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Creation of new groups and mapping of antenna pattern

Use this section to generate new antenna groups, map electrical tilt pattern and define lists ofelectrical tilt pattern that can be used during the optimization process.

Auto group by name—click this button to auto group the antenna pattern by name. Thisfunctionality will automatically group the antenna pattern selected in the Ungrouped AntennaPattern list box. The different electrical tilt pattern will be identified by the last few digits in thename of the antenna pattern.

Create new group—click this button to generate a new group in the Grouped antenna patternslist box.

Add to group—click this button to add a selected antenna pattern to a selected group in theGrouped antenna patterns list box.

Drag here to create new group—to create a new group the selected antenna pattern can alsobe dragged to this field. This will automatically create a new group containing the selectedantenna pattern in the Grouped antenna patterns list box.

Ungroup—to remove an antenna pattern from a electrical tilt pattern group, select the antennapattern in the Grouped antenna patterns list box and press the ungroup button.

Rename group—click this button to rename a selected group in the Grouped antenna patternslist box.

Reset—click this button to reset the entire electrical tilt antenna pattern grouping.

Import from project—click this button to import the grouped antenna pattern from a previousproject file.

Save—click this button to save the list of grouped antenna patterns into an .ElectricalTiltGroupingfile.

Load—click this button to load the list of grouped antenna patterns from an .ElectricalTiltGrouping file.

Frequency band selector

Use this section to allocate the different antenna variants to the applicable frequency bands.

In order define a frequency band for a particular antenna, first the antenna pattern(s) need to beselected. Then, a frequency band can be selected and assigned. The assigned frequency bandhas the following effect: Each sector has a physical antenna allocated by default. In case that thisantenna includes different electrical tilt variants, it has to be assured that the pattern for thecorrect frequency band are exchanged. This is done with the assigned frequency band indicator.

NoteThe exact value of the frequency band is not used by 9955 ACCO, but the optimization will onlyallow antenna patterns with the same frequency band as the original sector to be selected.

An example: In the figure below a multi band antenna is defined. This multi band antennaincludes remote electrical tilts that can be modified for the 1800MHz and the UMTS bandindividually. Therefore, different antenna pattern for the different bands are available. In order tomake sure that the RET change is done only in the correct frequency band, the pattern for the1800MHz band are identified by the "1800" frequency band allocation. The UMTS pattern aremarked by the "2000" identification. With this, the optimization algorithms in 9955 ACCO willmake sure that the correct antenna pattern are used.

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Frequency band list box —use this list box to select one of the defined frequency bands forallocation to the antenna pattern.

Assign frequency—use this button to allocate a frequency indicator to a specific antenna patternor pattern group.

Remove frequency—use this button to remove the frequency assignment of a specific antennapattern or pattern group.

Delete frequency—use this button to remove a selected frequency indicator from the frequencyband list box.

NoteIn case that the desired frequency band indicator is not among the frequency band list boxentries, just type the requested name or number into the list box field and press the assignfrequency button. Please note that the frequency indicator is not limited to numbers, it can alsoinclude names.

Information

Use this section to display a number of antenna parameters of a selected antenna pattern. Thisinformation includes:

· Antenna Name

· Antenna Gain

· Electrical Tilt

· Antenna Manufacturer

· Comments

· Horizontal antenna pattern

· Vertical antenna pattern.

III.3.4 Antenna Editor

Use this editor to view and modify the antenna selection for the optimization in 9955 ACCO.

List of antenna patterns

Use this list box to highlight the required antenna pattern, i.e. allow them to be used in theoptimization. The number in the lower right corner indicates the number of antenna patternscurrently selected. Please note that selected patterns are not automatically included in the

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optimization, you have to hit the Include or Exclude button to add the selected patterns to thehighlighted patterns or remove them, respectively.

NoteIn this context highlighting or including means 'available for optimization', selecting means'select for inclusion/exclusion'.

All—click this button to select all antenna patterns. Don't forget to hit Include or Exclude to applythe selection.

All In Use—click this button to select the list of antenna patterns that are used in at least onesector in the current 9955 project. The list of used patterns refers to all sectors in the project, notjust the sectors inside the optimization area. Don't forget to hit Include or Exclude to apply theselection.

None—click this button to remove the selection from all antenna patterns. Please note that thisdoes not remove the selection.

List of highlighted (included) antenna patterns

Use these controls to highlight antenna patterns, i.e. allow them to be used in the optimzation.The number in the upper right corner indicates the number of antenna patterns currentlyincluded.

Include—this button includes the highlighted antenna patterns into the current selection, i.e. thepatterns are available for optimization. Available patterns are displayed in bold with a green checksign.

Exclude—this button removes the highlighted antenna patterns from the current selection.

Save List—click this button to save the list of included antenna patterns into an Antenna List File(.lst)

Load List—click this button to load a list of included antenna patterns from a file.

Frequency band selector

Use these controls to assign frequency bands to antenna patterns. Please refer to Electrical TiltEditor for details.

Information

Use this section to display a number of antenna parameters of a selected antenna pattern. Thisinformation includes:

· Antenna Name

· Antenna Gain

· Electrical Tilt

· Antenna Manufacturer

· Comments

· Horizontal antenna pattern

· Vertical antenna pattern.

III.3.5 Edit in Excel

Basic functionality

This option requires Microsoft Excel to be installed on your computer.

By clicking Edit in Excel in the Optimization Ranges tab the following message box will occur:

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An Excel workbook containing all parameter settings will be displayed. This allows you to edit thedata in Microsoft Excel.

While editing in Excel, the input mask of the Optimization Ranges tab in 9955 ACCO is locked(indicated by the Waiting message box above). You can unlock the input mask to edit theparameter settings directly in 9955 ACCO by

· Accepting the changes done in Excel. For this you have to SAVE and then to CLOSE theExcel workbook

· Discarding the changes done in Excel. For this you either have to CLOSE the Excelworkbook without saving, or by clicking CANCEL in the message box shown above.

If you accept the Excel changes, 9955 ACCO automatically re-imports the new parameter valuesafter saving and closing the workbook. 9955 ACCO will tell you when it has successfully importedthe parameter changes. After successful import you still need to apply the parametermodifications by clicking the APPLY button in the Optimization Ranges tab.

If the data re-import from Excel was not successful, the parameter settings in 9955 ACCO remainunchanged.

If you cancel the Excel changes by clicking CANCEL in the message box above the parametermodifications in Excel get lost.

Additional features

The Edit in Excel feature has some additional functions that can be very useful.

· While editing in Excel you are allowed to change the order of the columns.

· All fields that should not be modified have a dark grey background color

· You are also allowed to include NEW columns. This might be necessary when additionalcost calculations are required. After saving the modified workbook, 9955 ACCO only re-imports the relevant data

· You can also include formulas. This allows you to access external data bases where forexample data for the cost and time parameters for the implementation of the parametermodifications might be stored.

· Boolean parameters can always be called TRUE and FALSE, independent of local languagesettings. 9955 ACCO will recognize them correctly for the re-import.

· 9955 ACCO automatically identifies if the parameters have been modified in Excel

· The column titles and the columns for site and sector ID are fixed in Excel for simple dataidentification

· A description of each data column is given by notes in the column title

· A list of all available antenna pattern is provided in a separate Excel worksheet

· For better visibility all used antenna pattern are separated by "|" in the parameter list

Limitations

Some limitations apply to the modifications in Excel:

· You are not allowed to change or remove the header line (column title).

· You are not allowed to modify or remove key properties such as site name, sector name,etc.

· You are not allowed to add new lines.

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· If you change parameter values that can not be modified, the changes are ignored.

Each file will be checked during the re-import. If errors or warnings occur the data remainsunchanged.

III.4 Optimization Targets

III.4.1 Target definitions

One or several target functions can be defined. The objective of the optimization will be tomaximize the sum of all defined target functions multiplied by their relative weights. The targetfunctions will be evaluated in the area of the focus zone defined in 9955.

Managing targets

Optimization target list—9955 ACCO can handle a number of optimization targets jointly. Theoptimization target lists displays all optimization targets defined for the project. The targetscontributing to the total optimization objective, those with a target weight larger than zero, areshown in bold. Select a target from the list to view and manipulate its settings and requirements.

Weight—The weight column in the optimization target list displays the relative weights of theindividual optimization targets. To learn more about them, please see some Optimization WeightExamples.

Add new targets—Use the Add Targets button to define one target for the optimization. Selectthe proper type of target which satisfies your needs from the presented list of target functions. Ifmultiple targets shall add to the total objective, use Add Targets multiple times.

Delete target—Use the Delete Target button to delete the selected optimization target from thelist.

On the right-hand side of the Optimization target tab sheet the Target settings have to be done.

Primary targets

Depending on the available networks in the optimization environment (see also Network settings),different optimization targets can be defined. These optimization targets include (for details onthe individual targets please follow the link for each objective):

3G targets (for UMTS, CDMA2000, WiMAX, LTE):

· Coverage - RX Pilot/RX DL channel power (all 3G technologies)

· RSSI Limit (all technologies)

· Quality - Pilot Pollution and SHO overhead: Difference between 1st - 2nd RX pilot power

· Quality - Worst Polluter and Overshooting: Difference between 1st - Nth RX pilot power

· Capacity - Ec/lo and C/(I+N) (all 3G technologies)

· Capacity - Downlink Eb/Nt (UMTS and CDMA2000)

· Capacity - Uplink Eb/Nt (UMTS and CDMA2000)

· Capacity (density based) (HSDPA, EVDO, WiMAX and LTE)

TD-SCDMA targets (for TD-SCDMA technology):

· P-CCPCH Coverage

· Ec/Io

2G targets (for GSM technologies):

· Coverage - RX BCCH

· Capacity - C/I - Carrier to Interference Ratio

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Combinations of these targets can also be defined, as well as multi system, multi networktargets.

Derived targets

Combi targets

A Combi target is a logical combination (AND, OR, XOR) of previously defined targets. Thisallows a flexible, user specific definition of individual requirements, as e.g. increase the area withboth UMTS and GSM coverage.

NoteAll types of targets are available for being combined in a Combi target, except Monte-Carlosimulation based targets (Served users, Throughput), Inter-system handover targets, and otherCombi targets. Targets with measurements can also be used in Combi targets. A logical XOR (exclusive OR) combination of 2 targets is equal to the one or the other targetbut not both at the same time (e.g. coverage by a single network only).

To define a Combi target, please use the following workflow:

1. Click the Add targets button in the optimization tab sheet, select Combi target from the list ofavailable target types.

2. With the Add button in the requirement section, select the optimization targets for combination(from the list of already defined targets). Then select one of the available logic operators(AND, XOR, OR). This operator applies to all chosen targets.

NoteOnly targets which have already been defined can be selected for combination.

3. Define a weight for the Combi target. To contribute to the total objective, an optimization weightgreater than zero needs to be defined. By default a weight of 1 is used. Select the weightcarefully according to the weights of other – already defined – targets.

NoteIf a Primary target shall only be used in a Combi target without contributing to the totalobjective, define the Primary target as usual, set it's requirements, and assign it a weight ofzero.

4. GROUPS: To be able to group targets, i.e. define expressions with brackets like (Target-AAND Target-B) OR Target-C, the bracketed targets must be assigned to a group. Define a group with the Group button. Select the new group by clicking on it, then assigntargets to the new group and define the logic operator as explained in item 2. The logicoperator of the group will be applied to all targets within the group. The group itself contributesto the Combi target with the logic operator of the Combi target. Groups within groups are possible.

5. To delete a target, select it in the target list and press the Delete Target button.

III.4.2 Common target settings

Basic target settings are

· The requirements (e.g. the coverage threshold)

· Options, in particular the weight (e.g. weighting by a traffic map)

· Other optional settings (e.g. apply captured traffic limits, use measurements)

General information

On the right-hand side of the Optimization target tab sheet general information about the selectedtarget is presented, the requirements of that target can be edited, and optional parameters canbe set.

Name—After adding a new target, a default name will be used automatically. The name can be

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modified by the user; for better identification it is recommended to appropriately name targets.

Description—the type of target, and a brief description of it's function.

Unit—the units of the target function (e.g. km2 for coverage targets).

Network—Each target belongs uniquely to a certain network. A network is a UMTS/CDMA2000carrier, a GSM frequency band, a TD-SCDMA carrier, a WiMAX frequency band, or a DVB-Hfrequency band.

Requirements

Each target function has it's own requirements. These requirements depend on the type of thetarget. E.g., the requirement of a Coverage target is the minimum received signal power.

Define the target requirement for this type of target within the optimization region defined by thefocus zone in 9955. Default values for the target requirements are defined in the Target Defaultstab sheet of the Options dialog box. Default values are applied to new 9955 ACCO projects. Fordetails see the description of the Import From Previous Optimization functionality.

Globally—use this option to define the requirement constantly for the entire network. For eachpixel of the optimization area, this requirements will be used.

Per Clutter Class—use this option to define individual requirements for each class based on theclutter file included in the 9955 ACCO optimization environment chosen in Project Specificationtab.

Options

Weight—enter the relative weight of this target. This is the weight of pixels exceeding the targetrequirement. Examples of how to apply different weights in the optimization process are given in Optimization Weight Examples. All defined targets will be summed up multiplied by their relativeweight. By this, a proper balance between different objectives can be found flexibly (e.g. focusmore on coverage or capacity, etc.).

Apply clutter dependent weight factor—use this checkbox to enable clutter dependentweighting of the optimization target. This option can only be used if the relative weight of thistarget is not zero. The clutter weights will then be multiplied with the relative weight of this target.

Clutter dependent weights allow you to focus on different optimization areas; to makeregions more important and some other regions less important. See also Clutter dependentoptimization weights.

Select separate map for clutter weights (zone file)—use the drop down menu right next to thecheckbox to select an alternative file which replaces the default clutter file. This file usuallyidentifies certain zones of interest, like hot spot areas. Thus it is called zone file. By means ofzone files you have the option to additionally separate the optimization area into sub-areas withindividual weights. Technically, zone files have identical format to clutter files.

Compute target value during optimization—this checkbox can only be enabled if the weight ofthe optimization target is zero. By this, 9955 ACCO will calculate and monitor the target functionvalue of the optimization target, even though the applied weight is zero and this target will notcontribute to the optimization. See also Optimization Progress.

Traffic

Use this section to consider the traffic that is captured by the individual sectors in the network, toapply traffic limits to each of the cells, and to weight the target by a traffic map.

Apply traffic map weighting—use this checkbox to enable traffic density weighting for theoptimization target. This option can only be enabled if the relative weight of the target is not zero.Traffic density weighting allows you to focus on the areas where the highest traffic occurs. High-traffic areas will be more important, areas carrying less traffic will be less important during theoptimization process. See also Weighting on Traffic Density Maps.

Select separate weighting map for a target—use the drop down menu right next to thecheckbox to either select the default traffic map of the network or a separate weighting map for

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this target. Note that this weighting map must be large enough to completely cover the analysisarea.

Apply captured traffic limit—use this checkbox to enable the consideration of maximum trafficlimits for each sector in the network. This option can only be enabled if the relative weight of thetarget is not zero and a global traffic density map has been defined. The traffic limits per sectorare defined in the Network settings tab sheet. For details see also the Captured TrafficDescription. Note that if traffic sharing has been defined for the network, then the captured trafficwill be calculated using the remaining traffic from the previous network rather than using thetraffic map.

Balance footprints—use this checkbox to enable footprint balancing. If the option is active, theoptimization algorithms will generate a compromise between the largest possible target objectiveand balanced footprints. "Balanced" in this case means that neighboring footprints should havesimilar size (if no traffic density map is used), or similar captured traffic (if a traffic density map isused for this network, but not all of the sectors have a maximum captured traffic defined), orsimilar traffic utilization (i.e. captured traffic divided by maximum captured traffic if a density mapis used and all sectors have a maximum captured traffic defined). Balancing is achieved bycreating additional target functions. These target functions are not visible in the target functionlist, but they will appear in the optimization progress and the reports.

Relative weight—determines the weight of the footprint balancing target function in relation tothe "parent" target function. The absolute weight is the parent target function's weight multipliedby the relative weight.

Inter-system interference—is available for targets which perform an interference analysis (e.g.C/I or density based capacity target) if the network layer is interfered by another network layer.Refer to the Network settings tab sheet how to define inter-system interference. If the checkboxis enabled, both UL and DL interference introduced by the base stations of the interfering network will be added to the interference of the own system and the noise. All parametersinfluencing radiation of both the interfering and the victim base stations will be considered (e.g.antenna masking, etc.).

Measurement environment

The pathloss data used to calculate the target function value is usually written to the Optimizationenvironment and was calculated by 9955 based on propagation models. Alternatively, thepathloss information can be derived from measurements by 9955 ACCO and is then written to a Measurement environment.

If you want to use measurements for the target, select the .cme file that was defined when

Creating the Measurement environment by pressing the button. As soon as a measurementenvironment has been selected for the target, the pathloss data for the propagation calculationsof the analysis will be read from the files which were derived from the measurements. If you wantto use both a prediction based target and a measurement based target, add this target type twiceand apply the measurement environment to one of them. Then you can do all the settings forboth targets individually (e.g. the requirements), also the weights of the two targets can bechosen individually.

Measurements are supported for UMTS and CDMA2000, and for the targets Coverage, 1st - 2nd

RX pilot, 1st - Nth RX pilot, and Ec/Io.

Apply captured traffic limit and Balance footprints are not supported if the target uses ameasurement environment. The reason is that measurements usually do not cover the entirearea but only isolated parts like streets or even single pixels. However, the captured traffic andbalance footprints features require pathloss information of every pixel of the optimization area,otherwise the results will not be accurate.

Guidelines how to use measurements for optimizations can be found in Optimization withmeasurements.

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Saving and loading target function settings

The settings for the different optimization targets can be saved as optimization projects andloaded for new optimizations.

NotePreviously saved target function settings can be used as templates for new optimization tasks.This is a very convenient way to save time if similar settings will be used for multiple projects.

Details on how to save and load the optimization targets are described in the section Import fromprevious optimizations and templates.

III.4.3 Optimization Targets 3G/4G

Use this tab sheet to add, view, and modify the optimization targets chosen for the optimizationprocess.

The supported optimization targets are:

· Coverage - RX Pilot/RX DL channel power (all 3G technologies)

· RSSI Limit (all technologies)

· Quality - Pilot Pollution and SHO overhead: Difference between 1st - 2nd strongest RXpower

· Quality - Worst Polluter and Overshooting: Difference between 1st - Nth strongest RX power

· Capacity - Ec/lo and C/(I+N) (all 3G technologies)

· Capacity - Downlink Eb/Nt (UMTS and CDMA2000)

· Capacity - Uplink Eb/Nt (UMTS and CDMA2000)

· Capacity (density based) (HSDPA, EVDO, WiMAX and LTE)

Coverage Requirement - RX Pilot power, RX DL channel power

If a Coverage target is not already defined, it can be created with the Add targets button (seealso add optimization target).

Description

The RX pilot/RX DL channel power target is a coverage target. In order to meet coveragerequirements, a minimum received signal power is required.

LTE: 9955 ACCO calculates RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power) calibrated to 9955.

Coverage BEFORE optimization

Sufficient pilot coverage is a necessary requirement tolaunch wireless services. The required received pilotdepends on the receiver sensitivity of the mobilehandset. The received pilot power is typically given indBm.

Requirements on the RX pilot are often given foroutdoor environments, since propagation models do notalways take penetration losses into account directly.

Therefore, in order to provide sufficient indoorcoverage, the RX pilot requirement might be higher forindoor areas.

In the optimization targets you can set differentrequirements for various environments based on clutterclasses. Depending on the environment (deep indoor,indoor, outdoor, incar, etc.) typical values for thereceived pilot are in the range of -70...-110dBm.

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Coverage AFTER optimization

Selecting this optimization target will result in improvedpilot coverage/DL channel coverage in your optimizationarea according to your requirements.

Optimizing for coverage will:

- Increase overall service area

- Improve the coverage probability

- Reduce the probability of coverage holes

- Provide sufficient indoor coverage

Requirement

The coverage requirements specify the threshold for the best RX pilot power (UMTS,CDMA2000), DL channel power (GSM, WiMAX), or Reference Signal power (LTE). For example,a coverage requirement of -90dBm means that the optimization area should exceed a receivedpower of -90dBm after the optimization for as many pixels as possible taking into account theindividual weights of the pixels (clutter weighting, traffic map weighting).

NoteThe requirement for the coverage (defined either globally or per clutter class) will also beconsidered if the Coverage requirement fulfilled checkbox is enabled for another optimizationtarget. If you do not want the coverage target to contribute to the optimization and just use it ascondition for another target, set it's global weight to zero.

NoteIndoor losses are considered for this target, but mobile station antenna gain or body loss arenot considered.

Shortcuts and hot keys can be used to ensure a quick handling. Details are described in Shortcuts.

RSSI Limit

Description

The RSSI Limit target will, in contrast to a coverage target, try to not exceed the given threshold.By means of this target you can maximize the area where a certain threshold is not reached.

Requirement

The target will optionally be based on an RSSI or coverage analysis. The selection between RSSIand coverage is done with the radio button in the requirement section. RSSI: The total transmitted DL power of the transmitters is used for the analysis. The receivedpowers of all transmitters is cumulated. This analysis is identical to the interference layer of theaccording C/(I+N) target. Coverage: The coverage layer is used for this analysis. This is the received pilot power of thestrongest server only.

NoteIndoor losses are considered for this target, but mobile station antenna gain or body loss arenot considered.

Uplink coverage

If an Uplink coverage target is not already defined, it can be created with the Add targets button(see also add optimization target).

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Description

The up-link coverage target calculates the received signal power from a test mobile handset atthe base station transmitter. The transmitted power of the handset is defined by selecting theterminal in the requirement section on the right-hand side of the tab sheet. If no terminal could befound in 9955, then the transmitted power and the mobile total gain must be defined in the giveninput fields.

1st - 2nd RX pilot - Pilot Pollution and SHO overhead

If a 1st - 2nd RX pilot target is not already defined, it can be created with the Add targets button(see also Add optimization target).

Description

1st - 2nd RX pilot difference is a network quality target. In order to reduce the pilot pollution,unnecessary soft-handover (SHO, for UMTS and CDMA2000) areas, excessive handover(WiMAX) areas, and irregular best server plots, this type of target can be used.

Pilot pollution and SHO overhead BEFORE optimization

In CDMA systems, the number of simultaneously activeconnections in soft handover is defined by the Active Set.The number of connections within the Active Set isinfluenced by the Active Set threshold, which is typically inthe range of 5-8dB.

This means that all base stations in the Active Set have totransmit the same information to this mobile. This is theSHO overhead.

By reducing the difference between 1st - 2nd RX pilot, thenumber of pilots "seen" by the mobile (pilot pollution) isreduced. The reduced pilot pollution will result in a lowerSHO overhead.

Minimizing the overlapping area between two adjacentcells will lead to short borders. This will provide clear andregular cell borders and best server plots.

Reducing the area where the difference between the 1st -2nd RX pilot are within a predefined power rangeautomatically also reduces the overlapping area withother pilots than the 2nd strongest one.

Pilot pollution and SHO overhead AFTER optimization

Optimizing for the difference between the 1st - 2nd RX pilotresults in

- Significantly lower pilot pollution

- Reduced handover overhead

- Clear structured cell borders

- Clear and regular best server plots

SHO can never be eliminated completely by optimizingthe difference between 1st - 2nd RX pilot, because theremust be a point where the pilots from two base stationsare equally strong. Set the Active Set threshold properlyaccording to your needs.

However, optimizing for the difference between 1st - 2nd

RX pilot makes sure that unwanted SHO overhead, pilotpollution, and irregular best server plots will be mitigated.

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Requirement

The requirements specify the threshold for the difference between the first and the secondstrongest pilot power or signal power (WiMAX). For example, a requirement of 4dB means thatas many pixels in the optimization area as possible should have a difference between first andsecond strongest received power of more than 4dB after the optimization.

Coverage requirement fulfilled—enable this checkbox if you want to maximize the area wherethe requirements for the difference between 1st - 2nd RX pilot AND the coverage requirementare fulfilled. If multiple coverage targets are defined for the same network (see also Networksettings) select the appropriate one from the presented list.

NoteFrom a practical point of view the enabled Coverage requirement fulfilled functionality meansthat you optimize the area where your optimization target is fulfilled AND the minimum coveragerequirement is given. For this, you do not even have to optimize for coverage explicitly (set theweight of the coverage target to zero).

NoteIndoor losses are considered for this target, but mobile station antenna gain or body loss arenot considered.

Shortcuts and hot keys can be used to ensure a quick handling. Details are described in Shortcuts.

1st - Nth RX pilot - Worst Polluter and Overshooting

If a 1st - Nth optimization target is not already defined, it can be created with add targets (seealso add optimization target).

Description

1st - Nnd RX pilot difference is a network quality target. In order to reduce the impact of the worstpolluter and to reduce far-off connections (overshooting), this type of target can be used.

Worst Polluter and Overshooting BEFORE optimization

CDMA receivers usually have a number of RAKE fingersimplemented in order to combine the signal contributionsof the individual base stations/sectors in soft-handover.Due to this combination, about equally strong signals aresummed up and deliver the "soft-handover gain".

Due to the limited number of RAKE fingers in thereceiver, not all connections can contribute to thereceived signal. Those who cannot be combined areinterferers or polluters. The worst polluter is theconnection that can just not be considered in the RAKE.

Therefore it depends on the implementation of the RAKEreceiver, which of the Nth RX pilot the worst polluter is.

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Another crucial effect in CDMA networks is caused by far-off connections, also called "overshooting". In this case, afar-off base station is either the best server, or at leastcontributes to the SHO. This unwanted effect can becaused by high altitude base stations, insufficient antennadown-tilts, the topography, etc.

Worst Polluter and Overshooting AFTER optimization

Optimizing for the difference between the 1st - Nth RX pilotwill result in:

- Reduced overshooting

- Improved network performance due to the reduction offar-off connections

- Reduction of the effective interference caused by theworst polluter

- Overall interference reduction

Optimizing for the difference between 1st - Nth RX pilotcan be used in combination or as an alternative to thedifference between the 1st - 2nd RX pilot.

Requirement

The requirements specify the threshold for the difference between the first and the N-th strongestpilot power or signal power (WiMAX). For example, a requirement of 8dB means that as manypixels in the optimization area as possible should have a difference between first and N-thstrongest received power of more than 8dB after the optimization.

The Nth signal can be selected in the range of 3 - 5.

Coverage requirement fulfilled—enable this checkbox if you want to maximize the area wherethe requirements for the difference between 1st - Nth RX signal AND the coverage requirementare fulfilled. If multiple coverage targets are defined for the same network (see also Networksettings) select the appropriate one from the presented list.

NoteFrom a practical point of view the enabled Coverage requirement fulfilled functionality meansthat you optimize the area where your optimization target is fulfilled AND the minimum coveragerequirement is given. For this, you do not even have to optimize for coverage explicitly (set theweight of the coverage target to zero).

NoteIndoor losses are considered for this target, but mobile station antenna gain or body loss arenot considered.

Shortcuts and hot keys can be used to ensure a quick handling. Details are described in Shortcuts.

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Ec/Io, C/(I+N), and RSRQ

A C/I target can be created with the Add targets button (see also add optimization target).

Description

Ec/Io, C/(I+N), or RSRQ are a network quality and capacity objective. For UMTS and CDMA2000,Ec/Io will be calculated as the ratio of the received pilot signal energy per chip and the receivedinterference and noise. The down-link interference can be calculated adapting the DL cell loadsas given in the 9955, or by using constant, user defined cell loads. Refer to 3G Cell loads fordetails. For WiMAX, C/(I+N) will be calculated as the ratio of the received signal power and thereceived interference and noise. For LTE, RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality) calibratedto 9955 will be calculated.

The higher C/(I+N) is, the higher the service quality and the data rate, and the higher the overallsystem capacity will be.

WiMAX: The C/(I+N) will be calculated as a Pre-amble C/(I+N) analysis. The frequency band andchannel number information is also used to accurately analyze the interference in the WiMAXnetwork. The frequency band overlap and adjacent channel suppression is considered accordingto the specification of 9955. Sub-channelization and segmentation are currently ignored by 9955ACCO.

LTE: The analysis can optionally be based on RSRQ or SNIR (PDSCH C/(I+N) ). The selectionbetween RSRQ and SNIR is done by the radio button in the requirement section. The RSRQ will be calculated as a reference signal C/(I+N) analysis, which is the ratio of theRSRP and the total received interference power. The SNIR will be calculated as a PDSCH C/(I+N) analysis where the received power of the bestserver is ignored. The frequency band and channel number information are also used to accurately analyze theinterference in the LTE network. The frequency band overlap and adjacent channel suppressionis considered according to the specification of 9955.

Low Ec/Io area BEFOREoptimization

A sufficient level of Ec/Io or C/(I+N) is a necessaryrequirement to provide services in wireless networks.Typical values for required Ec/Io are in the range of -8...-15dB, or 0...15dB for C(I+N).

The received Ec/Io at the mobile depends on both thetransmitted pilot power, as well as the receivedinterference from the entire network.

Since the base station transmit power is limited, Ec/Iodepends on the interference produced by other basestations. The total interference thus depends on thedownlink load of the individual interferers, this is their totaltransmit power.

Low Ec/Io area AFTERoptimization

Optimizing for Ec/Io or C/(I+N) will harmonize the systemload in the network. It balances the signal andinterference contributions so that the requirements will bemet wherever needed.

Optimizing Ec/Io or C/(I+N) will result in:

- Increased service availability

- Higher possible data rates

- Balanced network loads

- Higher system capacity

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Requirement

The requirements specify the threshold of the Ec/Io (UMTS, CDMA2000) or C/(I+N) (WiMAX,DVB-H). For example, a requirement of -15dB means that as many pixels in the optimization areaas possible should have an Ec/Io ratio of more than -15dB after the optimization.

CautionTo verify the Ec/Io optimizations in 9955, some settings have to be considered. In the projectExplorer go to Predictions, select the Pilot reception analysis (Ec/Io), right click and selectProperties. If an Ec/Io analysis does not already exist, click New in the Predictions node andselect Pilot reception analysis (Ec/Io) to create such an analysis.In the Simulation tab of the Pilot reception analysis (Ec/Io) properties dialog, the followingsettings have to be chosen:· Simulation: None· Use shadowing: No· Reliability level/shadowing margin: 50%· Carrier: The carrier of the network used in 9955 ACCO

Terminal—select a terminal type for the probe for the Ec/Io or C/(I+N) analysis. The terminalinfluences the body loss and the maximum transmit power, as well as the used terminal (CPE)antenna pattern for WiMAX.

Mobility—select a mobility for the probe for the Ec/Io or C/(I+N) analysis.

Service—select a service for the probe for the Ec/Io or C/(I+N) analysis. The service influencesthe data rate and the maximum service power.

CautionNote that Terminal, Mobility, and Service of the probe have to be identical to the settingschosen within 9955 if you want to compare the results before and after optimization. Otherwisethe analysis in 9955 and the optimization in 9955 ACCO will differ! You can find the settingswithin 9955 under > Explorer > Predictions > right-click the prediction including the Pilotreception analysis (Ec/Io) > Properties > Simulation.

CautionNote that the computation performance can be reduced significantly if the selected terminalincludes an antenna pattern for WiMAX projects, because terminal antenna patterns requireadditional computational effort for antenna masking on per pixel basis. If the effect of terminalantenna patterns is not significant or not required (for example for mobile users) it is stronglyrecommended to use terminals that do not have antenna patterns assigned in 9955.

Coverage requirements fulfilled—enable this checkbox if you want to maximize the area wherethe requirements for Ec/Io or C/(I+N) AND the coverage requirement are fulfilled. If multiplecoverage targets are defined for the same network (see also Network settings) select theappropriate one from the presented list.

NoteFrom a practical point of view the enabled Coverage requirement fulfilled functionality meansthat you optimize the area where your optimization target is fulfilled AND the minimum coverage

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requirement is given. For this, you do not even have to optimize for coverage explicitly (e.g. bysetting the weight of the coverage target to zero).

Shortcuts and hot keys can be used to ensure a quick handling. Details are described in Shortcuts.

Downlink Eb/Nt (UMTS and CDMA2000 only)

If a Downlink Eb/Nt target is not already defined, it can be created with the Add targets button(see also add optimization target).

Description

Downlink Eb/Nt is both a network quality and a capacity objective. In order to provide servicecoverage in the downlink, the minimum required Eb/Nt level needs to be satisfied for theindividual service. 9955 ACCO considers the CDMA spreading gain according to the service datarate and the maximum downlink service power in the Eb/Nt calculation. Orthogonality factors areautomatically imported from 9955. The down-link interference can be calculated adapting the DLcell loads as given in the 9955, or by using constant, user defined cell loads. Refer to 3G Cellloads for details.

For all other settings refer to Ec/Io target.

Uplink Eb/Nt (UMTS and CDMA2000 only)

If an Uplink Eb/Nt target is not already defined, it can be created with the Add targets button (seealso add optimization target).

Description

Uplink Eb/Nt is both a network quality and a capacity objective. In order to provide servicecoverage in the uplink, the minimum required Eb/Nt level needs to be satisfied for the individualservice. 9955 ACCO considers the CDMA spreading gain according to the service data rate andthe maximum mobile terminal transmit power in the Eb/Nt calculation.

For all other settings refer to Ec/Io target.

Capacity–density based (HSPA, EVDO, WiMAX, and LTE)

A Capacity (density based) target can be created with the Add targets button (see also addoptimization target).

Description

Capacity (density based) is a capacity objective that considers the cell throughput in kbit/s andthe resulting cell utilization. It is usually based on a traffic density map. If no density map isavailable, a constant traffic density with high load is generated automatically to simulate high-loadconditions and thus analyse the capacity peak of the network layer. Note that this capacity peakis a theoretic maximum and might be considerably lower in reality. 9955 ACCO will use the trafficmap when Apply traffic map weighting is turned on, otherwise the automatic traffic distribution willbe used.

NoteCapacity (density based) calculates the possible throughput based on the resource utilizationfor HSDPA, EVDO, or OFDM (WiMAX, LTE) networks. The target is not appropriate for UMTSR99 or CDMA2000-1x networks. If this target is selected for a UMTS network, a HSDPA analysis is done with 10 (of 16)available codes.

The target function evaluates the possible modulation scheme and throughput for every pixel andestimates the required resource units for the cell by evaluating all pixels of the cell footprint. If theaccumulated required resource units are less than the cell's limit (that is implicitly given by thetechnology settings, the bandwidth, the overhead, etc.), the cell is not overloaded and the trafficcan be handled. The cell's contribution to the target function is the captured traffic (in kbit/s in thiscase, and of course normalized to the maximum possible captured traffic). If the required

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resource units exceed the cell's limit, the cell can only contribute the traffic according to themaximum possible resource utilization to the target function and hence the target function valuewill be lower.

NoteClutter dependent weights are applied before the resource units are calculated, the targetfunction weight is applied after the calculation of the resource units.By that, clutter weights can be used to scale the traffic map while a global weight scales thetarget function value. The target always uses the identical traffic map both for calculating the resource units and theweighting of the pixels.

The output of the target function is the successfully handled traffic. In addition, the percentage ofrequired resource units for every cell can be found in the report and visualized in Inspector. Forover-loaded cells, this number will be greater than 100%. Inspector will also show the corresponding plot to this target which is the RLC throughputpossible at each pixel. Note that this is not what this target function calculates and optimizes in 9955 ACCO, rather it is the theoretical throughput limit on that pixel based on the assumption thatno other user is active in the network.

NoteThe raw (non-normalized) target function output is the network capacity in kbit/s. If no cell isoverloaded, this is equal to the offered traffic in the traffic map. If all cells are overloaded, it isthe theoretic throughput capacity of the network. The target function plot that can be visualized in Inspector shows the effective layer 2throughput in kbit/s for every pixel given the modulation table and bandwidth. Please note thatthe target function statistics in Inspector evaluate this layer 2 throughput per pixel individuallyignoring all cell limits (as if there were traffic only on this pixel), and not the technically feasiblethroughput per cell that is evaluated in the target function objective.

Requirement

The requirements specify the threshold of Eb/Nt (for HSDPA, EVDO), C/(I+N) (for WiMAX), orRSRQ (for LTE). For example, a requirement of 5dB means that only pixels exceeding 5dB cancontribute to the target function objective. Please note that the cell utilization or resource units arecalculated considering the specified threshold, too.

NoteOnly the pixels that exceed both the specified global or clutter based threshold and the lowestvalue in the modulation thresholds table are used for the calculation of the resource units andthe target function objective.Usually you should use low thresholds to ensure the entire offered traffic is assigned to the cell.

Noise figure—Specify the noise figure of the user equipment in dB with this input field. This willbe used for interference calculation.

Mobile total gain—Specify the total user equipment gain in dB (usually antenna gain minus bodyloss) in this input field. This will be used for the signal to interference calculation.

Modulation thresholds—Use this button to edit the modulation parameters versus Eb/Nt or C/(I+N) thresholds. The button opens a window with one line per

Eb/Nt or C/I threshold—Specify the signal to interference threshold for the modulation format.Thresholds must be ascending from top to the bottom of the table. Use the insert key onyour keyboard to insert new rows or navigate to a new row at the bottom with the cursorkeys.

Bits per symbol—Specify the bits per modulation symbol for the threshold (e.g. 2 for QPSK/4-QAM, 4 for 16-QAM, 6 for 64-QAM)

Code rate—Specify the rate of the used coding scheme at that threshold (e.g. 0.33 for 1/3 ratecodes, 0.5 for 1/2 rate codes).

MIMO multiplexing gain—Specify the number of parallel MIMO streams the multiplexingscheme is able to transmit.

Error ratio—Specify the ratio between 0 and 1 of re-transmitted packets to total packets for thatthreshold. The expression (1-ErrorRatio) will be multiplied to the other terms in that row.

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Load and Save—the modulation threshold table can be saved to a file using the "Save" button orloaded from a previously saved file using the "Load" button. Depending on the 9955 project,different files for bearer thresholds, MIMO gains, or error ratio values have been stored to theOptimization Environment while exporting the project. These files can be found in the RawDatasub-folder of the environment.

Coverage requirement fulfilled—enable this checkbox if you want to maximize the area wherethe requirements for Ec/Io or C/(I+N) AND the coverage requirement are fulfilled. If multiplecoverage targets are defined for the same network (see also Network settings) select theappropriate one from the presented list.

NoteFrom a practical point of view the enabled Coverage requirement fulfilled functionality meansthat you optimize the area where your optimization target is fulfilled AND the minimum coveragerequirement is given. Please note that only the pixels fulfilling both criteria are used to calculatethe cell's required resource units.

Shortcuts and hot keys can be used to ensure a quick handling. Details are described in Shortcuts.

III.4.4 Optimization Targets 2G

Use this tab sheet to add, view, and modify the optimization targets chosen for the optimizationprocess.

The supported optimization targets are:

· Coverage - RX BCCH

· C/I - Carrier to Interference Ratio

Coverage Requirement

If a Coverage target is not already defined, it can be created with the Add targets button (seealso add optimization target).

Description

The RX BCCH is a coverage target. It analyzes the received power of the Broadcast ControlChannel (BCCH). In order to meet coverage requirements, especially indoor coveragerequirements, a minimum received BCCH power is required.

Coverage BEFORE optimization

Sufficient BCCH coverage is a necessary requirement tolaunch wireless services. The required received BCCHdepends on the receiver sensitivity of the mobilehandset.

Requirements on the RX BCCH are often given foroutdoor environments, since propagation models do notalways take penetration losses into account directly.

Therefore, in order to provide sufficient indoor coverage,the RX BCCH requirement might be higher for indoorareas.

In the optimization targets you can set differentrequirements for various environments and clutters.Depending on the environment (deep indoor, indoor,outdoor, incar, etc.) typical values for the received BCCHare in the range of -60...-100dBm.

Selecting RX BCCH as optimization target will result inimproved BCCH coverage in your optimization area

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Coverage AFTER optimization

according to your requirements.

Optimizing for RX BCCH will:

- Increase overall service area

- Improve the coverage probability

- Reduce the probability of coverage holes

- Provide sufficient indoor coverage

- Effectively increase the service availability area

Requirement

The coverage requirements specify the threshold for the best RX BCCH power. For example, acoverage requirement of -90dBm means that the optimization area should exceed a receivedpower of -90dBm after the optimization for as many pixels as possible taking into account theindividual weights of the pixels (clutter weighting, traffic map weighting).

NoteIndoor losses are considered for this target, but mobile station antenna gain or body loss arenot considered.

Uplink coverage

If an Uplink coverage target is not already defined, it can be created with the Add targets button(see also add optimization target).

Description

The up-link coverage target calculates the received signal power from a test mobile handset atthe base station transmitter. The transmitted power of the handset is defined by selecting theterminal in the requirement section on the right-hand side of the tab sheet. If no terminal could befound in 9955, then the transmitted power and the mobile total gain must be defined in the giveninput fields. Indoor losses are considered.

C/I - Carrier to Interference Ratio

If a C/I target is not already defined, it can be created with the Add targets button (see also addoptimization target).

Description

Carrier to interference ratio (C/I) is a 2G network quality target. More precisely, this optimizationtarget should be called C/(I+A+N), since it considers all interference sources as well as thethermal noise. In order to reduce the interference in TDMA based access technologies andincrease the C/I ratio, this type of target should be used.

9955 ACCO distinguishes different frequency bands (e.g. GSM-900, GSM-1800), but the GSMchannels are not considered when analyzing the interference. It is assumed that all transmittersuse exactly the same frequency. Hence, the analyzed C/I is a worst case scenario. The reason isthat the C/I target shall be independent from a certain frequency plan, and, besides that, infrequency hopping GSM systems all transmitters will be mutual interferers.

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Network coverage area BEFOREC/I optimization

In TDMA systems the interference is mainly caused byco-channels operating at the same carrier frequency. Thisis indicated in the picture on the left hand side. The basestations with the same color transmit with the samecarrier frequency.

In the areas where two colors overlap, the co-channelinterference is dominant and hence limits the systemperformance. Overlapping areas with different colors donot contribute to the co-channel interference.

The co-channel interference hence depends on theimplementation of the frequency plan. Frequency plansare computed to reduce the overall co-channelinterference.

It is well known that TDMA systems experience anadditional gain by applying frequency hopping, i.e.interference diversity. In state of the art networkequipment, frequency plans and frequency hoppingpattern can be modified via software. This means theycan be changed very rapidly.

The aim of RF optimization for TDMA based accesstechnologies hence is to minimize the likelihood of co-channel interference independent of the implementedfrequency plan and hopping pattern.

Network coverage area AFTER C/Ioptimization

Optimizing for the carrier to interference ratio results in

- Significantly lower co-channel interference

- Reduced interference from far-off cells

- Significant reduction of potential co-channel interferencefor a different frequency plan / hopping pattern

- Clear structured cell borders

- Clear and regular best server plots

Since all potential interference sources, i.e. potential co-channel interferers are considered, the parameteroptimization enables an improved performance for allpossible frequency plans and hopping pattern.

Problems that can not be solved by frequency planningalone will be fully addressed by the optimization of the RFconfiguration.

Requirement

The requirements specify the threshold of the co-channel interference ratio. For example, a C/Irequirement of 5dB means that as many pixels in the optimization area as possible should have aC/I ratio of more than 5dB after the optimization.

NoteIndoor losses and the mobile station noise figure is considered for this target, mobile stationgain or body loss is not.

Coverage requirement fulfilled—enable this checkbox if you want to maximize the area wherethe requirements for the C/I AND the coverage requirement are fulfilled. If multiple coveragetargets are defined for the same network (see also Network settings) select the appropriate onefrom the presented list.

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III.4.5 Optimization Targets TD-SCDMA

Use this tab sheet to add, view, and modify the optimization targets chosen for the optimizationprocess.

The supported optimization targets are:

· P-CCPCH Coverage

· Ec/Io

P-CCPCH - Coverage Requirement

If a Coverage target is not already defined, it can be created with the Add targets button (seealso add optimization target).

Description

The P-CCPCH is a coverage target. In order to meet coverage requirements, especially indoorcoverage requirements, a minimum received pilot power is required.

Coverage BEFORE optimization

Sufficient P-CCPCH coverage is a necessary requirementto launch wireless TD-SCDMA services. The requiredreceived pilot depends on the receiver sensitivity of themobile handset.

Requirements on the P-CCPCH are often given foroutdoor environments, since propagation models do notalways take penetration losses into account directly.

Therefore, in order to provide sufficient indoor coverage,the P-CCPCH requirement might be higher for indoorareas.

In the optimization targets you can set differentrequirements for various environments and clutters.Depending on the environment (deep indoor, indoor,outdoor, incar, etc.) typical values for the received pilotare in the range of -70...-110dBm.

Coverage AFTER optimization

Selecting P-CCPCH as optimization target will result inimproved pilot coverage in your optimization areaaccording to your requirements.

Optimizing for P-CCPCH will:

- Increase overall service area

- Improve the coverage probability

- Reduce the probability of coverage holes

- Provide sufficient indoor coverage

- Effectively increase the service availability area

Requirement

The coverage requirements specify the threshold for the best RX pilot power. For example, acoverage requirement of -90dBm means that the optimization area should exceed a receivedpower of -90dBm after the optimization for as many pixels as possible taking into account theindividual weights of the pixels (clutter weighting, traffic map weighting).

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Ec/Io

If a Ec/Io target is not already defined, it can be created with the Add targets button (see also addoptimization target).

Description

Ec/Io is both a network quality and a capacity objective. Ec/Io will be calculated as the ratio of thereceived pilot signal energy per chip and the received interference and noise. The downlink totalpowers of the transmitters for the interference calculation are take from timeslot 6.

The higher Ec/Io is, the higher the service quality and the data rate, and the higher the overallsystem capacity will be.

Low Ec/Io area BEFOREoptimization

A sufficient level of Ec/Io is a necessary requirement toprovide services in TD-SCDMA networks. Typical valuesfor required Ec/Io are in the range of -8...-15dB.

The received Ec/Io at the mobile depends on both thetransmitted pilot power, as well as the receivedinterference from the entire network.

Since the base station transmit power is limited, Ec/Iodepends on the interference produced by other basestations. The total interference thus depends on thedownlink load of the individual interferers, this is their totaltransmit power.

Low Ec/Io area AFTERoptimization

Optimizing for Ec/Io will harmonize the system load in thenetwork. It balances the signal and interferencecontributions so that the requirements will be metwherever needed.

Optimizing Ec/Io will result in:

- Increased service availability

- Higher possible data rates

- Balanced network loads

- Higher system capacity

Requirement

The requirements specify the threshold of the Ec/Io. For example, a requirement of -15dB meansthat as many pixels in the optimization area as possible should have an Ec/Io ratio of more than -15dB after the optimization.

CautionTo verify the Ec/Io optimizations in 9955, some settings have to be considered. In the projectExplorer go to Predictions, select the Pilot reception analysis (C/I), right click and selectProperties. If it does not already exist, click New in the Predictions node and select Pilotreception analysis (C/I) to create such an analysis.In the Simulation tab of the Pilot reception analysis (C/I) properties dialog, the followingsettings have to be chosen:· Carrier = "All"· Reliability level = "50" (or disable the "Shadowing taken into account" check box)· Disable the check box "Indoor Coverage"

Terminal—select a terminal type for the probe for the Ec/Io analysis. The terminal influences thebody loss and the maximum transmit power.

Mobility—select a mobility for the probe for the Ec/Io or C/(I+N) analysis.

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Service—select a service for the probe for the Ec/Io analysis. The service influences the datarate and the maximum service power.

CautionNote that Terminal, Mobility, and Service of the probe have to be identical to the settingschosen within 9955 if you want to compare the results before and after optimization. Otherwisethe analysis in 9955 and the optimization in 9955 ACCO will differ! You can find the settingswithin 9955 under > Explorer > Predictions > right-click the prediction including the Pilotreception analysis (Ec/Io) > Properties > Simulation.

Coverage requirements fulfilled——enable this checkbox if you want to maximize the areawhere the requirements for Ec/Io AND the coverage requirement are fulfilled. If multiple coveragetargets are defined for the same network (see also Network settings) select the appropriate onefrom the presented list.

NoteFrom a practical point of view the enabled Coverage requirement fulfilled functionality meansthat you optimize the area where your optimization target is fulfilled AND the minimum coveragerequirement is given. For this, you do not even have to optimize for coverage explicitly (set theweight of the coverage target to zero).

III.4.6 Traffic Weighting

In order to provide network coverage and performance where it is needed most, i.e. were thetraffic is, 9955 ACCO considers a given traffic density map for the weighting of the importance ofthat area.

In order to do so, a traffic map has to be loaded for the optimization in 9955 ACCO. This trafficdensity map and the associated traffic weighting can then be applied for each individualoptimization target. Note that you can load separate weighting maps for each target if required.

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The traffic maps should represent absolute or relative traffic measures, such as traffic density inErlangs, average number of users, or any other proper measure. For the optimization theseweights represent the importance of the optimization target as overall objective for theoptimization process.

The traffic maps show that the traffic density is distributed in a highly inhomogeneous way. In thecity centre the traffic density is high per bin (dark areas), while in the surrounding areas of thiscity the traffic density is less (almost white areas).

A weight of "0" means that the performance measure is not considered at all in the optimization.The total optimization target results as the superposition (weighted addition) of the individualtargets.

Basic principle of Traffic Density Weighting

The traffic density weighting of the importance of the different areas, based on the availabletraffic map is schematically described below.

The optimization targetmight be described in (1),e.g. coverage. The trafficmap incorporatesdifferent density valuesfor each pixel (2). Thetraffic weighted coveragemap then shows theimportant pixels (weights)for the coverage basedon the given traffic map(3).

In this example the pixels in map 1 (upper left) are all equally weighted. If we assume that thismap represents coverage, it means that each pixel has the same importance and hence deliversthe same contribution to the overall coverage probability.

In the lower left corner (2) the different pixels have different values. In case that traffic maps areused, such a map would represent the traffic density in Erlangs, average number of users, or anyother proper measure. The importance of the map is that there are areas where there is a highertraffic value, and areas where there is a lower traffic value. According to these traffic values it isof importance to an operator to provide service coverage there where it is needed most.

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In order to apply the traffic weighting to a specific optimization target, 9955 ACCO provides thepossibility to load traffic maps and to apply them individually to each optimization target. Theresult is that the weighted optimization target is the pixel per pixel multiplication of the overalloptimization weight for a specific optimization target and the actual value of the traffic map. Thisis shown schematically in the figure above on the right hand side (3).

For example: If we consider the map in the upper left corner as the coverage requirement, wecan then multiply these requirements with the traffic map and the result is the weighted coveragetarget. With this the optimization algorithms in 9955 ACCO will ensure that the best performanceis reached for those areas (pixels) where the importance is highest.

III.4.7 Captured Traffic and Traffic Sharing

Use the Captured Traffic settings to limit the maximum captured traffic of cells.

Please refer to Traffic map settings and traffic limits for details on editing traffic limits.

Please refer to Traffic settings in target functions for using traffic maps in the context of targetfunctions.

Description

Basically, the captured traffic is calculated once per network (if required), based on the bestserver footprint plot and using a traffic density map.

In order to consider the captured traffic during the optimization, a traffic density map has to beincluded in the optimization. This can be done by loading a traffic map in the Project Specificationor individually for a network layer in Networks and parameters. Based on this traffic density map,9955 ACCO then computes how much traffic occurs in the footprint of each sector. The capturedtraffic of a sector is the accumulation of the traffic map pixels over the cell's footprint; the size ofthe pixels is considered. Therefore, in order to provide useful results and be independent fromdifferent resolutions, the traffic map data should be given as an areal density map, e.g. Erlangs /km2, Users / km2, (KBits/s) / km2, etc.

Caution

9955 ACCO does not check the unit of the traffic map data. If the unit is not a density unit, thenthe result can be strongly depending on the resolution.

A maximum traffic value can be defined on a sector by sector and/or site by site basis. During thenetwork optimization, these maximum traffic limits per site/sector are considered. If the capturedtraffic of a site/sector exceeds its limit, the optimization algorithms will modify the networkparameters so that this overload is mitigated as good as possible.

NoteThe captured traffic limits are soft limits rather than hard limits. There are cases where celloverloads cannot be avoided. In any case, 9955 ACCO will always try to limit cell overloads as

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much as possible on average, while considering all other constraints as well (area dependingweights, etc.).

The effect of considering the captured traffic in the optimization is:

· Possibility to balance the load between different sectors

· Mitigation of overloaded sectors

· Trade-off between interference reduction and cell size. Small cells minimize interference.However, if the surrounding cells become overloaded as a result of capturing the trafficoriginally captured by the reduced cell, balance will be restored by enlarging the cell again.

· Consideration of the actual traffic demand in the network

· Consideration of the hardware capabilities of the individual sectors

Captured Traffic for multiple Systems

In case that multiple systems are planned and optimized jointly in 9955 ACCO, multiple trafficmaps can be considered for the individual networks. Refer to Networks and parameters to learnhow to load individual traffic maps per network.

Using multiple traffic maps enables to examine the captured traffic individually per radiotechnology. The sector specific traffic limits can be defined separately for 2G and 3G radiotechnologies in 9955 ACCO. An example is schematically described below:

The best server footprints for both the 2G and the 3G radio networks, which share a multi bandantenna in this case, capture a certain traffic per sector. In 9955 ACCO, a maximum traffic foreach sector can be defined for each individual technology. This allows the consideration of themaximum traffic in each technology separately during the planning and optimization process.

Traffic sharing

This function has an impact on the way the captured traffic is calculated.

Usually, the captured traffic is calculated for the network layer using a traffic density map, whichis either defined in the Project specification window or individually for the network in the Networksettings window. Networks can be defined to share traffic (at least 2 and up to all networksdefined in the project). This is managed in the Network settings window. Note that for thisfunction to be available, all involved networks must define maximum captured traffic limits foreach sector. The networks which shall share traffic, have to be ordered by rank. There is a dialog

available for the definition of the ranks of the involved networks. It is opened by using the button. The captured traffic of each involved network is calculated based on the same traffic mapstarting with the rank 1 network. Consequently, the rank 1 network uses the traffic map itself forthe captured traffic analysis. Based on its maximum captured traffic limits, the traffic remainingafter network 1 is calculated and temporarily stored in a virtual traffic map for the rank 2 network.Network 2 uses this virtual traffic map for the captured traffic analysis and subsequently stores

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the remaining traffic in another virtual traffic map for network 3 (if required) using its maximumcaptured traffic limits. This process is continued up to the highest ranked network.

Note that traffic sharing only makes sense, if at least one target function uses Apply capturedtraffic limits. This target function must use the highest ranked network, otherwise shared trafficanalysis for this network is not required. 9955 ACCO throws an error if these conditions are notmet.

Caution

If more than a single focus zone is used (e.g. when the data is loaded from several optimizationenvironments), make sure the focus zones of the networks involved in traffic sharing areidentical. Otherwise, a proper operation of the traffic sharing calculation cannot be guaranteed.

III.5 Optimization Options and Constraints

III.5.1 Optimization Options

Use this tab to view and manipulate a number of options for the optimization process.

Optimization strategy

Use this section to define the strategy for the automated optimization.You can either maximize the performance for given resources including available budget, timeand infrastructure, or you can optimize to achieve a required optimization target for minimumcosts.

Maximize optimization target—select this option to maximize the optimization target as definedin the optimization target tab. This assumes that the resources in terms of the number of basestations/sectors are given.

Achieve optimization target while minimizing...—select this option to achieve a certainpercentage of the optimization target. For example, if only the coverage requirement (RX pilot) isset in the optimization target, the aim is to satisfy that coverage requirement for, e.g. 95% of thearea. The result will then be the required infrastructure in order to achieve this. On top of that, theultimate goal of the optimization is to achieve the optimization target, or a percentage of it, byminimizing the resources required to achieve that. This includes:

· minimizing the number of SITES to modify—select this option to achieve the definedoptimization target while minimizing the number of sites that need to be modified.

· minimizing the implementation COSTS—select this option to achieve the definedoptimization target while minimizing the costs for implementing the modifications to thenetwork. This includes both the activation costs for new base stations and cells (sectors), aswell as the costs for parameter modifications of the existing infrastructure (if any available).

· minimizing the implementation TIME—select this option to achieve the definedoptimization target while minimizing the time required to implement the modifications in thenetwork. This includes the time required for site preparation and infrastructure installation fornew base stations and cells (sectors), as well as the additional time for parametermodifications of the existing infrastructure (if any available).

Examples· Network roll-out at MINIMUM COST

The area where a service coverage should be provided is given (optimization area). 95%of the area should receive a minimum pilot coverage level of, e.g. -85dBm. A number ofpotential sites (existing 2G base stations) can be used as potential 3G base stations. Thecosts for the installation of a 3 sector base station is known. The question is: What is theminimum cost for the roll-out that satisfies the 95% coverage probability at -85dBm.

Solution: Use the inactive sites for your potential network deployment. Define thecoverage target of -85dBm in the optimization target tab. Select the Try to achieve 95% ofmaximum optimization target value while minimizing COSTS option. 9955 ACCO will

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automatically provide the list of sites that should be activated. It will also provide the bestparameter configuration for all sectors.

· Network extension for MINIMUM COST

Additional areas need to be covered; higher network capacity is required; better indoor-coverage needs to be provided. For this, a number of base stations already exist. Thequestion is how should the network be extended or modified in order to reach the newperformance requirement at minimum cost.

Solution: Within the mix of already active and inactive sectors, define the optimizationtargets. Select the Try to achieve [ ]% of maximum optimization target value whileminimizing COSTS option. 9955 ACCO will then automatically provide the list of sites thatshould be activated. It will also provide the best parameter configuration for all sectors,both the newly activated as well as the existing ones. The objective however is to providethe solution at minimum costs.

· MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE for given resources

The resources (budget, base station equipment, transmitters, ect.) are given. Theobjective is to squeeze the network in order to get the maximum performance in return ofthe existing investment.

Solution: Select the optimization target in the optimization target tab. Select the Maximizeoptimization target option in order to get the best performance of the network.

CautionThis optimization strategy requires the generation of an implementation plan.

Implementation plan

Use this section to enable the calculation of an implementation plan for the suggested parametermodifications in the optimization process. The implementation plan will provide an ordered list ofparameter modifications. It can be ordered so that the implementation will ensure that the mostsignificant changes can be done first. It also makes sure that the overall network performance willimprove during the implementation of the individual changes.

Generate implementation plan—enable the check box to provide the implementation plan afterthe optimization. The implementation plan will be delivered as part of the optimization report file(see also View Report).

NoteTo learn more about the implementation plan, effects of the limited availability of sites/sectors/equipment and the impact of other individual constraints, please see Implementation PlanDetails.

Suggested implementation sequence

highest TOTAL gain first—select this option to generate the implementation plan in such a waythat the parameter modification with the highest gain will be implemented first. The parametermodification with the lowest impact on the total optimization target will be implemented last.

highest gain PER COST first—select this option to generate the implementation plan in such away that the parameter modification with the highest gain - compared to the associated costs it isgenerating - will be implemented first. The parameter modification with the lowest gain versuscosts will be implemented last.

highest gain PER TIME first—select this option to generate the implementation plan in such away that the parameter modification with the highest gain - compared to the time that is requiredto implement it - will be implemented first. The parameter modification with the lowest gain versusrequired time will be implemented last.

Include Dates in Implementation Plan—enable this check box to consider absolute dates in forthe generation of the implementation plan. For a more detailed description please see Implementation Plan Details.

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Implementation starting date—this drop down calender is only visible if the Include Dates inImplementation Plan check box is enabled. If this is the case you can then select the date whenthe implementation plan should start.

Available manpower—this data field is only visible if the Include Dates in Implementation Plancheck box is enabled. You can define the amount of manpower available per week. This value isgiven in man-days/week and represents an AVERAGE number for the working power availableper week. The available manpower should also include public holidays as well as weekends.

Examples· 1 "average" person, 250 working days a year (49 weeks á 5 days - 3 weeks holidays)

gives an average number of about 4.7man-days/week.

· 3 "average" people give about 3-times the manpower of a single person, i.e. 14.1 man-days/week

· External consulting work can be ordered up to a certain workload of X man-days/week

· See also Implementation Plan Details

NoteThe following points should be considered when defining the average manpower available:

· Average working days per person vary between different countries and companies,especially if they are project related

· External support teams have a different behaviour in terms of available manpower. It mightjust be expressed in cash costs, rather than time consumption.

· The amount of holidays vary from country to country

· Public holidays should be considered in the definition of the average available manpower

For a more detailed description please see Implementation Plan Details.

Calculate result plots for individual implementation plan steps — enable this checkbox tocompute the different plots for the visualization of the implementation plan steps in 9955 ACCO Inspector. For further details please also see how to visualize the different Implementation Plansteps.

CautionFor very large networks with a high resolution and many sites involved in the optimizationprocess, this option will take some time, and it can require a lot of memory in order to handleall plots for the implementation plan steps!

Parameter constraints

Use this tab to view and manipulate a parameter constraints for the optimization process.

Optimization precision - Mechanical tilt—Use this box to view and modify the granularity of themechanical tilt changes allowed during the optimization process.

Optimization precision - Pilot—Use this box to view and modify the granularity of the powerchanges allowed during the optimization process.

Optimization precision - Azimuth—Use this box to view and modify the granularity of theazimuth changes allowed during the optimization process.

NoteIf "0" is entered in the fields for the individual optimization precisions, no constraints to theparameter values apply.

Minimum angle between neighbouring cell azimuths—In case that Azimuth optimization isenabled, a minimum angle separation between two sectors (cells) at the same site can berequired. This is sometimes necessary due to construction-conditioned antenna deployment.

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Activation mode

Use this section to select the activation mode for your optimization.NoteStarting with 9955 ACCO 4.0, CELL activation mode is replaced by LEVEL activation mode.

CELL activation mode—select this option to activate inactive transmitters on a transmitter bytransmitter basis.

If CELL activation mode is selected, the number of transmitters to activate can be limited.

SITE activation mode—select this option to activate inactive transmitters on a site by site basis.This means that all cells/transmitters on a site will be activated jointly. If one or more, e.g. 2 out of3, cells are already active at a particular site, the site activation mode will activate all remainingcells/transmitters. Cells already active prior to activation will remain active.

If the SITE activation mode is selected, the number of sites to activate can be limited.

LEVEL activation mode—select this option to activate inactive transmitters on a site, where alltransmitters belonging to the same network layer will be activated jointly but independently fromtransmitters of other network layers on the same site. Use this mode if you want to activate oneor more network layers on a site by site basis. It is in particular useful for site sharing analysis tofind out which sites to share between different layers (like e.g. different operators). Cells/transmitters already active prior to activation will remain active.

If the LEVEL activation mode is selected, the number of sites to activate can be limited.

Resource constraints

Use this section to define the resource constraints limiting the optimization process.

Resource limits

Use this section to define the maximum cost and time budgets that limit the number ofmodifications in the optimization process. The optimization will consider both costs and timerequired to implement the individual parameter modifications. The individual costs and timeparameters can be set for each sector in the cost and time parameters section of the Optimizationranges tab. Default values for the cost and time parameters are defined in the Range Defaults tabof the Options dialog box.

limit total COSTS—enable the check box to limit the optimization by the costs for theimplementation of the individual modifications. The individual costs for each modification aredefined in the parameter settings in the Optimization Ranges tab.

COSTS limit—use this field to enter the maximum budget assigned to the optimization of thecurrent optimization project. The currency for the cost data is defined in the General tab of theOptions dialog box. As default value the currency defined in the Regional and Language Optionsin the Windows Control Panel is used.

limit total TIME—enable the check box to limit the optimization by the time required for theimplementation of the individual modifications. The individual time requirements for eachmodification are defined in the parameter settings in the Optimization Ranges tab.

TIME limit—use this field to enter the maximum time budget assigned to the optimization of thecurrent optimization project. The unit name for time data is defined as man-days.

NoteTo learn more about the impact of resource constraints on the optimization result and theimplementation plan, please see Implementation Plan Details.

Activation limits

Use this section to define the maximum number of sites that limit the activation process duringthe optimization.

limit number of SITES to activate—enable the check box to limit the number of sites availablefor activation during the optimization process. This constraint is only visible if the SITE activation

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mode is selected.

SITES limit—use this field to enter the maximum number of sites that can be activated duringthe optimization.

limit number of CELLS to activate—enable the check box to limit the number of cells availablefor activation during the optimization process. This constraint is only visible if the CELL activationmode is selected.

CELLS limit—use this field to enter the maximum number of cells that can be activated duringthe optimization.

Examples for the activation constraints are:

· Constrained to 10 sites: The optimization is limited by the joint activation of the cells on amaximum of 10 sites in total. The order of the per-site activations is shown in theimplementation plan.

· Constrained to 15 cells: The optimization is limited by the individual activation of 15 cells.This can be on a maximum of 15 sites (one cell per site each). The order of the per-cellactivations is shown in the implementation plan.

NoteTo learn more about the impact of activation constraints on the optimization result and theimplementation plan, please see Implementation Plan Details.

III.5.2 Implementation plan details

The implementation plan provides an ordered list of parameter modifications. It can be orderedso that the parameter modifications will be implemented in order to ensure that the mostsignificant changes can be done first. It also makes sure that the overall network performance willimprove during the implementation of the individual changes.

In this section you find

· Understanding Availability Restrictions

· Examples

· General Remarks

Availability restrictions

Availability restrictions have a major impact on the implementation plan. It does not make senseto optimize the configuration and the best implementation of a site into a network, if we do notknow when this site will be available. Only when the site is available it can be considered in theprocess of improving the network performance.

Definition of availability restrictions

In the activation section in the Optimization Ranges you can define the availability restrictions ofany individual transmitter considered for the radio network optimization. To each transmitter anavailability date can be applied. The site availability is given on an absolute time scale.

Using dates in the implementation plan

In order to consider the absolute availability dates for the generation of the implementation plan,you need to enable the Include date in the implementation plan check box in the OptimizationOptions tab. 9955 ACCO will then automatically consider the absolute dates for the bestimplementation of the modifications in the network.

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ExamplesIn order to get a better understanding of the elapsed time feature in the implementation plan,please see the examples below:

Example 1 Implementation plan with availability restrictions

Assume that we have 5 different sites available for a network cluster. All of them will be availablewithin a time frame of e.g. 3 weeks (beginning of W1 till end of W3). The blue and the red as wellas the green and the pink site are available at the same time.

All of these sites require certain resources to be implemented, i.e. time required to install, activateand modify the sites, costs, etc. These parameters are defined in the Optimization Ranges.

When enabling the Include date in the implementation plan check box in the Optimization Optionstab, the implementation plan will look like shown below. It includes the following information:

· If sites are available at the same time, 9955 ACCO will implement the most effective one(according to the setting for the implementation plan - see the description of theimplementation plan settings in the Optimization Options tab). In the example the blue site isobviously more effective and hence implemented first.

· A site can only be implemented/modified once it is available. After finalizing theimplementation of the blue site the yellow site is still not available. Hence, it can not beimplemented (whether it is more effective than the red one or not is a different question).

· If no sites are available, nothing can be implemented. Hence, there is a hole in theimplementation plan after the finalization of the implementation of the yellow site until newsites are available.

CautionThis means that the starting date for the implementation time PLUS the time it takes toimplement the network modifications does not give the completion date of the modificationsin the implementation time!

· As long as the available time resources are larger than the time it takes to implement the

modifications, ALL changes can be implemented. The constraints are not limited to timeresources, any other constraints like number of available sites, or costs are considered aswell.

· The available time does not need to be consumed en block, i.e. the resources available canbe split into several projects separated by times where no implementations are done.

Example 2 Implementation plan when all sites are available

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Assume that we consider the same network scenario as in Example 1. The difference however isthat all sites are available from the very beginning, i.e. they are available before the completion ofthe integration/modification of the first site.

By selecting the option Include date in the implementation plan all site availability restrictions areconsidered. However, practically no restrictions will appear in the implementation plan due to thefact that all sites are available from the start.

The conclusions from this example are:

· The time from the start of the implementation to the completion date will be the same as therequired time resources needed for the implementation.

· The alignment of the difference between start and completion time in the implementationplan and the required resources and also happen if no availability restriction occurs after thecompletion of a single site. This means that as long as there are sites available that shouldbe build, the time will be aligned.

Example 3Implementation plan with limited resources

Assume that the scenario is the same as in Example 1. Sites will be available within a time frameof about 3 weeks. According to the requirements defined in 9955 ACCO the different sites will beimplemented.

The difference in this example however is the amount of resources available to complete the siteactivation/implementation/modification. The limitation in the available resources leads to thefollowing conclusions:

· Resource limitations can be available time, costs, equipment, number of sites, number ofsectors, etc.

· If the overall resources required to implement all of the suggested modifications is largerthan the amount of resources available, the implementation plan will limit the number ofmodifications so that all available resources are not exceeded.

· In case of multiple limitations, e.g. available cost budget and time budget, the constraintexceeded first will be the limiting factor

· The available time does not need to be consumed en block, i.e. the resources available canbe split into several projects separated by times where no implementations are done.

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General remarks

A number of general remarks for the use of the implementation plan with availability restrictionsand resource constraints.

· In the Optimization Ranges the time required to activate/implement/modify a particular site/sector/parameter is given in man-days. The time resources are given in man-days per week.Therefore, the time it takes to implement a modification in the implementation plan iscaluculated as

o Required Calendar WEEKS = man-days (required) / available man-power (man-days/week)

o Required Calendar DAYS = Required Calendar WEEKS * 7

o Completion DATE = Starting date + Required Calendar DAYS

o The direct consequences of this scheme are:

· Weekends do not represent non-working days.

· Public holidays do not represent non-working days.

· The completion date can be any day, including Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays

· The completion date should not be interpreted as an exact date, but rather as a goodestimate.

III.6 Optimization Run

III.6.1 Optimization Run

Use this tab to set optimization options and start the network optimization process.

Options

Optimization Mode—use this slider to control the compromise between optimization speed andoptimization accuracy. The key objectives of the options on the Optimization Mode slider are asfollows:

· Fast—achieve good optimization results within a very short time frame. This end of theOptimization Mode slider places an emphasis on optimization speed.

· Advanced—achieve the best achievable solution. This end of the Optimization Mode sliderplaces an emphasis on optimization accuracy.

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The best results are obtained when optimizing in Advanced mode with the finest possiblesimulation resolution.

NoteFor a more detailed description see optimization mode details

Simulation Resolution—choose from this menu the grid (pixel) resolution to use during theoptimization process. Choosing a higher simulation resolution yields a smaller grid cell (pixel) sizeand delivers more accurate results. Four simulation resolutions are available, based on the initialresolution set for the export of the 9955 ACCO optimization environment. For example, based ona 30m resolution chosen for the export, the following optimization resolutions are available.

· 30m—64 runtime units· 60m—16 runtime units· 120m—4 runtime units· 240m—1 runtime units

NoteThe above figure indicates the impact of the resolution on the optimization speed and memoryrequirement. The difference between 30m and 240m grid resolution results in a ratio ofoptimization times of 64:1 when pixel based results are of interest, i.e. for all results based oncoverage plots! In the same way the different grid resolutions influence the amount of memoryused for the optimization.

CautionEspecially for large area radio networks - including a few x 1000km2 - we highly recommend tostart the optimization with a coarse resolution to save calculation time!

The progress shown in Progress tab is based on the simulation resolution chosen for theoptimization. Since the simulation resolution in the 9955 project might be different, the estimatedprogress might be different depending on the chosen simulation resolution.

In case that the simulation resolution chosen in 9955 ACCO is larger than the used analysisresolution in the 9955project, the indicated optimization gains in the Progress tab will deviatefrom the optimization gain when verified in 9955 directly. This means that the improvement of theoptimization speed comes along with the reduced optimization accuracy.

9955 ACCO can not use simulation resolutions finer than the resolution used for generating theaccording pathloss prediction in the 9955 project.

NoteTo make sure that the resolutions for the predictions within 9955 and the optimization are thesame, you will have to check the resolution in 9955. To find out what analysis resolution in 9955is, right click on the Predictions in the Data tab of the 9955 Explorer. Select Properties andyou can see the Default resolution in the Predictions tab.

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Low Process Priority—enable this check box to decrease the priority of the optimization engine.With low priority the optimization runs in the background and only uses idle resources on themachine. Use this option when optimizing a network while working in 9955 or any otherapplication.

Remove pathloss values > ...dB—Use this option to reduce the size of the pathloss data inmemory while the optimization is running. 9955 ACCO will find the smallest possible rectangle foreach pathloss matrix only containing pathloss values smaller than the given threshold. Thethreshold can be defined in the Tools/Options menu. Select the threshold carefully to avoidremoving areas of the pathloss file which might be important for the network simulation. Thedefault value for the threshold is 165dB. If an optimization uses too much memory to fit into the physical RAM of the computer, enable thischeck-box to minimize the memory demand.

Limit memory usage—limits RAM use to a user defined or automatically selected amount(based on current optimization settings). This may help to avoid 9955 ACCO from needing toswap from memory to disk in cases where more than one optimization is run concurrently on thesame machine. The closer the limit is to the recommended amount, the better the optimizationperformance. The automatically selected value is the average of the minimum and therecommended memory (cf. below).

Compute initial state—will simulate the network and evaluate all the defined target functions forthe initial network configuration only without doing an optimization. Use it to analyze the network,check if the used parameters and target function settings are correct, or get captured trafficnumbers from the Excel report file. In case of site activations, the initial state is calculated with all transmitters turned on.

Start Optimization—click this button to start the optimization process. Staring optimizationincludes copying relevant data and initializing network optimization.

Memory requirements

9955 ACCO uses smart memory management to run very large area optimizations. This sectionshows the amount of memory required for the optimization parameters (size of the area,resolution, ...) you have set. It is assumed that no other applications with major memoryrequirements are running at the same time.

Overview—an overview of memory requirement details, made up of· process—this field displays the minimum physical memory that is required to run the

optimization process

· OS—this field displays the assumed memory occupied by the operating system (OS)

· machine—this field displays the total required memory necessary to run the optimization onthis machine.

· minimum versus recommended—the difference between minimum and recommended isthat data compression is used for the minimum requirement. In case of recommended, therequired data is uncompressed and hence no performance degradation (slower optimization)occurs. If more memory is available more data will be kept in caches and the optimizationwill be even faster.

Memory requirement messages—this field displays warnings and error messages, if themachine does not fulfill the memory requirements.

· A warning will occur if the physical memory on the machine is below the for bestperformance memory requirement

· An error message will occur if the physical memory on the machine is below the minimummemory requirement

CautionIf the minimum required memory is not available, the optimization can not be started. In thatcase you can do the following:

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· Use a coarser simulation resolution.

· Increase the amount of physical memory in your machine.

· Reduce the size of the optimization area (focus zone) within your project.

NoteWhile the optimization settings are defined, the 9955 ACCO optimization environment iscreated in the background. During that process you will see the message:

"Optimization Environment is currently being created in the background. Waiting formemory requirements...".

You can either wait until the optimization environment is generated, or you can start theoptimization by clicking the Start Optimization button. In case of the latter, 9955 ACCO willshow you the following message box:

This means that 9955 ACCO has to wait until the creation of optimization environment iscompleted. However, you can launch the optimization in the meantime and it will automaticallystart when the optimization environment is completed.

III.6.2 Optimization Mode Details

Optimization Gain versus Time

The different optimization modes allow the user to control the compromise between optimizationspeed and optimization gain that can be achieved.

This compromise depends on the actual network behaviour, the optimization environment, theoptimization targets, the resolution of the prediction files and other influencing factors.

Iterative Optimization

The optimization algorithms in 9955 ACCO include a number of methods to analyze and optimizethe overall network behaviour. Based on the analysis the algorithms determine probabilities andhypotheses for expected performance improvements. These hypothesis are evaluated andconfirmed in an iterative process by network simulations.

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This iterative process uses a number of different methods to investigate the potential of theimprovement of the network. For each iteration stage the proprietary optimization algorithms areapplied. Based on the result of the individual iteration stage, a subsequent iteration stage isstarted. This iteration process can be terminated when the convergence criterion is fulfilled.Typically this convergence criterion is either a maximum number of iteration stages, or by aminimum level for the performance improvement per iteration stage. If the improvement periteration stage is lower than this minimum required improvement, the optimization converged andhence the iteration process terminates.

Convergence criteria

9955 ACCO incorporates the following convergence criteria for the different optimization modes:

· Fast—terminates after a maximum number of iteration runs.

· Advanced—terminates after satisfying performance based convergence criteria.

The best results are obtained when optimizing in Advanced mode with the finest possiblesimulation resolution. However, this mode will require the highest optimization time. Therefore, itis recommended to start with the Fast mode.

III.6.3 Optimization Warnings

In some cases it might happen that warnings are generated during an optimization, if this is thecase a yellow warning sign is displayed in the status bar and the text new warnings occuredflashes.

To view the warning details, double click on the icon or text message, hit F9 or choose Tools >Warnings in the main menu. The text message will then stop flashing until new warnings occur.

Warning Window

The warning window displays a hierarchical view of the different warnings.

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Tree view—The warnings are displayed in hierarchical order. Usually the details are notexpanded to provide a fast overview, click on the plus button to view all the warning items. If youselect an item, the date and time of the first occurance and the detail text are displayed.

Only new warnings—If this box is checked, only new warnings (that have occured since thewarning window was closed the last time) are displayed. Uncheck this option to view all warnings.

Date—displays the selected warning's first occurance time stamp.

Text—displays the selected warning's detail information. The text might be easier to read in thisformatted field than in the tree view.

III.7 Optimization Progress and Results

III.7.1 Optimization Progress

Use this tab to monitor the optimization progress.

Progress

Progress Bar—this bar displays the overall advance of the optimization process.

Stop—click this button to terminate the optimization at any time. If you click Stop after the9955ACCO has found an improved network state, you will be able to export the intermediate result.

View report—click this button to view the optimization report file. This button is only availableafter the optimization is complete. When an optimization was terminated by clicking Stop, theresult files can be generated, and a report file for the intermediate result can be viewed.

NoteTo view the optimization report, Microsoft Excel or a compatible viewer is required.

The optimization report file stores all relevant information regarding the optimization process aswell as the implementation plan.

NoteIf the optimization is terminated by the STOP button in the Progress tab, no implementationplan is generated. The implementation plan can only be computed if the optimization iscompleted successfully. Otherwise an intermediate state would be the result that does not

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satisfy the requirements of the implementation plan.

For further details see View optimization report.

Visualize Results—click this button to view the optimization results before and after theoptimization, as well as each individual step in the implementation plan in 9955 ACCO Inspector.This button is only available after the optimization is complete. When an optimization wasterminated by clicking Stop, the result files can be generated, and a report file for theintermediate result can be viewed.

For further details see 9955 ACCO Inspector.

Target function

Use this section to view information about the advance of each optimization target value. Thetarget function values are shown for the different optimization targets described in the Optimization Target tab. Only those target function values are displayed that have a weight higherthan zero, or - if the weight is zero - the compute target value during optimization check box isenabled in the Optimization Target tab.

Init (Raw)—this column displays the initial value of the selected optimization targets that fulfilledthe target requirement prior to optimization. The initial area satisfying the particular optimizationtarget is shown, independent of the weight assigned for this optimization target, i.e. raw.

Curr (Raw)—this column displays the current value of the selected optimization targets that fulfillthe target requirement during the optimization. The current value satisfying the particularoptimization target is shown, independent of the weight assigned for this optimization target, i.e.raw.

Max (Raw)—this column displays the maximum value of the selected optimization targets thatcould theoretically satisfy the target requirement within the optimization area.

Weight—this column displays how the individual optimization objectives are weighted andsummed up to the total target value.

NoteIf the optimization target uses clutter based optimization weights, this will be indicated by "*CLT"in the weights column. Traffic map weighting will be indicated by "*TRF". As an example:Overall weight = 5 and clutter weights are applied on top of that, the value in the Weight columnwill be "5*CLT".

Init (Weighted)—this column displays the initial value of the selected optimization targets thatfulfilled the target requirement prior to optimization, weighted by the individual clutter and areadependent optimization weights and normalized to the target function's weight.

Curr (Weighted)—this column displays the current value of the selected optimization targets thatfulfill the target requirement during the optimization, weighted by the individual clutter and areadependent optimization weights and normalized to the target function's weight. This current valuerepresents the resulting performance improvement achieved by the optimization process.Therefore, it is highlighted in bold numbers.

Max (Weighted)—this column displays the maximum value of the selected optimization targetsthat could theoretically satisfy the target requirement within the optimization area, weighted by theindividual clutter and area dependent optimization weights. Due to the normalization to the targetfunction's weight the value is identical to the weight.

NoteThe weighted values are normalized to the target function's weight to balance the influence ofdifferent target function types, clutter weighting and traffic map weighting. This means that forexample all target functions with weight 1 have the same weighted maximum of 1, regardless ifthere is a traffic map with an average of 0.001 Erl/km² or clutter weights of 1000.

NoteThe weighted values can be calculated as

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Init (Weighted) = Init (Raw) / Max(Raw) * Weight Curr (Weighted) = Curr (Raw) / Max(Raw) * Weight Max (Weighted) = Max (Raw) / Max(Raw) * Weight = Weight.

Increase Relative—this column displays the performance improvement relative to the value thatinitially fulfilled the requirement.

ExampleAssume a total optimization area of 100 km² and an initial area fulfilling the coverage requirementof 80 km². An increase of 10 km² then equals an improvement of 12.5% compared to the originalarea of 80 km². Therefore, 100km² equals "1", where 80km² equals "0.8", as the numbers are allnormalized for comparison reasons. If the optimization weight is "2", then 100km² equals "2".

NoteWith this method the maximum improvement that can be reached is limited by 25% (20km² ontop of 80km² initially), since the total optimization area is limited to 100 km².

Increase Absolute—this column displays the performance improvement of the potentialimprovement in normalized numbers, as well as percentages of the maximum achievable value.

NoteIf the optimization target uses clutter based optimization weights, there is no longer a single"maximum" value fulfilling the requirement. There are now as many "maximum" values as thereare clutter classes. To display all of these values would be confusing and therefore, NO maximum value is displayed. With no maximum value available, the absolute increase (aspercentage of what could be achieved) is not possible.

Total Target Value—the bottom line of the target function section displays the TOTAL TARGETVALUE improvement due to the optimization process. The total target value is the weighted sumof the individual optimization targets.

NoteThe values shown in the progress tab in 9955 ACCO can slightly differ from the results shownin the report in 9955. The relative deviation of the results is typically much less than a percent.Reasons for this deviation are different calculations of the optimization areas, i.e. which pixel atthe border is considered to be in or outside the optimization area, and different simulationresolutions. In case that a much rougher resolution is used in 9955 ACCO than in 9955, thesize of the border pixels supports the uncertainty of the "which pixel is in or out" calculation.

Performance Chart—this chart displays the advance in the total target value over time. The timeframe for the display of the progress is set in the General tab of the Option dialog box.

The color of the graph indicates different phases of the optimization process, network analysisand parameter optimization, cost/time optimized analysis and modifications and calculation of theimplementation plan.

Optimization Log—this window displays information and warning messages generated by theoptimization engine.

III.7.2 View Report

By clicking the View report button in the Progress tab, you can view the optimization report file.This button is only available after the optimization is completed. When an optimization wasterminated by clicking Stop, the result files can be generated, and a report file for theintermediate result can be viewed.

NoteTo view the optimization report, Microsoft Excel or a compatible viewer is required.

The optimization report file stores all relevant information regarding the optimization process,which includes the following spreadsheets:

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· Optimization settings

· Sector information

· Network settings

· Optimization ranges

· Results overview

· Optimized Network

· Implementation plan

· Improvement diagrams

· Warnings

Optimization Settings

The optimization settings spreadsheet includes all relevant optimization settings such as, but notlimited to:

· Input parameters like optimization environment or traffic maps

· Result parameters like output files

· Optimization settings like targets and constraints

Sector information

Sector specific parameters are shown. Note that some of the fields might not be populateddepending on the technology or

· Sector name, technology, network layer

· Used DL cell load

· GSM neighbor list input parameter

· Captured traffic limit, captured traffic before and after the optimization in units of the usedtraffic map x km2

· Resource usage in % of the total available resource units

· Inter-system handover initial and optimizedThis is an ordered list of cells indicating the most frequent inter-system handovers and thefraction of handovers to that specific cell in %.

Network settings

This page shows all input parameters of the tab sheet Network settings in the GUI.

Optimization Ranges

The optimization ranges spreadsheet includes all parameter settings for the optimization:

· Parameters allowed for modifications

· Parameter ranges

· Initial settings

· Costs and time required for the implementation of the modifications

Results overview

The results overview provides information about

· Number and type of parameter modifications

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· The required costs and time

· Analysis and improvements of the used target functions

· Additional information about the computer and the run-time

Optimized Network

The optimized network spreadsheet includes the values for the optimization parameters for eachsector by means of:

· Original value

· Optimized value

· Difference between original and optimized value

Implementation Plan

The implementation plan is only available if its calculation was enabled in the optimization options.

The implementation plan provides an ordered list of parameter modifications. It can be orderedso that the parameter modifications will be implemented to ensure that the most significantchanges can be done first. It also makes sure that the overall network performance improvesfrom step to step during the implementation of the individual changes.

The implementation plan displays the different steps that have to be made. For each step the siteand the sectors are shown where parameter modifications should be implemented. Of course,the associated parameter modifications are shown as well.

Furthermore, the overall optimization target is listed, as well as the costs and time required to dothe implementation for the ordered list of parameter changes.

In addition to the parameter changes, the performance of the individual optimization targets (i.e.coverage, quality, etc.) is shown as well.

With this the user can get a very good picture of what should be implemented first and how itinfluences the overall network performance.

Since the implementation plan is provided in Microsoft Excel, you can use all available Excelfeatures to manipulate and display the data. For example you can easily AUTO-FILTER the firstcolumn of the implementation plan to get a good overview in case of very large networks. Theimplementation plan therefore provides a number of categories so that you can easily use thisfunctionality.

You can also create charts, graphs and statistics very easily. An interesting graph of course is todisplay the overall target function versus the costs. Depending on the network implementationyou can analyze for example if it is worth while to invest more money for optimization or if youcould gain 85% of the improvement with only 50% of the budget you are prepared to spend.

The most important improvement diagrams are generated automatically in the ImprovementDiagrams worksheet (see below).

NoteIf the optimization is terminated by the STOP button in the Progress tab, no implementationplan is generated. The implementation plan can only be computed if the optimization iscompleted successfully. Otherwise an intermediate state would be the result that does notsatisfy the requirements of the implementation plan.

Improvement Diagrams

The improvement diagrams are only available if the implementation plan was enabled in the optimization options.

The improvement diagrams provide a series of analysis diagrams for the individual optimizationtargets selected in the optimization targets tab.

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In the improvement diagrams worksheet, the improvement diagrams for each selectedoptimization target is shown versus

· the number of implementation steps

· the implementation costs

· the implementation time

This allows you to directly analyze the efficiency of the network optimization for your selectedradio network. Furthermore, the improvement diagrams allow you to compare the performance ofthe individual optimization targets head-to-head.

The mouse-over functionality provides you with additional information about the implementationsteps, costs and required time to implement the network modifications.

9955 ACCO also allows you to re-import and verify any implementation step shown in theimplementation plan and the improvement diagrams into 9955. The selection for the re-import ofthe individual implementation steps has to be done when loading optimization results back into9955.

Warnings

Warnings that occured while 9955 ACCO processed are displayed. Note that the number ofdetails is limited to 50 per warning category. The remaining messages can be found in a filewhich is named same as the report followed by "_warning.xml".

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IV Options Settings

IV.1 Options - General

Use the Options dialog to view and modify 9955 ACCO options.

General

Use this tab to view and modify general options.

General Options

Use this section to view and modify optimization process settings.

Time Span Visible in Progress Chart—type in this box the number of minutes the optimizationprogress can be monitored in the progress bar on the Progress tab.

Unit Name For Cost Data—type in this box the currency unit to use for cost data typed in theOptimization Ranges tab. As default value the currency defined in the Regional and LanguageOptions in the Windows Control Panel is used.

Pathloss limitation threshold—here the threshold for the pathloss limitation function is defined.Cf. Optimization Run.

Temporary data options

Use this section to view and modify settings for the temporary availability of data required duringthe optimization process.

Temporary Optimization Data Folder—this box displays the name of the folder used to storetemporary data.

Browse (...)—click this button to locate and choose the folder used to store temporary data.

Hard Disk Space Limitation For Temporary Data—enabled this check box to limit themaximum available disk space for temporary data. Type the disk space limit in MB in the box tothe right. If the required disk space for temporary data exceeds the defined limit during theoptimization process, 9955 ACCO automatically increases the limit to successfully complete theoptimization process.

Do Not Delete Temporary Folders After Optimization—enabled this check box to keep thetemporary data after the optimization process finishes.

CautionOnly enable this check box when instructed by support.

Temporary Folders Kept From Previous Optimizations—this window lists the temporary datafolders that were kept from previous optimization runs. When an optimization process fails,optimization folders are kept for support inquiries.

Delete Now—click this button to delete the temporary folders chosen in the Temporary FoldersKept From Previous Optimizations window.

IV.2 Options - Network Defaults

Use the Options dialog to view and modify 9955 ACCO options.

Network Defaults

Use this tab to view and modify the network defaults settings. For more information on the

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network settings refer to Networks and parameters.

Parameters and Properties

Inter-system interference factor—default value for the attenuation factor of inter-systeminterference.

Use clutter indoor loss—default value for the check box to use clutter indoor losses.

Traffic map settings

Scaling factor—default value for the global scaling factor each pixel of the traffic map will bemultiplied with.

Include captured traffic numbers in report—default value for the checkbox to do a capturedtraffic analysis and include the numbers in the report.

3G cell load

Use imported or custom cell loads—default value for the selection between imported cell loadsor custom cell loads.

Custom cell load—default value for the cell loading in %. Will be applied if the above selection ison custom cell load.

LTE parameters

Common channel overhead—default value for the common channel overhead in % for LTEdensity based capacity targets.

IV.3 Options - Activation Defaults

Use the Options dialog to view and modify 9955 ACCO options.

Activation Defaults

Use this tab to view and manipulate the activation options.

Cell activation defaults

Use this section to define the cell activation default for the INACTIVE transmitters.

The site (cell) activation feature allows you to optimize

· Network roll-out—based on a number of potential site (cell) locations, 9955 ACCOautomatically selects and configures the sites (cell) required to fulfill the optimization targetsin the best way for the network roll-out. The potential candidates are defined by inactive sites(cell) in the 9955 project.

· Network extension—based on a predefined set of potential site (cell) locations, 9955 ACCOautomatically selects and configures the sites (cell) required to fulfill the optimization targetsin the best way for the network extension. The potential candidates are defined by inactivesites (cell) in the 9955 project.

Allow activation of inactive cells—use this check box to allow the activation of INACTIVEtransmitters (cells) by default.

Site is not available before—use this check box to define the default availability of all sites inthe network. Use the drop down calendar to define the date for the default site availability.

Use current date—click this button to use the current date as default availability for all sites

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Activation resource requirement defaults

Use this section to define sector specific costs associated to the activation of an inactive site orcell. Default values for the costs and time parameters are defined in the Range Defaults tab ofthe Options dialog box. Default values are applied to parameters when the Load network databutton is clicked on the Project Specification tab. The currency for the cost data is defined in theGeneral tab of the Options dialog box. As default value the currency defined in the Regional andLanguage Options in the Windows Control Panel is used.

Costs—type in these boxes the expected expense of site and/or cell activation

Time—type in these boxes the associated amount of time required to implement site or cellactivation.

NoteThe costs and time requirements are split into two categories.Site Costs and Time consider the costs and time required to prepare the site for the activationof a new transmitter. They do not include the costs (and time) to install a new sector.Cell Costs and Time consider the costs and time to install (activate) a new cell on a specificsite.

ExampleIf the physical mast already exists, e.g. because it is used for an existing GSM network, the SiteCosts (and Time) are the costs and time required to upgrade the existing site to install (activate)a new cell/sector.

The Cell Costs (and Time) consider the costs for the deployment of a new sector (cell), i.e. itincludes costs like the RF equipment, installation, etc.

The TOTAL costs assigned to the activation (deployment) of a new site with 3 sectors arehence: 1 x Site Costs + Costs Cell 1 + Costs Cell 2 + Costs Cell 3.

If the site already exists, e.g. one or more cells are already active at this site, only the Cell Costswill be considered; no additional costs for the site activation apply.

Resources for modification required in addition to resources for activation—enable thischeck box if the site (cell) activation and the parameter modification costs (implementation time)are adding up to the total costs/time.

IV.4 Options - Range Defaults

Use the Options dialog to view and modify 9955 ACCO options.

Range Defaults

Use this tab to view and modify default values for the optimization ranges of followingparameters:

· Antenna tilt

· Pilot power

· Antenna azimuth

· Antenna pattern

· Electrical tilt (electrical tilt variants of the current pattern)

· Antenna type (by using a pattern list)

· Electrical tilt limits

· Limiting the electrical tilts of the individual antenna types

· TMA and advanced technology activation (see also Advanced Technology Activation)

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· Site access costs

All default settings in this tab are global and apply to all sectors for the group of sites chose tooptimize, listed in the Project Specification tab of the 9955 ACCO dialog box.

Range defaults apply when no other individual settings are applied, for example, from apreviously saved optimization project. Range defaults are adapted by clicking Load network dataon the Project Specification tab of the 9955 ACCO dialog box to load site data.

Modification range defaults

Use this section to view and manipulate the default parameter settings for the optimizationprocess. Optimization ranges are configured separately depending on whether associatedpredictions are used in unmasked or masked form (masked predictions are used for ray tracingmodels).

Optimize—enable the check box beside an optimization parameter to enable optimization of theparameter. Clear a check box to disable optimization of an individual parameter.

Absolute/Relative—choose from these lists the type of values specified for the OptimizationRange of an individual optimization parameter. The available types are as follows:

· Relative—values relative to the current setting

· Absolute—absolute value range

NoteFor absolute values the antenna azimuth 0° means north. With this, negative values can alsobe used, since the optimization requires a range of possible angles. An absolute range ofminimum=-60° to maximum=60° is the range from 60° west to 60° east of the north. Themaximum range for absolute azimuth settings is [-360°...360°]. All other values can beexpressed within this range.

Min—type in this box the minimum value for the optimization range of an individual optimizationparameter.

Max—type in this box the maximum value for the optimization range of an individual optimizationparameter.

Rotate entire site—enable this checkbox to rotate the entire site when it comes to azimuthmodifications. The tightest limitation of all sector setting on that site will be used for the limitationof the site rotation.

Antenna Patterns—use these check boxes to allow antenna pattern changes by means of

· Change of the antenna pattern as electrical tilt variants of the current antenna

· Change of the antenna pattern by changing the antenna type

Type in this box a list of the antenna patterns that 9955 ACCO can exchange duringoptimization. All antenna patterns in the project can be used. Each line represents a singleantenna pattern.

Modification resource requirement defaults

Use this section to view and manipulate the default settings for the resource requirements.

Cost—type in these boxes the expected expense of implementing a parameter modification.Currency for the cost is defined in the General tab.

Time—type in these boxes the associated amount of time required to implement a parametermodification.

Site Access Required—enable this check box for a parameter when it is necessary to visit thesite to implement the associated parameter modification. Changing the azimuth of an antennamay require a person to visit the site. Other parameters, such as power modifications, can bedone remotely from the operation and maintenance center.

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Site access - cost—type in this box the expected expense for site access to implement aparameter modification. Currency for the cost is defined in the Options General tab.

Site access - time—type in this box the associated amount of time required for site access toimplement a parameter modification. The unit name for time data is defined in the OptionsGeneral tab.

IV.5 Options - Target Defaults

Use the Options dialog to view and modify 9955 ACCO options.

Target Defaults

Use this tab to view and modify target default values. Target Defaults are adapted by new 9955ACCO projects.

NoteThe target default values for the clutter based optimization targets are adapted with thereloading of site data in the Project Specification tab of the 9955 ACCO dialog box. To define,save and load clutter based target values, save the optimization project and load the accordingsettings for the clutter based optimization targets, clicking Import From Previous Optimization inthe Optimization Target tab of the 9955 ACCO dialog box. Importing a previous optimizationupdates the previous settings for the individual tab.

3G Optimization Target Defaults

RX pilot [Coverage]—type in this a value in dBm to define the default target value for theoptimization within the optimization region. The coverage requirement specifies the defaultoptimization objective for the best pilot field strength. The optimization objective should beexceeded after the optimization.

ExampleA coverage requirement of -90dBm means that all grid cells (pixels) in the optimization areashould exceed a best pilot field strength of -90dBm after the optimization.

1st - 2nd RX Pilot—type in this a value in dB to define the default target value for theoptimization within the optimization region. This requirement specifies the default optimizationobjective for the difference between the first and the second best pilot field strength. Theoptimization objective should be exceeded after the optimization.

ExampleA 1st-2nd RX pilot requirement of 4dB means that all grid cells (pixels) in the optimization areashould have a difference between first and second best pilot field strength of more than 4dB afterthe optimization.

1st - Nth RX Pilot—type in this a value in dB to define the default target value for theoptimization within the optimization region. This requirement specifies the default optimizationobjective for the difference between the first and the Nth best pilot field strength. The optimizationobjective should be exceeded after the optimization. N can be set between 3 and 5.

ExampleN can be set to 5. A 1st-5th RX pilot requirement of 6dB means that all grid cells (pixels) in theoptimization area should have a difference between first and 5th best pilot field strength of morethan 6dB after the optimization.

Ec/Io—type in this a value in dB to define the default target value for the optimization within theoptimization region. This requirement specifies the default optimization objective for the Ec/Iorequirement. The optimization objective should be exceeded after the optimization.

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ExampleA Ec/Io requirement of -15dB means that all grid cells (pixels) in the optimization area shouldexceed an Ec/Io value of -15dB after the optimization.

Uplink Eb/Nt—type in this a value in dB to define the default target value for the optimizationwithin the optimization region. This requirement specifies the default optimization objective for theUplink Eb/Nt requirement. The optimization objective should be exceeded after the optimization.

ExampleAn Uplink Eb/Nt requirement of 5dB means that all grid cells (pixels) in the optimization areashould exceed an Uplink Eb/Nt value of 5dB after the optimization.

Downlink Eb/Nt—type in this a value in dB to define the default target value for the optimizationwithin the optimization region. This requirement specifies the default optimization objective for theDownlink Eb/Nt requirement. The optimization objective should be exceeded after theoptimization.

ExampleA Downlink Eb/Nt requirement of 5dB means that all grid cells (pixels) in the optimization areashould exceed a Downlink Eb/Nt value of 5dB after the optimization.

Served mobiles—no additional requirement can be set for the served mobile optimization target.The criterion is the number of mobiles served.

Throughput—no additional requirement can be set for the throughput optimization target. Thecriterion is the system throughput in kbit/s.

2G Optimization Target Defaults

RX BCCH [Coverage]—type in this a value in dBm to define the default target value for theoptimization within the optimization region. The coverage requirement specifies the defaultoptimization objective for the best BCCH field strength. The optimization objective should beexceeded after the optimization.

ExampleA coverage requirement of -90dBm means that all grid cells (pixels) in the optimization areashould exceed a best BCCH field strength of -90dBm after the optimization.

C/I—type in this a value in dB to define the default target value for the optimization within theoptimization region. This requirement specifies the default optimization objective for the carrier tointerference ratio (C/I) for all potential co-channel interferers. The optimization objective shouldbe exceeded after the optimization.

ExampleA C/I requirement of 5dB means that all grid cells (pixels) in the optimization area should have aC/I of more than 5dB after the optimization.

Apply RX pilot requirement

Enable this checkbox if you want to optimize the area where the requirements for the individualoptimization targets AND the RX pilot requirements are fulfilled.

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From a practical point of view the enabled RX pilot requirement fulfilled functionality means thatyou optimize the area where your optimization target is fulfilled AND the minimum RX pilotrequirement is given as well. For this you do not even have to optimize for RX pilot.

Weight

Use this section to apply and weight the individual optimization objectives to the optimizationregion.

For each individual optimization target weights can be applied. These weights represent theimportance of the optimization target as overall objective for the optimization process. Theweights are applied to each single grid cell that can be gained. A weight of 0 means that theperformance measure is not considered in the total optimization target.

The total optimization target results as the superposition (weighted addition) of the individualtargets.

Total optimization target =

= "Area fulfilling coverage requirement [km2]" x "weight for coverage"

+ "Area fulfilling difference between 1st-2nd best pilot [km2]" x "weight for 1st-2nd best pilot"

+ "Area fulfilling difference between 1st-Nth best pilot [km2]" x "weight for 1st-Nth best pilot"

+ "Area fulfilling Ec/Io requirement [km2]" x "weight for Ec/Io requirement"

+ "Number of served users" x "weight for number of served users"

+ "Throughput [kbit/s]" x "weight for throughput"

The overall objective of the optimization is to maximize the total optimization target.

Example 1Area fulfilling coverage requirement: weight=1

Area fulfilling 1st-2nd best pilot requirement: weight=0

Area fulfilling 1st-Nth best pilot requirement: weight=0

Area fulfilling Ec/Io requirement: weight=0

Number of served users: weight=0

Throughput: weight=0

Result: only the coverage target is considered in the optimization

Example 2Area fulfilling coverage requirement: weight=0

Area fulfilling 1st-2nd best pilot requirement: weight=1

Area fulfilling 1st-Nth best pilot requirement: weight=0

Area fulfilling Ec/Io requirement: weight=0

Number of served users: weight=0

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Throughput: weight=0

Result: only the difference between 1st-2nd best pilot target is considered in the optimization

Example 3Area fulfilling coverage requirement: weight=0

Area fulfilling 1st-2nd best pilot requirement: weight=0

Area fulfilling 1st-Nth best pilot requirement: weight=0

Area fulfilling Ec/Io requirement: weight=1

Number of served users: weight=0

Throughput: weight=0

Result: only the received Ec/Io target is considered in the optimization

Example 4Area fulfilling coverage requirement: weight=1

Area fulfilling 1st-2nd best pilot requirement: weight=0

Area fulfilling 1st-Nth best pilot requirement: weight=0

Area fulfilling Ec/Io requirement: weight=0

Number of served users: weight=10

Throughput: weight=0

Result: Both the coverage as well as the number of served users are considered. Due to differentweighting the algorithm will focus on the number of served users, where 10 additional servedusers are of the same value as 1km2 in area that satisfies the coverage requirement.

The high flexibility of the weighting mechanism allows the user to optimize for a wide range ofoptimization objectives.

Apply Clutter Weight Factor

Use this section to apply clutter weighing factors to the optimization targets by default. For moredetails also see Clutter dependent optimization weights.

Compute Value During Optimization

Enable this check box if you want to view the results of this target during the optimization, eventhough the weight is set to zero. A zero weight means that the according optimization target is notconsidered in the overall optimization target and the results will not be displayed. By enabling thischeckbox the target function values will be displayed.

IV.6 Options - Other Defaults

Use the Options dialog to view and modify 9955 ACCO options.

Other Defaults

Use this tab to view 9955 ACCO maintenance information.

Optimization strategy defaults

Use this section to define the default strategy for the automated optimization.You can either maximize the performance for given resources including available budget, timeand infrastructure, or you can optimize to achieve a required optimization target for minimumcosts.

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Maximize optimization target—select this option to maximize the optimization target as definedin the optimization target tab. This assumes that the resources in terms of the number of basestations/sectors are given.

Achieve optimization target while minimizing...—select this option to achieve a certainpercentage of the optimization target. For example, if only the coverage requirement (RX pilot) isset in the optimization target, the aim is to satisfy that coverage requirement for, e.g. 95% of thearea. The result will then be the required infrastructure in order to achieve this. On top of that, theultimate goal of the optimization is to achieve the optimization target, or a percentage of it, byminimizing the resources required to achieve that. This includes:

· minimizing the number of SITES to modify—select this option to achieve the definedoptimization target while minimizing the number of sites that need to be modified.

· minimizing the implementation COSTS—select this option to achieve the definedoptimization target while minimizing the costs for implementing the modifications to thenetwork. This includes both the activation costs for new base stations and cells (sectors), aswell as the costs for parameter modifications of the existing infrastructure (if any available).

· minimizing the implementation TIME—select this option to achieve the definedoptimization target while minimizing the time required to implement the modifications in thenetwork. This includes the time required for site preparation and infrastructure installation fornew base stations and cells (sectors), as well as the additional time for parametermodifications of the existing infrastructure (if any available).

Examples1. Network roll-out at MINIMUM COST

The area where a service coverage should be provided is given (optimization area).95% of the area should receive a minimum pilot coverage level of, e.g. -85dBm. Anumber of potential sites (existing 2G base stations) can be used as potential 3Gbase stations. The costs for the installation of a 3 sector base station is known. Thequestion is: What is the minimum cost for the roll-out that satisfies the 95% coverageprobability at -85dBm.Solution: Use the inactive sites for your potential network deployment. Define thecoverage target of -85dBm in the optimization target tab. Select the Try to achieve95% of maximum optimization target value while minimizing COSTS option. 9955ACCO will automatically provide the list of sites that should be activated. It will alsoprovide the best parameter configuration for all sectors.

2. Network extension for MINIMUM COSTAdditional areas need to be covered; higher network capacity is required; betterindoor-coverage needs to be provided. For this, a number of base stations alreadyexist. The question is how should the network be extended or modified in order toreach the new performance requirement at minimum cost.Solution: Within the mix of already active and inactive sectors, define the optimizationtargets. Select the Try to achieve [ ]% of maximum optimization target value whileminimizing COSTS option. 9955 ACCO will then automatically provide the list of sitesthat should be activated. It will also provide the best parameter configuration for allsectors, both the newly activated as well as the existing ones. The objective howeveris to provide the solution at minimum costs.

3. MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE for given resourcesThe resources (budget, base station equipment, transmitters, ect.) are given. Theobjective is to squeeze the network in order to get the maximum performance inreturn of the existing investment.Solution: Select the optimization target in the optimization target tab. Select theMaximize optimization target option in order to get the best performance of thenetwork.

Implementation plan defaults

Use this section to enable the calculation of an implementation plan for the suggested parametermodifications in the optimization process by default. The implementation plan will provide an

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ordered list of parameter modifications. It can be ordered so that the implementation will ensurethat the most significant changes can be done first. It also makes sure that the overall networkperformance will improve during the implementation of the individual changes.

Generate implementation plan—enable the check box to provide the implementation plan afterthe optimization. The implementation plan will be delivered as part of the optimization report file(see also View Report).

Suggested implementation sequence

highest TOTAL gain first—select this option to generate the implementation plan in such a waythat the parameter modification with the highest gain will be implemented first. The parametermodification with the lowest impact on the total optimization target will be implemented last.

highest gain PER COST first—select this option to generate the implementation plan in such away that the parameter modification with the highest gain - compared to the associated costs it isgenerating - will be implemented first. The parameter modification with the lowest gain versuscosts will be implemented last.

highest gain PER TIME first—select this option to generate the implementation plan in such away that the parameter modification with the highest gain - compared to the time that is requiredto implement it - will be implemented first. The parameter modification with the lowest gain versusrequired time will be implemented last.

Implementation dates

Use this section to enable the calculation of an implementation plan with an absolute date bydefault

Include Dates in Implementation Plan—enable this check box to consider absolute dates in forthe generation of the implementation plan by default. For a more detailed description please see Implementation Plan Details.

Implementation starting date—use this drop down calendar to select the date when theimplementation plan should start by default.

Available manpower—define the amount of manpower available per week. This value is givenin man-days/week and represents an AVERAGE number for the working power available perweek.

Examples· 1 "average" person, 250 working days a year (49 weeks á 5 days - 3 weeks holidays)

gives an average number of about 4.7man-days/week.

· 3 "average" people give about 3-times the manpower of a single person, i.e. 14.1 man-days/week

· External consulting work can be ordered up to a certain workload of X man-days/week

NoteThe following points should be considered when defining the average manpower available:

· Average working days per person vary between different countries and companies,especially if they are project related

· External support teams have a different behaviour in terms of available manpower. It mightjust be expressed in cash costs, rather than time consumption.

· The amount of holidays vary from country to country

· Public holidays should be considered in the definition of the average available manpower

For a more detailed description please see Implementation Plan Details.

Parameter constraint defaults

Use this section to view and manipulate default parameter constraints for the optimizationprocess.

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Precision - Mechanical tilt—use this field to define the default value for the minimum granularityof a mechanical tilt change allowed during the optimization process.

Precision - Pilot/BCCH—use this field to define the default value for the minimum granularity ofa power change allowed during the optimization process.

Precision - Azimuth—use this field to define the default value for the minimum granularity of anantenna azimuth change allowed during the optimization process.

NoteIf "0" is entered in the fields for the individual optimization precisions, no constraints to theparameter values apply.

Minimum angle between neighbouring cell azimuths—In case that Azimuth optimization isenabled, a minimum angle separation between two sectors (cells) at the same site can berequired. This is sometimes necessary due to construction-conditioned antenna deployment.

Activation mode defaults

Use this section to select the default activation mode for your optimization.

SITE activation mode—select this option to activate the INACTIVE transmitters on a site by sitebasis. This means that all cells per site will be activated jointly.

CELL activation mode—select this option to activate the INACTIVE transmitters on a cell by cellbasis. This means that cells can be activated individually.

Resource constraint defaults

Use this section to define the default cost and time budgets that limit the number of modificationsin the optimization process. The optimization will consider both costs and time required toimplement the individual parameter modifications. The individual costs and time parameters canbe set for each sector in the cost and time parameters section of the Optimization ranges tab.Default values for the cost and time parameters are defined in the Range Defaults tab of theOptions dialog box.

limit total COSTS—enable the check box to limit the optimization by the costs for theimplementation of the individual modifications. The individual costs for each modification aredefined in the parameter settings in the Optimization Ranges tab.

COSTS limit—use this field to enter the maximum budget assigned to the optimization of thecurrent optimization project. The currency for the cost data is defined in the General tab of theOptions dialog box. As default value the currency defined in the Regional and Language Optionsin the Windows Control Panel is used.

limit total TIME—enable the check box to limit the optimization by the time required for theimplementation of the individual modifications. The individual time requirements for eachmodification are defined in the parameter settings in the Optimization Ranges tab.

TIME limit—use this field to enter the maximum time budget assigned to the optimization of thecurrent optimization project. The unit name for time data is defined as man-days.

Activation constraint defaults

Use this section to define the default number of sites (cells) that limit the activation processduring the optimization. The optimization will consider both site and cell limits.

limit number of SITES to activate—enable the check box to limit the number of sites availablefor activation during the optimization process.

SITES limit—use this field to enter the maximum number of sites that can be activated duringthe optimization.

limit number of CELLS to activate—enable the check box to limit the number of cells availablefor activation during the optimization process.

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CELLS limit—use this field to enter the maximum number of cells that can be activated duringthe optimization.

Examples for the activation constraints are:

· Constrained to 10 sites: The optimization is limited by the joint activation of the cells on amaximum of 10 sites in total. The order of the per-site activations is shown in theimplementation plan.

· Constrained to 15 cells: The optimization is limited by the individual activation of 15 cells.This can be on a maximum of 15 sites (one cell per site each). The order of the per-cellactivations is shown in the implementation plan.

IV.7 Options - Maintenance

Use the Options dialog to view and modify 9955 ACCO options.

Maintenance

Use this tab to view 9955 ACCO maintenance information.

License Information

Use this section to view and manipulate default parameter constraints for the optimizationprocess.

Licensed to—This box displays the name to which the used license is issued.

License Valid Until—This box displays the date and time when the current license expires.

9955 ACCO Licenses-Total—This box displays the number of available licenses for 9955ACCO. For a local license key this box displays 0. For a network license this box displays thetotal number of available licenses. If both a local and network licenses are available, the box willshow the number of network licenses.

9955 ACCO Licenses-In Use—This box displays the number of 9955 ACCO licenses currentlyin use. For a local license key this box displays 0. For a network license this box displays the totalnumber of used network licenses. If both a local and network licenses are available, the box willshow the number of used network licenses regardless which license is currently used for 9955ACCO.

Simulation Engine Licenses-Total—This box displays the number of available licenses for thesimulation engine. For a local license key this box displays 0. For a network license this boxdisplays the total number of available licenses. If both a local and network licenses are available,the box will show the number of network licenses.

Simulation Engine Licenses-In Use—This box displays the number of simulation enginelicenses currently in use. For a local license key this box displays 0. For a network license thisbox displays the total number of used network licenses. If both a local and network licenses areavailable, the box will show the number of used network licenses regardless which license iscurrently used for the simulation engine.

Refresh—Click this button to update the Licenses Currently in Use boxes.

Licensed modules—This box displays the available modules under the available license.

Logging Information

Use this section to view the logging information.

Application Log File—this box displays the location of the 9955 ACCO log file. You can use this

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log file for maintenance purposes.

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5Multi System

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V Multi System

V.1 Multi System Overview

This section gives an overview over the multi system planning and optimization functions andbenefits 9955 ACCO. This includes:

· Multi technology support

· Multi system planning and optimization using 9955

· Shared multi band antennas

Multi technology support

The multi system optimization technology in 9955 ACCO enables the joint consideration ofmultiple radio network technologies for advanced radio network planning and optimization. Thekey advantage of this technology hence is the ability to jointly design and improve different butinterdependent radio networks in 9955. Interdependencies typically apply in networks with

· shared antennas between multiple radio technologies and frequency bands,

· services that are offered independently of the radio access network,

· inter-system handover between multiple technologies,

· traffic sharing (like UMTS900/GSM900).

The multi system technology in 9955 ACCO allows the combination of two or more radionetworks in different frequency bands, on different carriers, or with different radio accesstechnologies. Examples include, but are not limited to:

· GSM, Band 1 + GSM, Band 2 linked with dual band antennas;

· GSM, Band 1 + WCDMA, Band 3, Carrier 1 with shared or dual band antennas;

· GSM, Band 1 + GSM, Band 2 + WCDMA, Band 3, Carrier 0 + WCDMA, Band 3, Carrier 1with shared multi band antennas

· etc.

This allows improved plans for multiple technologies, in multiple frequency bands, on multiplecarriers.

The joint optimization algorithms in 9955 ACCO are not limited by the number of frequencybands, carriers or technologies. Multiple frequency bands, carriers and technologies can becombined in a single task. Typical applications include:

· Improvement of two network plans at different frequency bands or carriers;

· Merging two networks that must be combined as a result of takeovers or mergers;

· Joint 2G and 3G radio network design, planning and optimization;

· Optimized planning of cell overlays and inter-system handover areas;

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· Traffic sharing, i.e. a network layer captures traffic remaining from a previous network layer;

· etc.

Multi system planning and optimization using 9955

9955 stores 2G and 3G radio network configurations in different projects, e.g. 2G.ATL and 3G.ATL. For example, a 2G network using the 900MHz pattern of a multi band shared antenna (typeA) is stored in GSM.ATL. The 3G network using the 2000MHz patterns of the same multi bandshared antenna (also type A) is stored in UMTS.ATL.

In order to allow the joint optimization of the 2G and the 3G project with the shared multi bandantenna, the following steps have to be considered:

1. Generate both a 2G and 3G 9955 ACCO optimization environment (2G.coe and 3G.coe)within 9955 (see also Create optimization environment).

2. Load both the 2G and 3G optimization environment into 9955 ACCO. 9955 ACCO willautomatically synchronize the different network parameters of the shared antennas.

3. Define both the 2G and 3G performance targets, as well as the combined 2G and 3Goptimization targets, such as inter-system handover critieria.

4. Run the multi network planning and optimization in 9955 ACCO. After completion, 9955ACCO will automatically generate a multi system network configuration result file (.con),and a multi system optimization report file (.xls). These files include the results and theperformance log information of both the 2G and the 3G network.

5. Load the optimization results automatically back into the individual 2G and 3G projects. Thisis done in the same way as for the single network case (see also Load optimization results).

6. Verify both the 2G and the 3G network improvements, as well as the joint multi systemimprovements individually in 9955.

This process and workflow of the multi network planning and optimization in 9955 ACCO and9955 is schematically shown in the figure below.

Shared multi band antennas

Multi band antennas are widely used for the deployment of 2G and 3G networks.

In case that multi band antennas are shared between 2G and 3G systems, they limit the ability toimprove the network performance of 3G networks, while the 2G performance has to be at leastmaintained. For example, the 3G coverage can not be improved by simply just changing theantenna azimuth, as it would at the same time influence the 2G network performance.

In order to ensure that the 3G network is improved by modifying RAN parameters, the 2Gnetwork performance has to be considered at the same time. This is possible with the multi

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system functionality of 9955 ACCO. The shared multi band antennas are considered directly forthe different frequency bands, carriers and technologies, as different frequency bands areallocated to the individual antenna pattern.

This can be done in the Electrical Tilt Grouping Editor of 9955 ACCO.

V.2 Parameter Synchronization

This section describes how the multi system parameter synchronization of different radionetworks, technologies and frequency bands can be handled in 9955 ACCO.

Synchronization of optimization parameters between different technologies

Optimization parameters can be connected between different radio network technologies,different frequency bands or different carriers. For example, a triple band shared antenna withoperating frequencies in the GSM900, GSM1800 and UMTS band can have different remoteelectrical tilts for each band, while the mechanical tilt of the antenna of course remains the same. This is obvious as the antenna is incorporated into a single physical aperture.

An example for different synchronizations between GSM900, GSM1800 and multi carrier UMTSis shown in the figure below:

The example shows that the azimuth between the different technologies, frequency bands andcarriers is usually the same. The same applies to the mechanical tilt, as long as the antenna is asingle physical entity. The remote electrical tilt however might be completely different, andvariable in each band, frequency, technology. The same applies to the pilot power values.

Use of synchronizations in the optimization

The aim of the synchronization of the different parameters is to ensure that the right connectionsare set between the individual values. For example, the remote electrical tilt can be changedindividually for the 900MHz band and the 1800MHz band, while the mechanical tilt is the same.

Furthermore, in case that shared multi band antennas with remote electrical tilts are used,different antenna pattern apply to the different frequency bands and technologies. This needs tobe taken into account in the joint optimization of multiple systems.

Generating synchronization files

9955 ACCO allows two different modes for the synchronization of multiband antennas and multitechnology systems.

Automatic generation of synchronization files

In order to automatically create synchronizations between different 9955 projects, please enable

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the Automatically create multiband parameter synchronizations for aligned antennascheckbox in the project specification.

9955 ACCO then automatically creates synchronizations of the individual multi-band and multitechnology sectors if the antennas are co-located and both the mechanical tilt and the azimuthsare the same (with minor tolerances to consider rounding errors).

In order to save these parameter synchronization settings, in the 9955 ACCO tool bar select: File-> create parameter synchronization template. With this the actual settings are stored in a .ParamSynch file for further manual modifications, or reuse in other projects.

How to manually generate a synchronization file

In order to enable synchronization between the different multi bands, frequencies and technologytransmitters, a synchronization file needs to be generated. To do that, please follow the stepsbelow:

1. In the 9955 ACCO toolbar select FILE --> Create parameter synchronization template. 9955ACCO will then create a ".ParamSynch Template" file that includes a list of the transmittersin the actual project. The paramsynch template also includes the instructions of how to editthe file in order to generate the synchronization between the different parameters.

2. Open the .paramsynch file with a text editor.

3. The paramsynch file allows the synchronization between multi band and multi carriertechnologies. For example, a multi band synchronization is characterized by thesynchronization of the antenna azimuth, the mechanical antenna tilt and the antenna typeitself. This means that in case a multi band antenna is shared between different radiotechnologies, the antenna azimuth, the mechanical tilt and the antenna type itself will alwaysbe the same for both technologies or bands. To ensure the synchronization between these bands, the transmitters have to be broughtinto a single line in the paramsynch file, separated by a ";". An example for this is shown inthe figure below.

4. After the synchronizations are done, the file needs to be stored as .paramsynch file.

5. To use the parameter synchronizations in the optimization of the multi system, multi band,multi carrier networks, use the paramsynch file in the Project specification tab in 9955ACCO.

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6Optimization Guidelines

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VI Optimization Guidelines

VI.1 Optimization Weight Examples

For each individual optimization target, a relative weight must be applied. These weights definethe importance of the optimization target. A target with zero weight will not contribute to theoptimization, only the according analysis will be reported.

The total optimization target results as the weighted addition of the individual targets. To be ableto accurately add different targets, the target function values are normalized by the maximumpossible target function value before multiplied by their weights and added together. Themaximum target function value depends on the selected weighting methods (global only, clutterdependent, traffic map weighting).

Target function weights

The total objective is calculated as the sum of the individual weighted target contributions. Eachtarget contribution is calculated as the normalized contribution (in the range 0.0 .. 1.0) multipliedby the target's weighting factor.

objective = sum target_contribution = sum (normalized_target_contribution *target_weight)

The normalization of the individual targets ensures that all targets are treated equally andindependent of the kind of the target, clutter dependent weighting, or traffic weighting.

For example (if no additional clutter based or traffic map weithing is applied)

- the normalized contribution for 12 km² out of 20 km² is 0.6

- the normalized contribution for 1400 out of 2000 served users is 0.7

If the target function weights for both targets are 1.0, the total objective is 1.0 * 0.6 + 1.0 * 0.7 =1.3. This means that both targets have (roughly) the same importance for the optimization. Themaximum possible objective for this scenario is 2.0.

NoteThe normalization is done on the target function's absolute maximum, i.e. the situation where allpixels are covered or all users are served. This might not be possible in the scenario, i.e. anormalized contribution of 1.0 might not be reachable in all cases.

NoteAssigning the same weight to several target functions does not necessarily mean that these willbe equally important for the optimization. If for example two coverage targets are applied to thesame network with thresholds of -84 dBm and -54 dBm and the same weight of 1.0, theeffective weight for the optimization can be different. We assume that the potential optimizationgain for coverage @ -84 dBm is from 70% (initial) to 90% (optimized), while the potential gainfor coverage @ -54 dBm is just from 2% to 3% in very small regions next to the site locations. In this case it is obvious that the -84 dBm target will effectively be more important for theoptimization as the average gain for a parameter modification is higher for this threshold.

Example 1Area fulfilling coverage requirement: weight=1

Area fulfilling 1st-2nd best pilot requirement: weight=0

Area fulfilling 1st-Nth best pilot requirement: weight=0

Area fulfilling Ec/Io requirement: weight=0

Number of served users: weight=0

Throughput: weight=0

Result: only the coverage target is considered in the optimization

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Example 2Area fulfilling coverage requirement: weight=0

Area fulfilling 1st-2nd best pilot requirement: weight=1

Area fulfilling 1st-Nth best pilot requirement: weight=0

Area fulfilling Ec/Io requirement: weight=0

Number of served users: weight=0

Throughput: weight=0

Result: only the difference between 1st-2nd best pilot target is considered in the optimization

Example 3Area fulfilling coverage requirement: weight=0

Area fulfilling 1st-2nd best pilot requirement: weight=0

Area fulfilling 1st-Nth best pilot requirement: weight=0

Area fulfilling Ec/Io requirement: weight=1

Number of served users: weight=0

Throughput: weight=0

Result: only the received Ec/Io target is considered in the optimization

Example 4Area fulfilling coverage requirement: weight=1

Area fulfilling 1st-2nd best pilot requirement: weight=0

Area fulfilling 1st-Nth best pilot requirement: weight=0

Area fulfilling Ec/Io requirement: weight=0

Number of served users: weight=10

Throughput: weight=0

Result: Both the coverage as well as the number of served users are considered. Due to differentweighting the algorithm will focus on the number of served users, where 1% (i.e. 10 of 1000)additional served users are of the same value as 10% (e.g. 10 of 100km2) in area that satisfiesthe coverage requirement.

The high flexibility of the weighting mechanism allows the user to optimize for a wide range ofoptimization objectives.

Clutter dependent optimization weights

On top of the overall optimization weights, individual weights for each objective can be defined foreach clutter class.

Clutter based weights or traffic map weighting can be used to adjust the importance of singlepixels depending on their location, for example the main weight can be directed to the city center.

Thus the following scenarios are equal:

- no special weighting

- all clutter weights 1.0

- all clutter weights 2.0

- a traffic map with constant value 1.0

- a traffic map with constant value 0.001

- all clutter weights 0.5 + a traffic map with constant value of 20.0

The following scenarios are equal, as well:

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- clutter 0 -> 0.5, clutter 1 -> 1.0

- clutter 0 -> 1.0, clutter 2 -> 2.0

- clutter 0 -> 2.0, clutter 2 -> 4.0

NoteDue to the normalization the unit of the traffic map does not matter for the weighting process,only the relative difference of a pixel's value compared to the other pixels values is relevant, i.e.linear scaling of the traffic map does not influence traffic map WEIGHTING. Please note that itDOES INFLUENCE the cell's captured traffic and thus the total traffic limits.

For further description see Clutter dependent optimization weights.

Traffic limits

Traffic weighting is described above, as it is similar to the clutter dependent weighting.

On top of the traffic weighting, traffic limits can be used to ensure that the cell radius will notbecome too large, or too small, avoiding overloaded and empty sectors.

Traffic map weighting is applied in a form that a cell with excessive traffic is assigned anappropriate degradation factor. The pixels in the cell's footprint are weighted by this factor inaddition to clutter and traffic map weighting factors. Excessive traffic means that the cumulatedtraffic over the cell's best server footprint is larger than the maximum captured traffic.

A detailed description of the consideration of maximum traffic limits for each sector in the networkis defined in the "Network settings" section.

Combination of weighting mechanisms

The different weighting mechanisms are combined multiplicatively, with the important differencethat clutter, traffic map and captured traffic weighting are applied before normalization and thetarget function's weight is applied after the normalization.

This gives the relation initially stated:

objective = sum (target_contribution) for all target functions

= sum (normalized_target_contribution * target_weight) for all target functions

For pixel targets the normalized target contribution is

normalized_target_contribution = Normalize(Sum (clutter_weight * traffic_map_weight *degradation_factor) for all covered pixels)

which is roughly equal to

normalized_target_contribution =

Sum (clutter_weight * traffic_map_weight * degradation_factor) for all pixels satisfyingrequirements /

Sum (clutter_weight * traffic_map_weight) for all pixels

For traffic simulation target the normalized target contribution is

normalized_target_contribution = Normalize(Sum (user_weight * clutter_weight) for all servedusers)

which is roughly equal to

normalized_target_contribution =

Sum (user_weight * clutter_weight) for all served users /

Sum (user_weight * clutter_weight) for all users

The individual user's weight is either 1 for the number of served users target or the bit rate for thethroughput target.

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VI.2 Clutter dependent optimization weights

Use this section to define clutter dependent weight factors for the combination of the individualoptimization targets specified in the Optimization target tab. The option of clutter dependentweight factors can be enabled for each of the optimization targets individually. This can be doneby enabling the check box "apply clutter dependent weight factor" in the Optimization target tab.

Using zone files

The zone file format is identical to the clutter file format. Zone files need to be generated in 9955. A zone file is a classified grid (a grid of classes ratherthan continuous values), similar to a clutter map. Create such a grid in 9955 e.g. by drawing anew clutter map and exporting that to a clutter file which can then be used in 9955 ACCO as zonefile.

NoteIf a clutter file is exported, 9955 ACCO will miss the class names as this can only be read forthe default clutter file directly from the 9955 data base. Thus, the header file of the selectedBIL map must contain the classes definition. Use a text editor to complement the header filewith the class names by inserting a new section (the header file has the same name as the BILfile but the extension is .HDR). Format of the class definition section: ClassesBegin<class ID>=<Class name>...ClassesEnd

Use one line per class, avoid white characters like spaces, etc. Example: ClassesBegin0=GeneralArea1=HotSpot12=HotSpot2ClassesEnd

If you were drawing a new clutter file in 9955 and this replaced the original clutter file, then don'tforget to re-load the original clutter file after the export. Otherwise 9955 will treat the clutter fileyou were drawing as the default clutter file for the project.

Defining areas of interest: Zone files are usually used to enable a separation of the optimizationarea into sub-areas independently from the standard project clutter file. You can e.g. drawpolygons around hot spot areas in 9955 and export this map as clutter file. This file can then beloaded into 9955 ACCO as zone file. You can assign different weights to these different areas ofinterest to individually prioritize them.

Avoiding border problems: The captured traffic analysis can be inaccurate for cells at theborder of the optimization area, if the footprint of these cells is partially outside the optimizationarea. In such a case, create a zone file identical to the optimization area in 9955, then extend theoptimization area (focus zone) by another tier of cells. This zone file is composed of only 2classes, e.g. InnerArea inside the optimization area and OuterArea outside. Apply weights of 1for InnerArea and 0 for OuterArea. By that, the captured traffic analysis will be accurate, becausethe complete footprint of the cells will be considered, and the analysis area is still unchanged dueto InnerArea of the zone file.

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Combination of global and clutter dependent optimization weights

Global optimization weights and clutter dependent optimization weights can be combined foreach individual optimization objective. A global weight higher than zero is required to consider theoptimization target. The individual importance of different areas can then be defined by clutterdependent weighting factors.

ExamplesSome examples for the clutter dependent optimization weights are given below:

Example 1Optimization Target 1, e.g. Coverage = do not use clutter dependent weighting, global weight = 1

Optimization Target 2, e.g. Difference 1st-Nth pilot = use clutter dependent weighting, globalweight = 1

The clutter weights for the individual optimization targets are shown in the table below:

Optimization Target 1 Optimization Target 2

"global" weight = 1 "global" weight = 1

Clutter dependent weighting: disabled

Clutter dependent weighting:enabled

Clutter A = 1

Clutter B = 1

Clutter C = 1

Clutter D = 1

Clutter A = 1

Clutter B = 1

Clutter C = 1

Clutter D = 1

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Result:

Clutter dependent weighting for optimization target 1

For optimization target 1the clutter dependentweighting is disabled.Hence, it does notmatter which weightsare set for the cluttertypes, the overall weightwill be "1".

For optimization target 2the clutter dependentweighting is enabled.Hence, the importancewill be based on theclutter dependentweighting combined withthe "global" weight forthis optimization target.

If all clutter types havethe same weight, thereis no impact on thedifferent optimizationweights due to theclutter dependentweighting.

Furthermore the globalweight for bothoptimization targets isthe same. This meansthat the importance ofthe two optimizationtargets is the same forall clutter types, i.e.areas.

Practically this means(with coverage andquality as theoptimization targets) thatan additional 1km2 incoverage is of the samevalue as an additional1km2 fulfilling the qualityrequirements.

Clutter dependent weighting for optimization target 2

Example 2Optimization Target 1, e.g. Coverage = use clutter dependent weighting, weight = 1

Optimization Target 2, e.g. Diff 1st-Nth pilot = do not use clutter dependent weighting, weight = 0

The clutter weights for the individual optimization targets are shown in the table below:

Optimization Target 1 Optimization Target 2

"global" weight = 1 "global" weight = 0

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Clutter dependent weighting: enabled

Clutter dependent weighting:disabled

Clutter A = 1

Clutter B = 5

Clutter C = 1

Clutter D = 0.5

Clutter A = 1

Clutter B = 1

Clutter C = 1

Clutter D = 1

Result:

Clutter dependent weighting for optimization target 1

For optimization target 1the clutter dependentweighting is enabled.Hence, the importanceof the individual areaswill be based on theclutter dependingweights defined by theclutter. The globalweight is "1" and hencethe overall multiplier forthe clutter weights is "1".

For optimization target 2the clutter dependentweighting is disabled.Hence, the importancewill be based on theglobal weight. Since thisglobal weight is "0", thecontribution ofoptimization target 2 forany point in theoptimization area is "0".This means thatoptimization target 2 isnot considered at all inthe optimization.

The optimization willhence only focus onoptimization target 1.With the enabled clutterdependent weighting wecan see that the areadescribed by Clutter B is5-times more importantthan Clutter A andClutter C and 10-timesmore important thanClutter D.

Practically this means(with coverage andquality as theoptimization targets) thatonly coverage is ofimportance in this

Clutter dependent weighting for optimization target 2

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example. An additional1km2 in coverage inClutter B is 5-times thevalue as an additional1km2 in coverage inClutter A+C , and 10-times the value than inClutter D.

NoteThe global optimization weight is a multiplier to the normalized clutter based weighting factors.Hence, if the global weight for a particular optimization target is "0", the overall weighting for thisoptimization target will be zero independent of the clutter settings. This means that the targetwill not be considered in the optimization process at all.

Example 3Optimization Target 1, e.g. Coverage = do use clutter dependent weighting, weight = 1

Optimization Target 2, e.g. Diff 1st-Nth pilot = do not use clutter dependent weighting, weight = 1

The clutter weights for the individual optimization targets are shown in the table below:

Optimization Target 1 Optimization Target 2

"global" weight = 1 "global" weight = 1

Clutter dependent weighting: enabled

Clutter dependent weighting: disabled

Clutter A = 1

Clutter B = 5

Clutter C = 1

Clutter D = 0.5

Clutter A = 2

Clutter B = 1

Clutter C = 3

Clutter D = 1

Result:

Clutter dependent weighting for optimization target 1

For optimization target 1the clutter dependentweighting is enabled.Hence, the importanceof the individual areaswill be based on theclutter dependingweights defined by theclutter. The globalweight is "1" and hencethe overall multiplier forthe clutter weights is "1".

For optimization target 2the clutter dependentweighting is disabled.Hence, the importancewill be based on theglobal weight. Since thisglobal weight is "1", the

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Clutter dependent weighting for optimization target 2

contribution ofoptimization target 2 forany point in theoptimization area is "1".

The optimization willhence focus on differentlevels optimization target1, while the importanceof the optimization target2 remains the samethroughout theoptimization area (due tothe fact that the differentclutter weighting foroptimization targets isnot enabled).

NoteEven though theclutter dependentweighting foroptimization target 2shows different values,it is DISABLED andhence the overalloptimization weight forthis target is given bythe global weight only!

Practically this means that the importance of a single optimization target can be modified for eachclutter type. This clutter dependent relative weighting of various optimization targets providesgreat value.

Considering the cost and time limitations, clutter (area) based weighting becomes even moreimportant. Assume that Clutter B describes an urban area, while the other clutter types describesuburban, rural and park areas. Furthermore, assume that depending on the different cluttertypes we have different traffic density distributions or ARPU´s (which are nothing else than thedifferent weights for different clutter types set above) and different costs for the implementation ofparameter modifications. This is indicated in the table below:

Traffic density

(or ARPU)Costs for modifications

Urban high (5 units = weight) high (3 units)

Suburban low (1 unit = weight) high (3 units)

Park low (0.5 unit = weight) medium (2 units)

Rural low (1 unit = weight) low (1 unit)

In case that the optimization budget is limited, cheaper modifications will be prioritized if the samearea can be gained. However, this does not necessarily mean that they are then the most costeffective modifications. The most cost effective modification has to consider the value of themodification, e.g. how much more traffic can be served within the gained area by doing thismodification. Another possible measure would be the average revenue per user, ARPU.Therefore, a more expensive parameter change can pay off if the additional area is worth the

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additional effort - compared to the area and the traffic that can be gained by the cheapermodification.

In the example above, a single modification in an urban environment would pay off compared to acheaper modification in a rural environment if they can both gain the same area, even though thecheaper parameter modification costs only 1/3! The reason is that the rural return of investmentwould be 1/3, while the urban investment - if possible within the total budget - will deliver 5 units interms of gained traffic. The more expensive modification therefore brings more income andhence is the preferable solution for this particular situation.

Example 4Optimization Target 1, e.g. Coverage = use clutter dependent weighting, weight = 1

Optimization Target 2, e.g. Diff 1st-Nth pilot = use clutter dependent weighting, weight = 2

The clutter weights for the individual optimization targets are shown in the table below:

Optimization Target 1 Optimization Target 2

"global" weight = 1 "global" weight = 2

Clutter dependent weighting: enabled

Clutter dependent weighting: enabled

Clutter A = 3

Clutter B = 2

Clutter C = 0

Clutter D = 1

Clutter A = 2

Clutter B = 3

Clutter C = 1

Clutter D = 1

Result:

Clutter dependent weighting for optimization target 1

For optimization target 1the clutter dependentweighting is enabled.Hence, the importanceof the individual areaswill be based on theclutter dependingweights defined by theclutter. The globalweight is "1" and hencethe overall multiplier forthe clutter weights is "1".

NoteThe clutter weight forClutter C is "0". Sincethe clutter weight is amultiplier to thecontribution ofoptimization target 1this means that thearea described byClutter C does notdeliver any value. Thisarea is hence NOTconsidered in theoptimization. Apractical example forthis would be that

Clutter dependent weighting for optimization target 2

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Clutter C describes alake or a restrictedarea, where it is of nointerest to providecoverage.

For optimization target 2the clutter dependentweighting is enabled aswell. Hence, theimportance will be basedon the global weighttimes the clutterweighting factors.

Example 5Optimization Target 1, e.g. Coverage = use clutter dependent weighting, weight = 1

Optimization Target 2, e.g. Diff 1st-Nth pilot = use clutter dependent weighting, weight = 1

The clutter weights for the individual optimization targets are shown in the table below:

Optimization Target 1 Optimization Target 2

"global" weight = 1 "global" weight = 1

Clutter dependent weighting:enabled

Clutter dependent weighting:enabled

Clutter A = 3

Clutter B = 2

Clutter C = 0

Clutter D = 1

Clutter A = 0

Clutter B = 0

Clutter C = 1

Clutter D = 0

Result:

Clutter dependent weighting for optimization target 1

For optimization target1 the clutter dependentweighting is enabled.Hence, the importanceof the individual areaswill be based on theclutter dependingweights defined by theclutter. The globalweight is "1".

NoteThe clutter weight forClutter C is "0". Sincethe clutter weight is amultiplier to thecontribution ofoptimization target 1this means that thearea described byClutter C does not

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Clutter dependent weighting for optimization target 2

deliver any value. Thisarea is hence NOTconsidered in theoptimization. Apractical example forthis would be thatClutter C describes alake or a restrictedarea, where it is of nointerest to providecoverage.

For optimization target2 the clutter dependentweighting is enabled aswell. Hence, theimportance will bebased on the globalweight times the clutterweighting factors. Sinceall (beside Clutter C)clutter dependentweights are "0", thisoptimization target willonly be considered inClutter C and nowhereelse.

Practically this meansthat while optimizationtarget 1 is importanteverywhere besidesClutter C, optimizationtarget 2 is ONLYconsidered in Clutter C.

VI.3 Optimization with measurements

9955 ACCO supports the use of prediction based and measurement based target functions. Thistopic describes how to use measurements in the optimization process. Measurements aresupported for UMTS and CDMA2000.

Workflow

Measurements are used in 9955 ACCO by creating a measurement environment. Ameasurement environment is similar to an optimization environment with two major differences:

· Measurement environments are based on measurements while optimization environmentsare based on predictions

· Measurement environments can only be used in combination with an optimizationenvironment.

Measurement environments are used in 9955 ACCO by assigning them to individual targetfunctions. This allows maximum flexibility to combine different target functions for measurementsand predictions with individual weights.

Prerequisites

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A suitable 9955 project with test mobile data imported is required to use measurements in 9955ACCO.

To import scanner data into 9955 navigate to the Data tab, right click Test Mobile Data and usethe context menu function Import. Please refer to the 9955 documentation for details.

The transmitter settings in the project must accurately reflect the status of the network during themeasurement. In particular the following parameters must be as exact as possible in the 9955project:

· Mechanical settings (tilt, azimuth, antenna pattern, etc.)

· Power settings (pilot power, total transmit power, etc.)

· Scrambling codes of the cells

· The measurement samples have to be associated to the transmitters and cells correctly, thismeans the the columns Transmitter 1..n have to be correct.

CautionThe 9955 project used to create the measurement environment has to reflect the networkconfiguration during the measurement as close as possible.

Usually the same project should be used to create the measurement environment and theoptimization environment and this project should contain the network parameters used duringthe measurement (azimuths, tilts, antenna patterns, pilot powers, loads...).

If this is not possible, for example if parameters have been modified since the measurementwas done and these parameter changes have to be considered in the optimization, two 9955projects have to be used.

· one 9955 project with the network configuration during the measurement to create themeasurement environment

· one 9955 project with the current network configuration to create the optimizationenvironment

Quality of measurements

A general rule when using measurements in optimizations is: the better the quality ofmeasurements, the better the quality of the optimized network configuration.

Please consider the following rules when using measurements in optimizations:

· The measurements should have a sufficient number of samples that are dense enough andregularly distributed around the transmitters of interest. There should not be large uncoveredareas (for example parks that could not be covered with drive tests) that are of interest for theoperator.

· The measurements should have as many servers per sample as possible. To allow 9955ACCO to improve the network the information on alternative servers is vital. Measurementswith only one server can be used to verify certain requirements, but the value for optimizationsis limited.

· The measurements should be carried out with constant pilot powers and constant total powers.If the powers change during the measurement the measurement has to be normalized to thepowers in the 9955 project. It is highly recommended to use constant pilot powers and constant(dummy) loads during the measurement. The requirements for the total power do not apply ofEc/Io is not used in the optimization.

If one or more of these conditions are not met, it is highly likely that the optimization will notproduce optimal results. Therefore, if the appropriate data is not available it might be better torefrain from using Ec/Io targets in the process and concentrate on coverage only.

Creation of measurement environments

The generation of measurements is done by an 9955 add-in that is automatically installed by the9955 ACCO setup package.

Similar to the Optimization Environment (containing network data, transmitter data and predictionbased pathloss matrices), a Measurement Environment contains measurement based

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propagation data. The add-in enumerates the Test Mobile Data in the 9955 project and allows theuser to select one measurement for export. It performs analysis and pre-processing, andsubsequently writes all required data for 9955 ACCO into files in a user specified location.

If multiple Test Mobile Data entries need to be written into Measurement Environments, repeatthe export process and select a different Measurement Environment (i.e. different .cme files)each time.

Section Create Measurement Environment discusses the export of measurement environmentsin detail, section Measurement Environment Statistics contains information about qualityindicators generated during export.

Using measurements in the optimization

Both an Optimization Environment and a Measurement Environment are required to utilizemeasurements in 9955 ACCO. The Optimization Environment contains all relevant network andtransmitter parameters as well as the prediction based pathloss files. If you do not need to usemeasurements, the Optimization Environment alone is sufficient.

Multiple Measurement Environments can be used together with a single Optimizationenvironment. A Measurement Environment usually contains one set of Test Mobile Data, henceseveral Test Mobile Data sets can be used simultaneously in one optimization run.

Please note that the 9955 project used for generating the Optimization Environment can bediffererent from the project used for generating the Measurement Environment. However,parameter deviations (azimuth, tilt, powers) should not be too large to ensure the measurementsare usable.

Use the measurement data instead of the predicted pathloss matrices by selecting theappropriate Measurement Environment in a target function. This allows to combine measurementbased targets functions and prediction based target functions.

In fact it is recommended to use a combination of measurements and predictions wheneverpossible. This might for example be useful if the distribution of measurements is not denseenough. The optimization process might tend to focus on areas with measurements whenoptimizing for measurements only. This can be prevented by optimizing on both measurementsand predictions.

Example

Create two coverage and two Ec/Io target functions to consider both predictions andmeasurements:

Coverage-P weight 1.0 (no measurement environment)Coverage-M weight 0.5 D:\Data\DemoMeasurementEnvironment.cmeEc/Io-P weight 0.5 (no measurement environment)Ec/Io-M weight 0.25 D:\Data\DemoMeasurementEnvironment.cme

This example demonstrates how to optimize for coverage and Ec/Io (balanced 2:1), both basedon predictions and measurements (balanced 2:1).

Using multiple measurement environments is possible by applying several targets and selectinganother measurement environment for each target.

Example

Create two target functions to consider both coverage based on predictions and coverage basedon measurements:

Coverage-P weight 1.0 (no measurement environment)Coverage-M1 weight 0.5 D:\Data\DemoMeasurementEnvironment1.cmeCoverage-M2 weight 0.5 D:\Data\DemoMeasurementEnvironment2.cmeCoverage-M3 weight 0.5 D:\Data\DemoMeasurementEnvironment3.cme

For better clear identification of prediction and measurement targets in the optimization reportand in Inspector it is recommended to assign appropriate target function names.

Consistent with all other target functions, each target objective is normalized by its maximumvalue. Thus, the target objective of a measurement based target will be normalized by the area of

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the focus zone in the same way as a prediction based target.

Please refer to section Target definitions for more detailed information on target functions.

Tips and tricks

Please consider these hints to achieve optimum optimization results:

· Measurement based estimations of coverage and Ec/Io are only reliable if changes to thenetwork configuration are not extensive. If, for example, a far-off transmitter is turned in thedirection of a pixel and this transmitter was not part of any measurement sample, the increaseof interference on the pixel cannot be correctly simulated.

· It is therefore crucial to limit parameter changes allowed in 9955 ACCO to small ranges. Agood starting point is to set mechanical tilt ranges of ±2° and mechanical azimuth rangesof ±10°.

· The cell loads (total transmit powers) of the transmitters must be kept constant during themeasurements. Otherwise Ec/Io target function cannot be used or is likely to be unreliable.

· The total transmit powers during the measurement should be as low as possible to get a highnumber of detected servers. High total transmit powers reduce the number of detectableservers due to the limited detection sensitivity of scanners.

· The better the required minimum Eb/Nt of the scanner, the more servers can be detected.More detected servers will generate better results. Excellent Eb/Nt values of scanners are 3dBor less.

· Use prediction based targets as well as measurement based target functions in 9955 ACCO toavoid degraded network quality in areas without measurements. A suggested starting pointuses weights 1:1 for measurements:predictions.

· Assign easily identifiable names to the individual target functions for better identification in 9955ACCO reports and Inspector.

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VII Inspector

VII.1 Overview

This section gives an overview over the functions and benefits of the 9955 ACCO Inspector.

Launching Inspector

Inspector can be launched in different ways:

· from 9955 ACCO with the button visualize results after an optimization has finished

· from 9955 ACCO with > Menu > Tools > Inspector, you can then select an implementationplan index file (.cipi) from a previous optimization

· from Windows Explorer by double clicking on an implementation plan index file (.cipi) in theresult directory of a previous optimization

Visualizations

The 9955 ACCO Inspector allows a fast and efficient analysis of the modifications that have beenmade during the optimization. Each implementation plan step can be shown.

The parameter values that can be displayed include:

· Active and Inactive sites and cells

· Power levels

· Mechanical antenna tilts

· Electrical antenna tilts. The electrical tilts are currently represented by changes in theantenna pattern.

· The effective tilt. This is the combination of both the mechanical and the electrical tilt.

· Antenna pattern exchange

· Antenna azimuths

Each of the parameters and analyses can be displayed in two different modes:

· As absolute measure

· As difference between 2 implementation plan step

The advantages are that the individual sector specific parameters can be visualized and colorcoded. By doing so, antenna tilts can be represented by different colors in the Inspector, and theuser can directly identify all the changes in the network. An example for 9955 ACCO Inspector isshown in the figure below.

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The 9955 ACCO Inspector also allows the visualization of different geo data, traffic and cluttermaps, as well as various performance predictions. It can display the predictions before and afterthe optimization, as well as for each implementation plan step, and also show the differencebetween them.

Details are described in the section Visualizations.

Evaluating parameters and raster plots

9955 ACCO Inspector allows the visualization of different parameter values as well as predictionsand maps. This can be done jointly for multiple networks, carriers and frequency bands.

9955 ACCO Inspector includes a number of tool windows that help to display the individualchanges and parameters efficiently. Details on these tool functionalities and specific settings aredescribed in the User Interface section.

VII.2 Visualizations

This section describes the different visualizations in the 9955 ACCO Inspector.

Visualization functionalities

The 9955 ACCO Inspector allows a fast and efficient visualization of different plots. Theseinclude:

· Network Configurations

· Height, Clutter, Traffic

· Focus Zone

· Network Analysis

Network Configuration

The node Network configuration in the structure tree allows to select the network parameter to bedisplayed in the map window.

Select the radio button of the parameter you want to show. The parameter values are displayedby means of color coded arrows for each individual sector. This allows a clear display of sectorparameters such as antenna tilts and power levels on a per sector level. An example is shown in

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the picture below: the antenna tilt (mechanical tilt) is displayed for 6 sectors by means of differentcolors.

In the legend you find the different color coded tilt value. The legend can be adapted accordingto user requirements. This is done in the color editor of the 9955 ACCO Inspector. For detailsplease see the section Color Editor.

NotePlease note that azimuth values are not color coded in the before or after visualization. In thiscase the sector arrows are displayed in the cell's footprint color if a best server plot for thenetwork is visible, otherwise they are white.

Optimizable parameters

These are parameters that can be assigned optimization ranges in 9955 ACCO. It is possible toview the parameter value for the initial and optimized state and for every implementation planstep if available. Available parameters are:

· Azimuth

· Mechanical Tilt

· Electrial Tilt

· Effective Tilt

· Antenna Pattern

· Antenna Type

· Power

· Active

Result parameters

Result parameters are calculated during the optimization. They can be visualized for initial andoptimized state and for every implementation plan step if available.

· Captured Traffic (only if a traffic map is available, the unit is the same as in the traffic map)

· Resource units (only if a traffic (density based) target is calculated, in percent of the cell'scapability)

Height, Clutter, Traffic, Zones

Height—displays the height information of the underlying 9955 project.

Clutter—displays the clutter data for the different radio technologies and frequency bands usedin the actual 9955 ACCO project. In case that alternative clutter files are used (see Projectspecification), the alternative clutter data is displayed. In case that multiple clutter files areavailable, enable the checkbox of the clutter files that should be displayed.

Weighting Zones—displays the zone files that were used to replace the clutter based weightingfor one or multiple optimization targets.

Traffic—enable this checkbox to display the traffic data for the different radio technologies andfrequency bands used in the actual 9955 ACCO project. In case that multiple traffic maps areavailable, enable the checkbox of the traffic map that should be displayed. If the used trafficmaps for the different networks are identical, 9955 ACCO will display only one single traffic map.

Use the slider control in the tools bar of the 9955 ACCO Inspector to vary the transparency of theindividual traffic maps. The legend colors of the map can be changed in the color editor.

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Focus zones

9955 ACCO Inspector allows the display of different focus zones for different radio technologiesand frequency bands.

For example, when using the multi system functionality in 9955 ACCO to combine multiple 9955networks, different focus zones can be used. This means that 9955 ACCO and 9955 ACCO Inspector can handle and display different focus zones for the different technologies andfrequency bands.

For comparison reasons, the different focus zones can be displayed in different colors. Thesecolors can be defined and changed in the color editor.

Analysis

9955 ACCO Inspector provides a very fast and efficient way of showing prediction plots andperformance analysis.

The analysis plots are grouped by the different technologies and frequency bands that areconsidered in the actual 9955 ACCO project. Enable the checkbox of the individual analysis plotsthat should be displayed.

Use the slider control in the tools bar of the 9955 ACCO Inspector to vary the transparency of theindividual analysis plots. The legend colors of the plots can be changed in the color editor.

Best server plots offer two different styles:

· Regular displays the best server footprint with one solid color per best server

· Outline displays only the cell borders per best server, pixels inside the same best serverarea are transparent. This allows to view an underlying analysis layer and the cell borders atthe same time.

The display style can be changed for every best server plot individually in the tree view:

Target functions can be defined to require a coverage requirement to be fulfilled as describedin Target definitions. In this case the tree view offers the possibility to choose between twodisplay options:

· Cov. fulfilled: Pixels not fulfilling the coverage requirement are transparent. This representsthe target function as used in the optimization.

· Raw: The unconditioned target function values are displayed. In this case the observed areacan be larger than the objective value used in the optimization.

The display style can be changed for plot with a coverage requirement in the tree view:

NoteThe target function plot for capacity (density based) displays the maximum possible throughputin Mbit/s per pixel as given by the modulation settings. The plot does not consider the offeredtraffic from the traffic map.

Saving plots to files—use the context menu entry Save raster map to file ... to select a file name

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where the selected plot shall be saved to. 5 different Windows standard file formats are available(BMP, JPG, and others).

Before, After, and Difference plots

9955 ACCO Inspector allows the very quick and simple comparison of the parameter values aswell as the prediction and analysis plots before and after the optimization. In order to make thisquick comparison, please select one of the three options in the selection box in the 9955 ACCO Inspector tool bar.

Before—select this option to view the parameter values and the prediction plots selected in thebefore selection box. If no implementation plan has been computed, this is the networkconfiguration before the optimization with 9955 ACCO, otherwise the selected implementationplan step is displayed. Please refer to section Implementation Plan for details on implementationplan steps.

After—select this option to view the parameter values and the prediction plots selected in theafter selection box. If no implementation plan has been computed, this is the networkconfiguration after the optimization with 9955 ACCO, otherwise the selected implementation planstep is displayed. Please refer to section Implementation Plan for details on implementation plansteps.

Difference—select this option to view the parameter values and the prediction plots as adifference of the network states specified in the before and after selection boxes.

NoteIn order to allow fast switching between the before and the after network configuration, 9955ACCO Inspector provides hot-keys to switch between the different network configurations: "1" ... Before"2" ... After"3" ... Difference

VII.3 Implementation Plan

This section describes the visualization of the implementation plan in the 9955 ACCO Inspector.

NoteIn order to be able to display the plots for the individual implementation plan steps, theassociated checkbox in the Optimization Options needs to be enabled in 9955 ACCO.

The 9955 ACCO Inspector allows a fast iteration through the implementation plan steps. Thismeans that for each step the changed parameters as well as the improved prediction plots canbe displayed for the individual networks and technologies.

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Improvements up to a specific point in the implementation plan

For example, the impact of the different steps in the implementation plan can be visualized. Thisis shown in the figure above. 9955 ACCO Inspector allows the step-by-step visualization of thedifferent modifications done in the network. This can be used to investigate the most costefficient parameter modifications and compare them with practical engineering rules.

The selection of the implementation plan step to be shown is done with the main selection box(before/after/difference) and the two implementation plan selection boxes before and after.

· When Before is selected in the main selection box, the implementation plan step in thebefore selection box is shown. Please note that the allowed range for this selection box isfrom the initial up to the step before the last step. To visualize the last (optimized)configuration, please use After in the main selection box.

· When After is selected in the main selection box, the implementation plan step in the afterselection box is shown. Please note that the allowed range for this selection box is from onestep after the initial step up to the last (optimized) step. To visualize the first (initial)configuration, please use Before in the main selection box.

· When Difference is selected in the main selection box, the difference of the parametervalues and prediction plots is shown. The Analysis window shows the CDF or PDF curvesfor both states in this case.

NoteIn order to allow fast switching between implementation steps, various hot keys are available,for examplePage Up/Page Down ... move to next/previous stepCtrl+Home/Ctrl+End ... display first/last implementation plan step

Getting to the desired Implementation Plan step, e.g., the one with best trade-off in cost andcoverage, may be using the Optimization Objective Analysis window.

Analysis of differences in individual steps

Further to the analysis of the improvements for the implementation plan, 9955 ACCO Inspector

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also allows the direct analysis of the effect of a specific implementation plan step. To do so, thedifference mode needs to be enabled by selecting Difference in the main selection box. The usercan then define the before and after steps that should be compared in the difference analysis.

VII.4 User Interface

This section describes the different windows and tools in the 9955 ACCO Inspector.

Data Tree Window

The project tree in 9955 ACCO Inspector provides a full list of allparameter and raster data available. This includes:

· Height data· Clutter data· Traffic data· Focus Zone· Network analysis, e.g. prediction plots· Network configuration, i.e. transmitter parameters

The plot in the top-most position of the project tree is in the backgroundof the layer hierarchy. For instance, in the project tree on the left, theUMTS clutter is displayed in the lowest position. In front of that, theUMTS RX Pilot layer is displayed. For each of the layers the transparency can be defined separately.

The project tree also displays the available technologies within the 9955ACCO project.

The user can then select the parameters or analysis plots to bedisplayed in the main window of 9955 ACCO Inspector.

More detailed descriptions of the individual visualization possibilities aregiven in the Visualization section.

Context menu entries:Display legend—Show or hide the legend in the raster legendwindowDisplay mouse-over—Show or hide the mouse over value in theraster mouse over legend windowDisplay optimization objective plot—Show or hide the targetfunction objective plot in the target function objective plot windowEdit colors—Opens the color editor for the selected legend, pleaserefer to Color Editor for details.Display analysis—Opens analysis window for selected raster mapor network parameter, please refer to Statistical Analysis for details.Display optimization objective analysis—Opens optimizationobjective analysis window for selected raster map, please refer to Optimization Objective Analysis for details.

Tool Bar

9955 ACCO Inspector provides a number of functionalities to simplify the comparison of differentnetwork configurations before and after the optimization, as well as the difference of both. Thesetools are accessible via the 9955 ACCO Inspector tool bar.

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Main selection box—use this selection box to chose the displayof the individual network states Before, After and Difference. Thisallows the user to display both the parameter values as well asthe prediction and analysis plots of the individual network states.

NoteIn order to allow a very fast switch between the initial and theoptimized network configuration, 9955 ACCO Inspectorprovides hot-keys to switch between the different networkconfigurations: "1" ... Initial"2" ... Optimized"3" ... Difference

Implementation plan - Before—use this selection box to chosethe implementation plan step that is displayed in the Before state.By default, this is the initial network configuration. However, inorder to compare different network implementation steps andtheir effectiveness, the Before step can be set to any step in theimplementation plan (except for the optimized state). For detailssee also how the different Implementation Plan steps can bedisplayed. In order to be able to display the plots for the individualimplementation plan steps (and not only the initial and theoptimized step), the associated checkbox in the OptimizationOptions needs to be enabled.

Implementation plan - After—use this selection box to chosethe implementation plan step that is displayed in the After state.By default this is the final optimized network configuration. However, in order to compare different network implementationsteps and their effectiveness, the optimized step can be set toany step in the implementation plan (except for the initial state). For details see also how the different Implementation Plan stepscan be displayed. In order to be able to display the plots for theindividual implementation plan steps (and not only the initial andthe optimized step), the associated checkbox in the OptimizationOptions needs to be enabled.

Transparancy control—use the slide control bar to define thetransparency of the individual maps and analysis plots. In orderto modify the transparency of the individual plots, the specific mapor plot needs to be selected in the project tree.

Site perspective—use the site perspective tool to define theperspective view of the individual sectors. This functionalityenables the perspective site and sector view in case that multipleparameters have to be displayed for a co-located antenna. Forexample, with the perspective function it is possible to displaymultiple co-located sectors that share the same physical antenna,but use different electrical antenna tilts.

Selection—use the selection tool as default selection tool. Whenthe selection arrow is activated, it can also be used as a zoomingtool. Click and hold the left mouse button while dragging to definethe zone that should be displayed on the map. Click and hold themiddle mouse button while dragging to pan the map window.

Pan—use the pan tool to move the visible part of the map in 9955ACCO Inspector.

Toggle data tree window—use this button to switch the datatree window on and off.

Toggle parameter legend—use this button to switch theparameter legend window on and off. The parameter legend

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window will then display the legends for the parameters that areactually displayed. In case that parameters for multiple networksare displayed, the legends for the different technologies andfrequency bands are displayed as well.

Toggle parameter mouse over window—use this button toswitch the parameter mouse over window on and off. Theparameter mouse over window will then display the parametervalues for the different sectors where the mouse cursor iscurrently located.

Toggle raster legend—use this button to switch the rasterlegend window on and off. The raster legend window will thendisplay the legends for the different raster plots (maps andanalysis) that are actually selected. In case that multiple rasterplots are selected, the legends for the different plots are displayedindividually as well.

Toggle raster mouse over window—use this button to switchthe raster mouse over window on and off. The raster mouse overwindow will then display the raster values for the individual pixelswhere the mouse cursor is currently over. In case that multipleraster layers are selected, all selected raster values are displayedin the raster mouse over window.

Toggle optimization objective window—use this button toswitch the optimization objective window on and off. The windowwill display the objective plots for for the different target functionsassociated with raster plots that are actually selected. In casethat multiple raster plots are selected, the objective plots for theirtarget functions -if available- are displayed individually as well.

Toggle find window—use this button to turn the find site andsector window on and off.

Color editor—use the color editor to view and modify the colorsettings for the individual maps, plots and parameter values in9955 ACCO Inspector. In order to do so for a particularparameter or plot, this parameter or plot needs to be selected inthe project tree. Alternatively you can double click on a legend toedit the color palette. Please refer to color editor for additionalinformation.

Site labels—use this button to turn the display of the site labelson and off.

Sector labels—use this button to turn the display of the sectorlabels on and off.

Parameter labels—use this button to turn the display of theparameter labels on and off. Parameter labels will be displayedalternatively to the sector labels.

Zoom in—click this button to zoom in by 15%

Zoom out—click this button to zoom out by 15%

Zoom to fit—click this button to zoom so that the areasurrounding all sites considered in the actual 9955 ACCO projectare displayed within the map window.

Settings—use this functionality to define, load and save settingsfor the visualization in 9955 ACCO Inspector.

About—click this button the view information about the thecurrent 9955 ACCO Inspector version.

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Parameter Legend Window

The parameter legend displays the color legend for the currently displayed network configurationparameter. Multiple legends are displayed if more than one network is currently visible. The colorcode can be configured with the color editor by double clicking on the legend, please refer to Color Editor for details.

Inactive sites—used to define how inactive sites are to be displayed. Possible values are:

· Display ... inactive sites are displayed the same way as active sites

· Outline ... the sectors of inactive sites are shown transparently

· Hide Cells ... the arrows for the sectors of inactive sites are not shown at all, only the site'scircular symbol is drawn

· Hide ... inactive sites are not displayed at all

Context menu entries:

Hide this—Hides the selected legend

Edit colors—Opens the color editor for the selected legend, please refer to Color Editor fordetails.

Display mouse-over—Show or hide the mouse over value in the raster mouse over legendwindow

Map window

Please refer to Visualizations for a description of the different data types in the map window. Thissection discusses some additional features and functions.

Mouse over features:

Moving the mouse cursor over a pixel or antenna symbol, specific information can be displayed. This functionality can be turned on and off.

· Mouse over functionalities for raster information:The actual values for different rasters can be displayed. The individual plot layers can beturned on and off independently as described in the section Raster Mouse Over Windowbelow.

· Mouse over functionalities for parameter values:Once the mouse is moved over a sector symbol, the sector specific parameter values canbe displayed, such as:- Sector technology- Site and Sector (Cell) name- Coordinates- Antenna pattern and azimuth- Mechanical, electrical and effective antenna tilt- Activation status and power (pilot) values

If more than one sector is below the mouse cursor, the tab key can be used to select betweenthose sectors.

NoteBy clicking on an individual sector (rather than just moving the mouse cursor over it) theinformation of this sector is locked until something else is selected with the mouse. Click on the

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map or background to release the sector lock.

Other useful information:

· To disable the perspective view, double click on the icon in the toolbar.

· To zoom in and zoom out you may turn the mouse wheel.

· The middle mouse button (or mouse wheel) can be used to pan the map area.

· To zoom to fit, double click the mouse wheel.

· The context menu in the map window offers various functions as an alternative to tool barbuttons.

Parameter Mouse Over Window

The parameter mouse over window displays the parameter values for a selected sector or thesector below the mouse cursor. The visibility of parameters can be configured individually in thecontext menu.

Context menu entries:

Hide this—Hides the selected parameter

<parameter name>—Shows or hides the corresponding parameter

Raster Legend Window

The raster legend window displays legends for the active raster plots. Individual legends can beturned on and off independently, the color code for every legend can be configured with the coloreditor by double clicking on the legend, please refer to Color Editor for details.

NoteLegends can only be displayed for visible plot layers, they are automatically hidden if a layer isturned off.

Context menu entries:

Hide this—Hides the selected legend

Edit colors—Opens the color editor for the selected legend, please refer to Color Editor fordetails.

Display mouse-over—Show or hide the mouse over value in the raster mouse over legendwindow

Display optimization objective plot—Show or hide the target function objective plot in thetarget function objective plot window

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<plot name>—Shows or hides the corresponding legend

Raster Mouse Over Window

The raster mouse over window displays mouse over values for the active raster plots. Thevisibility of parameters can be configured individually in the context menu.

NoteMouse over values can only be displayed for visible plot layers, they are automatically hidden ifa layer is turned off.

Context menu entries:

Hide this—Hides the selected parameter

Display legend—Show or hide the legend in the raster legend window

Display optimization objective plot—Show or hide the target function objective plot in thetarget function objective plot window

<plot name>—Shows or hides the corresponding plot

Optimization Objective Window

The optimization objective window displays target function objective plots for the active rasterplots where feasible (e.g., best server plots are not the direct result of a target function, thusposses no objective plot). The visibility of individual plots can be configured individually in thecontext menu.

NoteOptimization objective analysis is only available if an implementation plan has been calculated.

One or two marker lines indicate the Implementation Plan step currently displayed, in red if"Before" is currently displayed, in green for "After", or both, if "Difference" is displayed (see Implementation Plan step selector).

Double-clicking on a plot (or using the context menu, see below) brings up an analysis window forthe respective plot. See Optimization Objective Analysis.

NoteOptimization objective plots can only be displayed for visible plot layers, they are automaticallyhidden if a layer is turned off.

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Context menu entries:

Hide this—Hides the selected plot

Display analysis—Show analysis window for selected plot. See Optimization ObjectiveAnalysis.

<plot name>—Shows or hides the corresponding plot

Find Window

This window allows to locate sites or sectors in the map view. Simply type the name of a site orsector in the edit control and press return or the Go! button. Double clicking a site or sector willcenter that site/sector in the main view port. The context menu offers these functions as well.

NoteSometimes it is difficult or impossible to locate a sector if it is partially or totally hidden by othersectors. In this case zoom to an appropriate zoom level in any map region and use the Go!button to center the map window on the site of interest.

Context menu entries:

Display site—Display the site. If it is not visible in the map window, the viewing rectangle ismoved to the site. Note that the site is not highlighted with this function.

Display cell—Display and select the cell. It starts blinking in the map window and theparameter legend and mouse over display the values of this sector regardless of the mousecursor position. Click into the map window to undo the selection.

Hide inactive cells—Do not display inactive cells (for the current implementation plan step) inthe site list

Hide sites with no active cells—Do not display sites without active cells (for the currentimplementation plan step) in the list

Hide this network—Disable visualization of the selected sector's network. Please note that thisis equivalent to disabling the network in the data tree.

Collapse all—Collapse all tree items

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Expand this network—Expand the tree items for the current network

Expand all—Expand all tree items

Color editor

The color editor allows to define the color palette and the thresholds individually for every plot andparameter type.

Levels—a list of parameter levels can be entered in the list window. Use the button Insert andRemove to add or delete levels. Please note that the list of values has to increase monotonically,i.e. every value has to be larger than the value below.

Colors—Every level can be assigned one or two colors. If one color is assigned, the color paletteis interpolated smoothly between the assigned colors. If two colors are assigned using the Splitbutton, the color interpolation is punctuated and the palette jumps from the first to the secondcolor at the according level as shown for -80 dBm in the screenshot above. This feature can beused to highlight certain requirements without the need to define two levels.

Insert—inserts a new level above the currently selected value.

Remove—removes the selected level.

Split/Unsplit—splits the current level (i.e. allows the assignment of two colors) or removes thesplitting.

Threshold—It is possible to specify a threshold for the legend. Values below this threshold aredisplayed transparent as indicated in the palette preview. This feature allows the fast visualizationof different requirements without the need to change the color assignment.

· None ... no threshold is used, all values of the plot are displayed with the standard colorinterpolation. Values below/above the first/last color level are clipped and displayed with thefirst/last color.

· Clutter ... if the optimization uses clutter dependent thresholds, these thresholds can beused for the visualization. The text uses clutter thresholds is displayed in the legends toindicate that pixel depending thresholds are used. The ellipsis button (...) allows to view thecurrent settings. For every pixel the threshold is determined as given from the clutter, valuesbelow the pixel based threshold are displayed transparent.

· Fixed ... if the optimization uses a fixed threshold (not depending on clutter classes) thisthreshold can be used for the visualization.

· User defined ... a user defined threshold can be entered or selected with the slider.

Preview—The changes can be previewed in the map window using this button.

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Load—Allows to load the palette from a .pal file.

Save—Allows to save the palette to a .pal file.

VII.5 Statistical Analysis

This section describes the statistics functionality of 9955 ACCO Inspector.

Overview

9955 ACCO Inspector allows to analyze statistics for every floating point raster analysis, such asRX coverage, Ec/Io, etc, but also floating point based parameter data, and finally, target functionobjective plots.

The three respective analysis windows handle similarly. For specifics, please refer to thesub-topics.

VII.5.1 Plot Analysis

This section describes the statistics functionality relating to raster plots.

Overview

9955 ACCO Inspector allows to analyze statistics for every floating point raster analysis, such asRX coverage, Ec/Io, etc. The statistics can be viewed as CDF (cumulative distribution function) orPDF (probability density function) scaled in km² or % of the focus zone area. Depending on thecurrently shown state (before, after, or difference) the analysis for the selected state (before - redline, after - green line) or for both states (two lines - red and green) is displayed.

The analysis window

The analysis window for a result plot can be opened by double clicking on the corresponding itemin the tree view, with the context menu entry Display Analysis, or with the hot key Ctrl+A.

Graph Type—Either the CDF (cumulative distribution function) or the PDF (probability densityfunction) can be displayed for the selected plot.

Grid—This checkbox turns on horizontal and vertical grid lines.

Arithmetic Difference—This checkbox may be used to display an arithmetic difference graph in

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"difference" mode (see Implementation Plan Step selection) instead of showing "before" and"after" graphs

Y-Axis—The y-axis can be scaled in km² or percent of the focus zone. Please note that theanalysis is restricted to the focus zone in both cases.

Plot area—The plot area displays one (before, after) or two (difference) graphs of the evaluatedanalysis. Mouse tracking is available, the current x- and y-values are displayed right next to theaxes.

X-Axis min and max—These edit controls allow manual scaling of the horizontal axis.

Y-Axis max—This edit control allows manual scaling of the vertical axis upper limit.

Auto scale—This button (--> <--) near the x-axis automatically scales the horizontal axis to the x-range of values in the current plot, the corresponding button close to the y-axis automaticallyscales the vertical axis to the y-range of values in the current plot.

Default—These buttons scale the horizontal or vertical axis, respectively, to the default range forthe selected plot type.

Constrain to coverage fulfilled—Use this option to constrain the set of analyzed pixelsestablishing the statistics to those exceeding the corresponding coverage threshold.

Limit analysis to clutter classes—If this option is checked, a list of classes of the clutter file ora zone file is shown. Check or uncheck them to limit the analysis to the selected clutter classes.By this the entire statistics is based on the combined area of the selected clutter classes. This, e.g., means that 100% area in the CDF is the combined area of the selected clutter classes onlyand not the total area of the optimization area any more. If the clutter file or a zone file shall beused can be selected with the drop-down menu right next to the check box.

NoteThe target function plot for capacity (density based) displays the maximum possible throughputin Mbit/s per pixel as given by the modulation settings. The plot does not consider the offeredtraffic from the traffic map.

Mouse tracking functions

When moving the mouse cursor into the plot area, a vertical marker and one or two horizontalmarkers (depending on the number of active graphs) are automatically displayed and labeled withthe corresponding x- and y-values.

If a more detailed analysis for certain x-values is required, it is possible to lock the marker byclicking into the plot area with the left mouse button.

Two operation modes are possible depending on the number of graphs:

· If one graph is displayed (before or after), the marker is fixed to the current x-value. Asecond click unlocks the marker.

· If two graphs are displayed (difference), the marker for the graph closest to the mousecursor is locked, the marker for the other graph can now be moved. Subsequent mouseclicks lock or unlock the marker for the graph closest to the mouse cursor. By locking onemarker and moving the other marker, the statistics can be evaluated relatively to each othervery comfortably. Locking both graphs provides an easy way to read out certainmeasurement points.

Clipboard functions

Right click into the diagram area to invoke additional functions.

· Copy chart graphics to clipboard—Places a the chart in bitmap form into the clipboard

· Copy graph values to clipboard—Places a data values in tab separated text for into theclipboard. The data can be copied into a text editor or Microsoft Excel for further analysis.

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VII.5.2 Parameter Analysis

This section describes the statistics functionality relating to parameters.

Overview

9955 ACCO Inspector allows to analyze statistics for every floating point parameter, such asPower, Tilt, etc. The statistics can be viewed as cumulative, or density plot scaled in numbers ofcells or % of all cells. In density mode, a graph shows how many cells have the value at therespective X-axis position for the parameter the window is associated with. In cumulative mode,how many cells have this or a smaller value. Note that in density mode, a bar chart is used asgraph for better clarity.

Depending on the currently shown state (before, after, or difference) the analysis for the selectedstate (before - red line, after - green line) or for both states (two lines - red and green) isdisplayed.

Available parameters

Various cell parameters can be analyzed by Inspector.

Optimizable parameters

These are parameters that can be assigned optimization ranges in 9955 ACCO. It is possible toview the parameter value for the initial and optimized state and for every implementation planstep if available. Available parameters are:

· Azimuth

· Mechanical Tilt

· Electrial Tilt

· Effective Tilt

· Power

Result parameters

Result parameters are calculated during the optimization. They can be visualized for initial andoptimized state and for every implementation plan step if available.

· Captured Traffic (only if a traffic map is available, the unit is the same as in the traffic map)

· Resource units (only if a traffic (density based) target is calculated, in percent of the cell'scapability)

The analysis window

The analysis window for a result plot can be opened by double clicking on the corresponding itemin the tree view, with the context menu entry Display Analysis, or with the hot key Ctrl+A.

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Graph Type—Either cumulative or density representation can be used for the selected plot.

Grid—This checkbox turns on horizontal and vertical grid lines.

Arithmetic Difference—This checkbox may be used to display an arithmetic difference graph in"difference" mode (see Implementation Plan Step selection) instead of showing "before" and"after" graphs

Y-Axis—The y-axis can be scaled in km² or percent of the focus zone. Please note that theanalysis is restricted to the focus zone in both cases.

Plot area—The plot area displays one (before, after) or two (difference) graphs of the evaluatedanalysis. Mouse tracking is available, the current x- and y-values are displayed right next to theaxes.

X-Axis min and max—These edit controls allow manual scaling of the horizontal axis.

Y-Axis max—This edit control allows manual scaling of the vertical axis upper limit.

Auto scale—This button (--> <--) near the x-axis automatically scales the horizontal axis to the x-range of values in the current plot, the corresponding button close to the y-axis automaticallyscales the vertical axis to the y-range of values in the current plot.

Default—These buttons scale the horizontal or vertical axis, respectively, to the default range forthe selected plot type.

Filters—Allows exclusion, as far as the statistical graphs are concerned, of cells which areoutside the focus zone, and/or cells which were not changed by optimization, and/or, in"difference" mode only, cells which have not changed.

Mouse tracking functions

When moving the mouse cursor into the plot area, a vertical marker and one or two horizontalmarkers (depending on the number of active graphs) are automatically displayed and labeled withthe corresponding x- and y-values.

If a more detailed analysis for certain x-values is required, it is possible to lock the marker byclicking into the plot area with the left mouse button.

Two operation modes are possible depending on the number of graphs:

· If one graph is displayed (before or after), the marker is fixed to the current x-value. Asecond click unlocks the marker.

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· If two graphs are displayed (difference), the marker for the graph closest to the mousecursor is locked, the marker for the other graph can now be moved. Subsequent mouseclicks lock or unlock the marker for the graph closest to the mouse cursor. By locking onemarker and moving the other marker, the statistics can be evaluated relatively to each othervery comfortably. Locking both graphs provides an easy way to read out certainmeasurement points.

Clipboard functions

Right click into the diagram area to invoke additional functions.

· Copy chart graphics to clipboard—Places a the chart in bitmap form into the clipboard

· Copy graph values to clipboard—Places a data values in tab separated text for into theclipboard. The data can be copied into a text editor or Microsoft Excel for further analysis.

VII.5.3 Optimization Objective Analysis

This section describes the statistics functionality relating to target function optimization objectiveplots.

Overview

9955 ACCO Inspector allows to display target function optimization objective plots in detail.Depending on the currently shown state (before, after, or difference) the analysis shows theposition of the currently displayed Implementation Plan step, or steps, as a red ("before"), and/or,green ("after") line.

It is possible to change the currently displayed Implementation Plan step, not only by using thetoolbar (see Implementation Plan step selector), but also using the mouse to drag said lines tothe desired location, i.e., Implementation Plan step number.

NoteOptimization objective analysis is only available if an implementation plan has been calculated.

The analysis window

The analysis window for a result plot can be opened by double clicking on the corresponding itemin the tree view, with the context menu entry Display optimization objective plot, or with the hotkey Ctrl+O.

Grid—This checkbox turns on horizontal and vertical grid lines.

Plot area—The plot area displays the optimization objective plot, plus one (before, after) or two

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(difference) lines showing the respective position(s) of the displayed Implementation Plan step(s).

X-Axis min and max—These edit controls allow manual scaling of the horizontal axis.

Y-Axis max—This edit control allows manual scaling of the vertical axis upper limit.

Auto scale—This button (--> <--) near the x-axis automatically scales the horizontal axis to the x-range of values in the current plot, the corresponding button close to the y-axis automaticallyscales the vertical axis to the y-range of values in the current plot.

Default—These buttons scale the horizontal or vertical axis, respectively, to the default range forthe selected plot type.

Mouse tracking functions

When moving the mouse cursor into the plot area, a vertical marker and one or two horizontalmarkers (depending on the number of active graphs) are automatically displayed and labeled withthe corresponding x- and y-values.

If a more detailed analysis for certain x-values is required, it is possible to lock the marker byclicking into the plot area with the left mouse button.

Two operation modes are possible depending on the number of graphs:

· If one graph is displayed (before or after), the marker is fixed to the current x-value. Asecond click unlocks the marker.

· If two graphs are displayed (difference), the marker for the graph closest to the mousecursor is locked, the marker for the other graph can now be moved. Subsequent mouseclicks lock or unlock the marker for the graph closest to the mouse cursor. By locking onemarker and moving the other marker, the statistics can be evaluated relatively to each othervery comfortably. Locking both graphs provides an easy way to read out certainmeasurement points.

Clipboard functions

Right click into the diagram area to invoke additional functions.

· Copy chart graphics to clipboard—Places a the chart in bitmap form into the clipboard

· Copy graph values to clipboard—Places a data values in tab separated text for into theclipboard. The data can be copied into a text editor or Microsoft Excel for further analysis.

VII.6 Settings and Hotkeys

Settings

The settings dialog is opened with the symbol in the tool bar.

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Section Colors

Load template from—If this box is checked, an alternate color configuration file can be specifiedto override the default color settings. Please use the file DefaultColors.pal as a template for yourown settings, the best way to manage user defined color schemes is to save the individual colorpalettes in the color editor and merge those files into a copy of DefaultColors.pal with a texteditor.

Last used settings—Check this option to reload the color settings from your last session. If theoption is unchecked, 9955 ACCO Inspector uses the default colors every time it is launched.

Use Thresholds from Optimization—Check this option to use the threshold values for withcolor settings as used by the optimization. If the option is unchecked, 9955 ACCO Inspector usesthe thresholds used last (see above), or the default threshold settings.

Section Sounds

Moving mouse over cells—Enables a click sound when the mouse cursor enters the area of acell arrow symbol (and hence the parameter mouse over displays new values)

Clicking in cells—Enables a click sound when clicking on a cell to select it (and hence theparameter mouse over is locked to this cell)

Section Windows

Auto toggle legend panes—Automatically removes empty legend windows. If this option isunchecked, empty legend windows are not removed automatically but stay open, causing fewerre-draw operations of the map area.

Display title caption for docking panes—If this option is checked, the docking window title barwill show the window's name instead of the default grip area.

Display implementation plan step shown last—If this option is checked, the currentimplementation plan step is saved when closing Inspector and is restored when re-starting it withthe same project. If the option is not checked, Inspector always starts with the initial/lastimplementation plan steps.

Section Labels

Modify the sizes of labels of sites, cells, and graphs.

Hotkeys and useful information

Hotkeys

"F1" ... display Help

"1" ... to display the parameters and raster plots of the network configuration selectedby the Before list box

"2" ... to display the parameters and raster plots of the network configuration selectedby the After list box

"3" ... to display the parameters and raster plots as difference measures of Afterminus Before network configurations

"Ctrl+Home" ... to display the Initial (the very first) Implementation Plan Step

"Ctrl+End" ... to display the Optimized (the last) Implementation Plan Step

"Page Up",

"Page Down" ... cycle through Implementation Plan Steps for currently selected category("Before", "After"). If category "Difference" is chosen, the "Before" selection is modified.

"Shift+Page Up",

"Shift+Page Down"

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... step through category currently not selected (if "Before" is selected, stepsthrough "After" and vice versa). If category "Difference" is chosen, the "After"selection is modified.

Space... Disables/enables item currently selected in tree view (if any), independent of whichwindow has input focus.

"+" ... to zoom-in when the map is selected in the main 9955 ACCO Inspector window

"-" ... to zoom-out when the map is selected in the main 9955 ACCO Inspectorwindow

"*" ... to zoom to fit the entire focus zone into the visualization window, when the mapis selected in the main 9955 ACCO Inspector window

"S" ... to switch the Site labels ON and OFF

"C" ... to switch the Cell labels ON and OFF

"T" ... to switch the Tree pane ON and OFF

"R" ... to switch the Raster pane ON and OFF

"Shift+R" ... to switch the Raster mouse-over pane ON and OFF

"P" ... to switch the Network parameter pane ON and OFF

"Shift+P" ... to switch the Network parameter mouse-over pane ON and OFF

"O" ... to switch the Target Function Objective pane ON and OFF

"F" ... to switch the Find Site/Cell pane ON and OFF

"Ctrl+F" ... search for a site/cell using the Find Site/Cell pane

"Ctrl+Ins" ... copy current map view (zoom factor + bounding rectangle) to clipboard

"Shift+Ins" ... paste current map view (zoom factor + bounding rectangle) from clipboard

"Ctrl+Shift+A" ... HIDE or SHOW all open analysis window

"Alt+O", or "?" ... to open Settings (Options) dialog

"A" ... to show the About box

For selected tree items

"Ctrl+L" ... toggle legend

"Ctrl+C" ... edit colors

"Ctrl+M" ... display in mouse-over

"Ctrl+A" ... display Analysis window

"Ctrl+O" ... display Target Function Objective analysis window

"Shift+O" ... display in Target Function Objective pane

"," and "." ... transparency

"Space" ... check/uncheck

When mouse is over a cell

Tab ... cycle through all cells at current mouse position

NoteAvailable shortcuts are quoted in the status line of 9955 ACCO Inspector.

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8Greenfield Deployment

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VIII Greenfield Deployment

VIII.1 Overview

This section gives an overview over the Greenfield functionalities.

Greenfield

In case that no candidate sites are available for the radio network deployment, the best possiblesite locations have to be found first, before a network can be deployed. Furthermore, sometimesit is required to identify the best or minimum number of sites that needs to be deployed to satisfyminimum coverage and performance requirements. These problems are known as Greenfielddeployment scenarios.

The Greenfield Deployment Utility in 9955 ACCO finds site locations along vectors and withingiven areas. The sites are deployed according to different deployment strategies and generalrules. An example for a Greenfield deployment is shown below.

General work-flow for a Greenfield deployment

NoteGreenfield in 9955 ACCO supports several modes of operation. The differences and theindividual work-flows are described in more detail in the section on Greenfield Deploymentmodes.

For the most advanced Greenfield mode, where smart candidate sites are deployed, the work-flow is schematically shown below:

After defining a focus zone in 9955, the first step is to launch Greenfield directly in 9955. This is

either done via 9955/Tools/Greenfield, or with the associated button directly in the 9955toolbar.

Then, the individual parameters have to be defined in the Greenfield Deployment Utility userinterface. The parameters can be saved to a file for further use or loaded from previously createdfiles. This is explained in the sections Standard Mode and Advanced Mode.

Depending on the settings, the Greenfield Deployment Utility can be used to generate smartcandidates for further processing in 9955 ACCO or the sites are directly activated for furtherprocessing in 9955.

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The advantages of generating smart candidates rather than directly activate the sites are:

· All coverage predictions are directly taken into account

· Not only coverage, but performance and traffic limits can be directly considered

· Parameter ranges for the tilt and azimuth configuration can be selected on sector by sectorbasis

· Costs for the individual sites can be considered

· Area dependent optimization targets are considered

· Interference limitations are fully taken into account

· and many more.

For further details see also Greenfield modes, Standard Mode, Advanced Mode, DeploymentStrategies and Additional information.

VIII.2 Greenfield modes

This section gives an overview over the different operational modes in Greenfield.

The figure below highlights the different modes of operation in the Greenfield Deployment Utility.In general, the different modes are used to provide different trade-offs between Greenfielddeployment speed and the associated accuracy. The different modes are explained in thefollowing:

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Input data

The Greenfield Deployment Utility requires some input data in order to work properly. Thisincludes

· Digital terrain data

· Site templates

· Clutter data

· Vector data (optional)

· Focus zone

· Traffic density map or clutter based traffic density (optional)

Use alternative clutter—enabling this checkbox and selecting a BIL clutter file using the Selectfile button will replace the clutter data of the 9955 project by the selected file.

NoteIf an alternative clutter file is selected, Greenfield will miss the clutter classes definition as thiscan only be read for the default clutter file directly from the 9955 data base. Thus, the headerfile of the selected BIL clutter map must contain the clutter classes definition. Use a texteditor to complement the header file with the clutter classes by inserting a new section (theheader file has the same name as the BIL file but the extension is .HDR). Format of the clutter class definition section: ClassesBegin<clutter class ID>=<Clutter class name>...ClassesEndUse one line per clutter class, avoid white characters like spaces, etc. Example: ClassesBegin0=Unknown1=Water2=ForestClassesEnd

Greenfield Deployment Modes

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Greenfield provides two modes:

· Standard mode - based on site densities (corresponding to site ranges)

· Advanced mode - based on coverage requirements using propagation models from 9955

Subject to the optional use of 9955 ACCO, different work-flows are possible.

Standard mode -activate sites

Standard mode -candidate sites for

9955 ACCO

Advanced mode

Key advantage Extremely fastmethod to get a roughapproximation for thesite locations to cover

a certain area

Highly accuratemethod to identify the

best site locationsincluding the sector

parameters

Very fast method tocompute the minimum

number of requiredsites based on theactual prediction

losses in theGreenfield

environment

Deployment speed Extremely fast Fair Very fast

Accuracy Rough approximation Very accurate Accurate

Site deployment isbased on

Nominal inter-sitedistance

Nominal inter-sitedistance and siteactivation in 9955

ACCO

Received signalstrength

Post processingrequired in 9955ACCO?

NO YES NO

Propagation modelsconsidered?

NO YES (in 9955 ACCO) YES

Clutter dependentsettings?

YES YES YES

Site templates perclutter available?

YES YES YES

Optimization ofantenna tilt

Only for vectordeployment

Full 9955 ACCOcapability

To maximize cellrange

Optimization ofantenna azimuth

Only for vectordeployment

Full 9955 ACCOcapability

Approximations

Optimization of otherparameters

NO Full 9955 ACCOcapability

NO

Deployment targets Coverage Full 9955 ACCOcapability

Coverage

Traffic and capacityconsideration

NO Full 9955 ACCOcapability

YES

LOS check toneighbor sites

NO NO YES

Deployment report NO Full 9955 ACCOcapability

YES

Standard mode - active sites

The standard mode of Greenfield allows to activate all sites that are distributed. By doing so, thealgorithms will identify the best spots based on the general rules that are applied. All sites areactivated after the distribution. The distribution of the sites is based on the nominal inter-sitedistances between two neighboring sites. These inter-site distances can be defined on a clutter

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basis. This gives a rough approximation for the required number of sites, and their location forthe given Greenfield scenario.

This work-flow usually uses an oversampling factor of 1, i.e. Greenfield creates the number ofsites required for sufficient coverage.

CautionThe key purpose of the standard mode (with sites are directly activated) is to get a very roughapproximation of the site distribution. The results are good in regular terrain, but in irregularterrain one has to keep in mind that there are no prediction studies involved in the sitedistribution.

Standard mode - candidate sites

The most advanced, but also the most time consuming Greenfield deployment method is toidentify the best candidate locations, and then identify which subset provides the best overallperformance.

This work-flow usually uses an over-sampling factor of 2 to 16. That is, Greenfield creates a largenumber of candidates for 9955 ACCO which will then select the best sub-set of sites to meet thegiven objective.

This mode requires the usage of 9955 ACCO after the distribution of the candidates in thescenario. However, this includes the advantage that the full site selection and parameteroptimization capabilities of 9955 ACCO can be utilized.

Furthermore, this mode also allows the direct consideration of the costs of the different candidatelocations.

Then, the consecutive use of 9955 ACCO ensures that the Greenfield deployment is not limitedby the coverage requirements only. This mode for example also allows a direct site deploymentfor Ec/Io or throughput requirements in CDMA networks. This cannot be done in the other twomodes of operation, as they are focusing on coverage mainly.

Advanced mode

The key difference to the standard mode is that the site distribution – or candidate distribution – isnot based on the nominal inter-site distance, but on the received signal strength. This signalstrength is computed on a point-by-point basis, rather than on a raster basis. The point analysisensures that the computation is significantly faster than the prediction calculations for eachindividual pixel.

By doing so, the algorithms estimate the contour plot of the cell edge for each individual sector inorder to compute the best location of the neighboring base stations.

Advanced mode supports the specification of different templates per clutter class to select themost suitable template. In addition, traffic density matrices and captured traffic limits (lower andupper limits) can be used to avoid overloaded (underloaded) sites. Candidate locations (i.e. siteswithout sectors) can be used and are treated with a different pricing.

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VIII.3 Standard Mode

This section describes the different parameters of the Greenfield standard mode.

Clutter and vector data

Use these controls to view and modify settings for the clutter and vector depending input data.

Different base station templates, as defined in 9955, can be distributed in the focus zone. Thesebase station templates can be selected for each clutter class or vector data available. The clutterdata is automatically used as in the actual 9955 project. The vector data needs to be exportedfrom 9955, before it can be used. Please refer to Importing vector data for a description ofsupported vector formats. The distribution of the base station templates is done according to thecell range settings, as well as following other general rules set in this section.

Id—this column shows the clutter ID as used in the 9955 project. Vectors are assigned clutter IDsfrom 255 downwards.

Name—this column displays the name of the clutter class as defined in the 9955 project or thevector file name.

Cell range/km—use this column to view and modify the nominal cell range for the individual basestation templates for the individual clutter and vector types. The cell range is defined as themaximum distance covered by a single sector in a regular hex grid. This means that the nominalinter-site distance between two neighbor sites in the same clutter is 1.5 times the cell rangedefined in this section. This is schematically shown in the figure below.

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NoteWith a nominal cell range of more than 100km the algorithms will not deploy sites for thisclutter!

Template—use this field to view and modify the base station templates that should be deployedper clutter and vector type. The list box includes all base station templates defined in 9955. If notemplate is defined for a clutter class, no candidate locations are allowed to be located on thisclutter class.

NoteIf you assign one or two-sectorized templates to vector files, the antennas will automatically bealigned to the vector.

Add vector—click this button to add a vector file into the deployment project. Use the fileselection dialog to browse for a .mif (MapInfo vector file) to include the vector data. Please referto section Importing vector data for details on vector files.

CautionVectors can consist of independent vector parts. For optimum quality the vector data shouldconsist of as few vector pieces as possible.

Remove vector—use this button to remove a vector file from the clutter and vector data list.

Create new clutter file for focus zone including vector—enable this checkbox to create a newclutter file including the vector data selected above. This new clutter file will allow the directconsideration of the vector data as a new clutter class in 9955 ACCO. With this, dedicatedoptimization weights can be put on the vector data during the optimization process. Furtherdetails on the optimization weighting mechanisms are given in Clutter dependent optimizationweights.

NoteIn 9955 the clutter files can be used to define clutter specific prediction model settings. Thisthen means that different clutter types apply along a specific vector. In the new clutter file foroptimization, the clutter classes for pixels along the road are replaced by the vector's clutterclass. If this new clutter file would now be imported into 9955 and used for predictioncalculations, this would result in different path loss results as clutter classes along the vectorshave been changed.

Hence, 9955 ACCO gives the user the possibility to create a new clutter file that is only used forthe weighting in the optimization process. This new clutter file can then be included in the 9955ACCO as "Alternative clutter" for weighting and thresholds. Note that in that case the correctpredictions, with different clutters along the road are still used, but the new clutter is used forthe weighting.

Sometimes, however, it can be desired to use a special clutter class along a vector and toconsider it in the propagation calculation. In this case the new clutter file can be imported into9955. Don't forget to adjust the propagation model for the new clutter classes in this case.

Corridor width for vectors—use this field to specify the corridor width of the new clutter class in

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the new clutter file. This allows the direct consideration of a certain width of the corridor that hasto meet target objectives. For example, if it is required to cover not only a road, but a corridor of500m along the road, the user can then enter the corridor width for the consideration in thedeployment scenario.

The width of the corridor depends on the input value in the field above and the grid resolution ofthe clutter data, please refer to section Generation of new clutter files for details.

Options

Use these controls to view and modify general options for the Greenfield Deployment.

Oversampling factor—the oversampling factor is used to increase the number of candidatesites by a linear factor. Thus the nominal cell range and hence inter-site distance are reducedaccordingly. Use this feature to generate additional candidate sites for a smart site activation in9955 ACCO without the need to modify the individual clutter based cell ranges. For example, witha nominal cell range of 4km (inter-site distance = 6km), and an oversampling factor of 4, theinter-site distance will be reduced to 3km for the potential candidates that will be deployed.

The oversampling factor can be varied in the range of 1..16.

Remove existing sites in focus zone—enable this checkbox to remove all existing sites andtransmitters in the focus zone of the actual 9955 project.

Activate new sites—enable this checkbox to activate all transmitters of the new sites that aredistributed by the deployment algorithms.

In case that the new sites are not activated, these sites can be used as candidate sites for theautomatic selection and parameter optimization in 9955 ACCO. Of course it is possible to changethe activation state as required in 9955 after Greenfield processing.

Move to high point within a distance of—enable this checkbox to automatically move the sitesto a high point within a distance that needs to be specified. This is to ensure maximum coveragefor a given area. An example is schematically shown in the figure below.

Include clutter heights—this option is available if a Clutter Heights file is included in the 9955project. If you enable this checkbox, Greenfield will add the values of the clutter heights to thevalues of the Digital Terrain Model pixel by pixel.

Load—click this button to load templates and settings from previous deployments. The fileselection dialog will search for a Greenfield Deployment Utility data file (.grdt).

Save as...—click this button to save templates and settings so that they can be re-used by futuredeployment scenarios. The file selection dialog will save the settings into a GreenfieldDeployment Utility data file (.grdt).

NoteThe template files in the advanced mode are different to the template files in the standardmode. Hence, these templates can be loaded and saved independently.

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Running the Greenfield Deployment Utility

OK—click this button to deploy the Greenfield sites according to the parameters specified. TheGreenfield Deployment Utility will then automatically introduce sites, sectors and transmitters intothe 9955 project.

Cancel—click this button to close the Greenfield Deployment Utility without any action.

VIII.4 Advanced Mode

This section describes the different settings of the Greenfield advanced mode.

Important Information

The Greenfield Deployment Utility distinguishes between several types of sites:

· Sites with at least one active sector are treated as existing sites. The coverage of these sitesis included in the coverage predictions, parameters are not modified.

· Sites with only inactive sectors are treated as candidate sites. Different templates will betried, but azimuth and tilt will always kept unchanged at the initial settings. Only thosetemplates will be tried that have the same number of sectors as the candidate site.

· Sites without sectors are treated as candidate sites. These locations are included in theplacement process and assigned the best template allowed for the surrounding clutterclasses. Candidate sites can be assigned different costs with the candidate performancefactor or by allowing different templates for candidates and new sites. Please refer tosections Template parameters and Mast height for candidate sites for additional information.

· New sites are generated during the generation process. The site locations are generated asrequired and assigned the best template allowed for the corresponding clutter classes.

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Please note that the current 9955 filter settings are considered by Greenfield. This means thatsites and transmitters not contained in the current filter are not considered in Greenfield.

New sites created during the deployment process and chosen candidate sites are updated to the9955 project after the algorithm has finished. In addition to standard parameters like name,azimuth, tilt, etc., some user defined columns can be filled with information if they already exist inthe 9955 project. Refer to section Result parameters.

Clutter and vector data

Use these controls to view and modify settings for the clutter and vector depending input data.

Different base station templates, as defined in 9955, can be distributed in the focus zone. Thesebase station templates can be selected for each clutter class or vector data available. The clutterdata is automatically used as in the actual 9955 project. Vector data needs to be exported from9955 into .mif files, before it can be used. Please refer to Importing vector data for a descriptionof supported vector formats. The distribution of the base station templates is done according tothe coverage requirements, as well as other general rules described in this section.

Id—this column shows the clutter ID as used in the 9955 project. Vectors are assigned clutter IDsfrom 255 downwards.

Name—this column displays the name of the clutter class as defined in the 9955 project or thevector file name.

RX level/dBm—use this column to view and modify the desired received signal strength at thecell edge. The cell edge is estimated by a number of rays from the individual base station. Foreach of these rays the actual received signal level (RX level) is computed using the samepropagation models as used for the individual sectors in 9955. Then the algorithms estimate themaximum cell range for the individual site deployments. This is schematically shown in the figurebelow.

NoteWith a nominal RX level of -200dBm or less the algorithms will not try to cover this clutter at all.However, it is possible that sites are placed on that clutter to cover surrounding areas.

Template—use this field to view and modify the base station templates that should be deployedper clutter and vector type. The selection window includes all base station templates defined in9955. Multiple templates have to be separated by commas when specifying them manually.Vectors can only be assigned a single template that is used for the entire vector. Please refer tosection Site and template selection in advanced mode for additional information. The selectedcandidate is automatically applied for every sector and included in the report file. If a user definedcolumn GreenfieldTemplateName exists in the 9955 site table, it is updated with the templatename. Please refer to section User defined result parameters for details.

Note

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In case that the template field is left empty, the algorithms will not allocate any site to this cluttertype. This allows the user to ensure that no sites are located in special clutters, for examples inthe clutter type "water".

In case that a vector deployment is used, the vector overrules the underlying clutter, as a sitemight be deployed on a bridge over the water, as an example.

NoteIf you assign one or two-sectorized templates to vector files, the antennas will automatically bealigned to the vector.

Traffic dens.—use this field to define a traffic density per clutter type if no traffic density map hasbeen specified. This is particularly useful when using maximum captured traffic for the individualtemplates and no traffic density map is available. In that case the user can define a traffic density/km², or population density/km² or whatever density per area in km² for the different clutter types.Please note that the same unit (traffic, population, etc.) has to be used in the template's trafficlimit column. Vectors cannot be assigned a traffic density.

Traffic density and captured traffic can be used for different purposes:

· Templates can be assigned a maximum traffic. In this case sites are placed dense enoughto achieve coverage and to avoid excessive traffic.

· A global minimum captured traffic per site can be specified. In this case sites with less thanthe required traffic are not placed. Use this option to focus on areas with high traffic.

· Every site's captured traffic is contained in the report file and stored in the user definedcolumn GreenfieldSiteTraffic (if existing). Please refer to section User defined resultparameters for details.

For further details please see also the 9955 ACCO section on Captured Traffic.

NoteThe traffic density definition per clutter class and the pre-defined traffic density map that can beused are alternatives. They can not be used in combination. If the "Traffic map to limit capturedtraffic" checkbox is enabled, then the pre-defined traffic map is used. In case that the checkboxis disabled, and clutter dependent traffic density values are defined in the associated column,then these values are used to compute the captured traffic.

Heights—use this field to define the dedicated height values for the height optimization for eachclutter. The 9955 ACCO can optimize the height for the Greenfield deployment by consideringdifferent, but dedicated height values. Single values can be used to overwrite the pre-definedtemplates, as well as multiple antenna heights can be considered.

· Empty field: The template's height value will be used.

· Single value height: For example, when entering the value "20", the pre-defined value for theantenna height for the site template in 9955 will be overwritten. This allows the use ofdifferent clutter based antenna heights for the same base station template.

· Multiple antenna heights: In case that multiple antenna heights are entered, separated by ablank (e.g. "20 30 40"), all of these heights are considered for the site deployment. Thealgorithms will start with the highest antenna height and then compare the performance withlower antenna heights. Due to the fact that the sites are placed exactly for the initial height, itwill not be very likely that the site height can be reduced in most cases. However, it is likelythat sites with excessive traffic can be height reduced, as these sites are not coveragelimited. Certain vector sites only covering small pieces of the vector (for example due toshape of a valley) are potential candidates for hight reduction, too.

· For each clutter type the antenna heights can be defined individually (single and multipleheights).

If a user defined column GreenfieldMastHeight exists in the 9955 site table, it is updated with thechosen mast height, please refer to section User defined result parameters for details.

NoteThe number of dedicated height values for each site increases the computation time. Thus, it isrecommended to keep the antenna height values reasonably low.

Edit templates—use this button to view or edit the template parameters as defined in 9955. As

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some template parameters for some technologies cannot be directly modified in 9955, thisfunction can be used to adjust the templates as required.

CautionBe careful when editing template parameters, the changes directly modify the 9955 project.

Add vector—click this button to add a vector file into the deployment project. Use the fileselection dialog to browse for a .mif (MapInfo vector file) to include the vector data. Please referto section Importing vector data for details on vector files.

CautionVectors can consist of independent vector parts. For optimum quality the vector data shouldconsist of as few vector pieces as possible.Make sure that the used coordinate system of the vectors in the .mif file is identical to thecoordinate system of the project in 9955. Otherwise the result will be incorrect.

Remove vector—use this button to remove a vector file from the clutter and vector data list.

Traffic map to limit captured traffic—use this checkbox to use a dedicated traffic density mapfor the consideration of traffic in the Greenfield Deployment Utility. If enabled, a dedicated trafficdensity map can be used. If disabled, a specific traffic density map can be generated directly inthe Greenfield Deployment module, by using the clutter based traffic density column settings.

In order to consider the expected traffic for a given deployment area for the design of thenetwork, a traffic map is needed to calculate the captured traffic per cell during the sitedeployment process. Use this field to browse and load a proper traffic density map. A traffic mapfile can for example be generated with the 9955 function Export Cumulated Traffic.

Traffic density and captured traffic can be used for different purposes:

· Templates can be assigned a maximum traffic. In this case sites are placed dense enoughto achieve coverage and to avoid excessive traffic.

· A global minimum captured traffic per site can be specified. In this case sites with less thanthe required traffic are not placed. Use this option to focus on areas with high traffic.

· Every site's captured traffic is contained in the report file and stored in the user definedcolumn GreenfieldSiteTraffic (if existing). Please refer to section User defined resultparameters for details.

For additional details please refer to the 9955 ACCO section on Captured Traffic.

Report file name—9955 ACCO creates a report file after the use of the Greenfield DeploymentUtility. The report is in HTML format and includes:

· The input parameters and project settings (default propagation model, receiver height, etc.)for proper documentation

· Traffic map information (total traffic and average and maximum traffic density) if trafficdensity data is used

· Site lists for area placement:

o List of existing sites (including longitude, latitude and elevation)

o List of generated sites (including longitude, latitude and elevation)

o Captured traffic for every site

o Antenna height for every site (in case they are changed compared to the nominal heightin the template)

o Template name for every site

o "Relative Range", which describes if the coverage area was reduced due to an overloadin the captured traffic. A value of "1" means that there was no traffic overload. Values <1 indicate that the site was limited by traffic, rather than coverage.

· Captured traffic information for area placement: This table displays site and trafficinformation if only sites exceeding a minimum captured traffic are placed. The informationcan for example be that 200 sites with captured traffic > 0 can serve 100% of the traffic while120 sites with captured traffic > 10 can serve 98% of the traffic. This table allows a roughestimation how many sites are required to serve a certain traffic percentage.

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· Site lists for vector placement:

o List of existing sites (including longitude, latitude and elevation)

o List of generated sites (including longitude, latitude and elevation)

o Captured traffic, antenna height, template name are included as for area placement.

In addition to the report file, a traffic map file is generated if clutter based traffic densities areused. The traffic map has the same base file name

Create new clutter file for focus zone including vector—enable this checkbox to create a newclutter file including the vector data selected above. This new clutter file will allow the directconsideration of the vector data as a new clutter class in 9955 ACCO. With this, dedicatedoptimization weights can be put on the vector data during the optimization process. Furtherdetails on the optimization weighting mechanisms are given in Clutter dependent optimizationweights.

NoteIn 9955 the clutter files can be used to define clutter specific prediction model settings. Thisthen means that along a specific vector different clutter types apply. In the new clutter file foroptimization, the clutter class for pixels along the road is replaced by the vector's clutter class. Ifthis new clutter file would now be imported into 9955 and used for prediction calculations, thiswould result in different path loss results as clutter classes along the vectors have beenchanged.

Hence, 9955 ACCO gives the user the possibility to create a new clutter file that is only used forthe weighting in the optimization process. This new clutter file can then be included in the 9955ACCO as "Alternative clutter" for weighting and thresholds. Note that in that case the correctpredictions, with different clutters along the road are still used, but the new clutter is used forthe weighting.

Sometimes, however, it can be desired to use a special clutter class along a vector and toconsider it in the propagation calculation. In this case the new clutter file can be imported into9955. Don't forget to adjust the propagation model for the new clutter classes in this case.

Corridor width for vectors—use this field to specify the corridor width of the new clutter class inthe new clutter file. This allows the direct consideration of a certain width of the corridor that hasto meet target objectives. For example, if it is required to cover not only a road, but a corridor of500m along the road, the user can then enter the corridor width for the consideration in thedeployment scenario.

The width of the corridor depends on the input value in the field above and the grid resolution ofthe clutter data, please refer to section Generation of new clutter files for details.

Options

Use this section to view and modify general options for the Greenfield Deployment.

Site density—this control allows to adjust the resulting site density.

The optimization algorithms in the advanced mode estimate the cell edges based on theunderlying prediction computations provided by the prediction models from 9955. As theprocessing speed is of very high priority in the Greenfield Deployment process, the predictioncalculations can not be done for every single pixel. Instead, the calculations are done for anarrow grid of rays in the different directions from the base station. The consequence however isthat a target value of e.g. 95% coverage probability can not be defined, as not all pixels areevaluated.

In order to still allow maximum flexibility, the user can modify the site density by a site densityslider. This slider operates similar (but not exactly) as changing the required RX thresholds and isscaled in dB. Positive values ("more") result in a higher number of sites, negative numbers("fewer") will decrease the number of sites. Thus a value of +3 [dB] will have similar results aschanging the target value from -90 dBm to -87 dBm.

Site generation mode—the optimization algorithms in the advanced mode can handle severalsite generation modes. These modes define the priorities of the site deployment. That is, it canbe more important to deploy the sites along vectors such as highways, railways etc., first, and

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then consider additional sites for the area, while considering the coverage already provided bythe sites along the vectors. On the other hand there are deployment cases, where it might be ofhigher priority to consider coverage for the area first, and then ensure coverage along the vectorswhere not already deployed. In both cases the user does not have to run Greenfield multipletimes, rather it's only required once.

A third, and general case, considers the situation where the user wants to treat both area andvector deployment independently, or just generate candidates for a site activation process in9955 ACCO.

The different modes are described in the following paragraphs in more detail.

· Independent: In the independent mode the area and vector coverage are consideredindependently. This means that sites are deployed to ensure area coverage and vectorcoverage independently. The algorithms start with the area deployment and then move on tothe vector considerations. However, the vector coverage is considered to be independent ofthe area coverage, and hence the coverage, which is already given after the areadeployment is not taken into account when computing the necessary sites for the vectorcoverage.

NoteDue to the fact that some coverage is already provided in the area, when the vectors areinvestigated, a significant overbuild of sites is generated. Thus a smart site activation in 9955ACCO will be required after the Greenfield deployment.

· Vector first: In the vector first mode the algorithms start the deployment of the sites along thecorridor defined for the vector. After sufficient sites are found to satisfy the vector coveragerequirements, the remaining area is covered. This is done by considering the coverage inthe area that is already provided by the sites deployed for the vectors.

· Area first: In this case the algorithms start with the site deployment to satisfy the coveragerequirements in the area. After these coverage requirements are fulfilled, the algorithmsinvestigate the coverage along the vectors according to the defined requirements. In casethat these thresholds are not fulfilled already due to the area deployment, the algorithms willinclude additional sides to satisfy the vector limits.

Allowed gap length—this control allows to adjust the size of coverage gaps that are allowedduring placement. The default value is 100m which should be suitable for most UMTS and GSMprojects. For other technologies or projects with very large or very small site ranges it might beuseful to adjust the gap length.

NoteThe gap length is used to allow coverage gaps inside a sector's or site's footprint. In vectormode, no coverage gaps are allowed at the cell edge, in area mode only some radials areallowed to have coverage gaps resulting in a typical coverage of 90%..98% for averagescenarios.

Remove existing sites in focus zone—enable this checkbox to remove all existing sites andtransmitters in the focus zone of the actual 9955 project.

NoteThe option "Move to a high point within ..." is not required in the advanced mode, compared tothe standard mode. The reason for this is that the advanced mode already considers thepropagation models in the deployment strategies. The processing evaluates several locationsincluding dedicated higher points when targeting a certain area. Hence, the algorithms willautomatically find the best site locations, which may or may not be on a high point in any case.

Maintain template's antenna azimuth—enable this checkbox to disable changes in the antennaazimuth compared to the original template, i.e. to lock the antenna azimuth. This option is onlyconsidered in case of area deployment. This means that in case of site deployment along vectorsthe azimuth can not be locked.

Maintain template's antenna tilt—enable this checkbox to disable changes in the antenna tiltcompared to the original template, i.e. to lock the antenna tilt. This option is only considered incase of area deployment. This means that in case of site deployment along vectors the antennatilt can not be locked.

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Consider clutter based indoor losses—enable this checkbox to consider the clutter basedindoor losses on top of the defined coverage thresholds. The indoor losses are defined on a perclutter class in the 9955 project. If enabled, these values are automatically loaded and added tothe thresholds. For example, if the target threshold for clutter type "urban" is -90dBm, and theclutter defined indoor loss is 10dB, then the resulting target value is -80dBm. This represents thesum of the target value and the indoor loss.

Activate new sites—enable this checkbox to activate the new sites generated by the GreenfieldDeployment module. In case that many more site locations should be generated than requiredsite locations, it is of advantage if the user disables this checkbox to generate inactivetransmitters. In a typical case, it would then be 9955 ACCO that considers all the generated sitesand finds the best sites and their parameter configuration to satisfy the objectives.

Generate LOS report—enable this checkbox to automatically generate a list of neighbor siteswith line of sight (LOS) connections to the deployed site. The computations do only considerstraight LOS connectivity and no Fresnel calculations are considered. 9955 ACCO considers the50 closest neighbor base stations. The list is ordered by the distance to the base station ofinterest. The report file is stored in the same directory, and under the same name as the reportfile, but with the suffix "-LOS.html".

Place sites in a corridor along vectors—enable this checkbox to allow placement of sites invector mode in a certain distance and not only directly on the vector. The maximum alloweddistance is the value that has been entered. Please note that this option is independent of thegeneration of a new clutter files and that the vector's template is used for placement, even if thereis a significant distance to the vector.

Minimum captured traffic per site—enable this checkbox to avoid the creation of sites if theywould capture less than the specified traffic. This option allows to concentrate the sites in areaswith significant traffic. It is for area placement only.

NoteAn input value of 0 will only create sites with a captured traffic greater than (not equal) thethreshold (i.e. no sites will be created in areas without traffic), while positive values will createsites with a captured traffic greater or equal the threshold.

Include clutter heights—this option is available if a Clutter Heights file is included in the 9955project. If you enable this checkbox, Greenfield will add the values of the clutter heights to thevalues of the Digital Terrain Model pixel by pixel.

Load—click this button to load templates and settings from previous deployments. The fileselection dialog will search for a Greenfield Deployment Utility advanced data file (.grdta).

Save as...—click this button to save templates and settings so that they can be re-used by futuredeployment scenarios. The file selection dialog will save the settings into a GreenfieldDeployment Utility advanced data file (.grdta).

NoteThe template files in the advanced mode are different to the template files in the standardmode. Hence, these templates can be loaded and saved independently.

Template parameters

The second tab sheet allows to edit template based settings.

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Name—The template name as defined in 9955.

Traffic limit—use this column to define a maximum traffic limit for the template. The specifiedvalue will limit the captured traffic for sites using this template. If the theoretical captured trafficinside the site's coverage footprint exceeds the maximum allowed value, the site range isreduced to match the limit.

Please note that Greenfield can only apply estimations for the captured traffic as the cell bordercannot be evaluated on a per pixel basis and neighboring sites have not yet been created whenthe range reduction has to be applied. The deviation is tried to be kept below 10%.

If you specify multiple templates for certain clutter classes, for example a more expensivetemplate with higher traffic limit and a normal template, the algorithms will automatically choosethe normal template in areas with less traffic and the more expensive template in areas where asmaller number of more expensive templates are suitable. Please refer to section Site andtemplate selection in advanced mode for additional information.

NoteThe captured traffic limitation applies for area deployment only. It is not considered for vectordeployment.

Cost—Every template can be assigned costs. Please note that only the relation of the costs isimportant and that all costs have to be positive and are not allowed to be zero. New locations areassigned full costs while candidate locations are approximately assigned the percentage of costsas defined in the acceptance level. The algorithms will choose the best suitable templates asdescribed in Site and template selection in advanced mode.

Applicable for—Use this column to specify how the template is allowed to be used, possiblevalues are:

· all sites ... the template can be used for new sites and candidate locations

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· new sites ... the template can be used for new sites only

· candidate sites ... the template can be used for candidate locations only

· none ... the template is not used at all (even if it is assigned to clutter classes)

NoteCandidate locations are existing sites in the 9955 project without transmitters assigned.

Usually it will not be required to restrict the placement of templates with this parameter. In specialsituations it is however possible to assign individual costs to templates for candidates and newsites.

To make use of this feature, you have to duplicate the required templates in 9955, for exampleyou might want to use the templates Dense Urban and Dense Urban (cand). If the first templateis restricted to new sites and the second one to candidate sites, individual costs can be assignedand used. This allows to use different cost relations for different templates on candidate sites andnew sites. Please note that the acceptance level for candidates is used for candidates, thus youeither should set the acceptance level to 100% when using this scheme or you have to considerthe value in your costs as described below.

Template options

These options influence the placement of sites on new locations or on candidate locations.

NoteCandidate locations are existing sites in the 9955 project without transmitters or with inactivetransmitters. Use templates with 0 sectors assigned in 9955 to create candidate locations orremove the transmitters from existing sites.

Allow candidates only—If checked, no new sites will be created, only candidate sites will beused.

Select candidate location if performance...—This parameter allows to prefer candidatelocations over new site locations. The influence of the parameter is that a template will beselected even if its performance (i.e. the relation of gain by cost) is only the specified percentageof a new site location in the neighborhood. This is similar to a cost reduction of candidate sitescompared to new sites.

Example

If the Greenfield Deployment Utility evaluates for example these site locations:

x1/y1

new template1

+20km²

cost1.0

performance 20

x1/y1

new template2

+24km²

cost1.5

performance 16

x2/y2

candidate

template1

+10km²

cost1.0

performance 10

If the input value is 50% (or below) for this particular example, the algorithms will chose thecandidate location because the performance is at least 50% of the best new site location'sperformance. If the input value is above 50%, template1 on the new site location is used.

Please note that this is just an example, the algorithms do not evaluate single sites butsequences of sites.

Consider sites without transmitters as candidates—If checked, sites without transmitters in9955 will be considered as candidate locations. The best template will be applied using aperformance/cost ratio as decision criterion. Azimuth and tilt will be optimized.

Consider sites with only inactive transmitters as candidates...—If checked, sites where onlyinactive transmitters are assigned will be considered as candidates. The best template will beapplied using a performance/cost ratio as decision criterion. No further parameter optimizationswill be done. Note that only templates with the same number of sectors will be used.

Running Greenfield

OK—Starts the processing. Greenfield will automatically introduce sites, sectors and transmitters

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into the 9955 project.

Cancel—Closes Greenfield.

VIII.5 Deployment Strategies

This section describes settings for the Greenfield deployment functionality.

Site deployment along vectors

The efficient deployment of sites along vector data is particularly important. Typical examplesrequire sufficient coverage and performance for major roads, railways or temporary events.

The vector data in 9955, can not be accessed directly via API functionalities. Hence, the vectordata has to be exported to MapInfo vector files (.mif) to be usable for the automatic sitedeployment. Use the Add vector button to load a .mif file into the Greenfield Deployment Utility.Please refer to section Importing vector data for details on vector files.

Best site location along vector data (standard mode)

Usually vector sites are placed in the same distance as in area mode, i.e. 1.5 times the siterange. However, different strategies are implemented for the deployment of sites along vectors ifthe terrain contains significant high points. This is particularly the case for more difficult terrainsuch as mountain roads.

In order to enable an efficient deployment along vectors, 9955 ACCO has included a number ofdifferent strategies depending on the actual limitation along the vector. These strategies alsoinclude mechanisms that deploy sites on strategically good locations such as high points, as wellas locations where the maximum line of sight (LOS) visibility to the vector data can be ensured.This is schematically shown below.

The inter-site distance between two neighboring sites will not exceed the nominal site distancedefined for the vector data in the Settings. However, depending on the best strategic locations,the inter-site distance can be below the nominal inter-site distance.

NoteWith a nominal cell range of more than 100km the algorithms will not deploy any more sites!

NoteThe site location along vector data considers both azimuth and tilt optimizations. However, thisis only possible for site templates using one or two sectors per sites. For site templates withmore than two sectors per site no azimuth/tilt adjustment is performed.

Best site location along vector data (advanced mode)

In advanced mode sites are placed along the vector (or in a certain distance if placement incorridor is used) to achieve coverage along the vector. The algorithm places test sites along theroad and analyzes the coverage. If the template has one or two sectors assigned, azimuth and tiltare first aligned to the vector and then modified to point to the vector at the cell edge. If thetemplate has a single sector, it is aligned to the vector without further adjustment. The test site

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with the largest distance to the vector start that does not create excessive gaps is then used as anew site and a new series of test sites is generated.

Please note that coverage gaps of the specified length are allowed within a site's footprint, but notat the cell border between two sites.

Candidate locations are used in vector mode, too. To check their potential coverage, they areassigned the vector's associated template and coverage is predicted along the vector. If acandidate site is able to achieve at least the specified percentage of the best site's performance(as given with the acceptance level), it is preferred to a new site.

NoteCandidate sites are assigned the vector's template when checking for vector coverage, not thetemplate of the clutter they're located on.

NoteCandidate sites have to be located inside the focus zone.

In vector first and independent mode only the coverage of existing sites is considered, not thecoverage of sites generated by the Greenfield Deployment Utility for area coverage. In area firstmode the influence of newly generated sites is considered for vector coverage.

Site deployment in areas

For the site deployment in areas different concepts are implemented as well.

Site deployment in areas (standard mode)

The key objective is to distribute sites with a nominal cell range that can be defined on a perclutter basis. Furthermore, different base station templates can be selected for each differentclutter type. This is to make sure that different base station types can be defined for differentareas.

Based on the nominal cell-range, different general rules may apply. This leads to variations in theactual cell-range and hence the inter-site distance. For example, if a site is moved to the nexthigh point within a certain radius, the nominal cell range will be different.

Site deployment in areas (advanced mode)

Site generation in advanced mode analyzes coverage for every site in a number of directions.The processing is done site by site by picking a reference site and by placing new sites orchoosing candidate sites in the neighborhood. The aim is to avoid coverage gaps and to achievecoverage on the reference site's cell border by the neighbor sites as well. To be more specific,only few small coverage gaps are allowed leading to a typical coverage of 90..98% for averagescenarios.

In area first and independent mode only the coverage of existing sites is considered, not thecoverage of sites generated by the Greenfield Deployment Utility for vector coverage. In vectorfirst mode the influence of newly generated vector sites is considered for area coverage.

Candidate locations are supported for area placement, these are given by existing sites withouttransmitters in the 9955. The rules applied to candidate sites are less strict and an acceptancelevel can be specified to prefer candidate locations even if the performance is less than for newsites.

Please refer to section Site and template selection in advanced mode for additional information.

Combined area and vector deployment

Greenfield allows the joint deployment of sites including area and vector data.

Standard mode

Area and vector deployment are independent in standard mode as the sites are considered to becandidate locations for a subsequent smart site activation in 9955 ACCO.

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Site deployment in areas (standard mode)

In case of the advanced mode is used, it is recommended to either use vector first or area firstmode depending on your requirements. Independent mode should only be used if you plan to runa smart site activation in 9955 ACCO subsequently.

An alternative work-flow with two steps is possible allowing you to do manual modifications afterthe vector sites have been placed:

Step 1 - Vector deployment to make sure that the streets are covered best by the 2-sector-sitesand to minimize handovers between the different sectors when moving along the vector. This canbe done by using vector data and setting the RX level requirements for the other clutter classesto a level below -200dBm. When applying these settings, the algorithms will not deploy sites tocover these clutters, and only the vectors remain.

Step 2 - Area deployment: Once the sites are deployed for the vector data, the algorithms willconsider the sites created in the first run. Additional sites will then be deployed considering thealready existing sites and the remaining area will be filled up in the best possible way.

Scattered areas

Starting with Greenfield 1.4.0 (March 2009), working with scattered areas has been improved bydividing the total focus zone in sub-areas of connected regions. The Greenfield algorithms willsubsequently be applied to these sub-areas consecutively. By that, all sub-areas will be coveredeven if the focus zone is severely scattered.

Standard mode

For heavily scattered areas, results of a standard mode run will probably use more sitescompared to previous versions of Greenfield. The reason is that older Greenfield versions tendedto ignore some of the sub-areas while Greenfield 1.4.0 or later considers all of the sub-areas.The result is that Greenfield will place a site in each sub-area.

Advanced mode

All of the sub-areas will be analysed, but a site will only be placed in a sub-area, if this sub-areacannot be covered by sites which have already been placed in the vicinity.

VIII.6 Additional information

This section provides additional useful information for Greenfield.

Importing vector data

The Greenfield Deployment Utility supports import of vector files in MapInfo (.mif) format only.

Quality of vector data

Vector files can consist of several lines or vector pieces. The Greenfield Deployment Utilitycontains algorithms to join lines and vector pieces if successive end- and start-points are equal. Itdoes not contain advanced algorithms to join vector pieces that are out of order, in changingdirection, have gaps etc.

The internal processing of vector files is as they are contained in the imported file. This may leadto unexpected results if a vector is not composed of a single long vector element, but by severalnon-consecutive sub-pieces. As every vector piece is processed individually, it might be requiredto place a site to achieve coverage though placing the site in a larger distance (i.g. on the nextvector piece) would be sufficient. This results in a higher number of sites than required.

CautionVectors in 9955 can be put together by means of different sections of vectors. In that case thevector appears to be a single vector in the GIS, however, logically it consists of multiple small

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vectors. This can sometimes be checked in 9955 by enabling the "Edit" feature when the vectoris selected in the Geo data tab. Then, the user can select the vector and see if it is actually onlya small portion of the entire vector of interest, or if it includes all points from the start to the end.Please note that certain vectors can still consist of multiple pieces, even if they are displayed asone piece in 9955.

In case that the vector data is set up as a bunch of smaller vector contributions, the deploymentalgorithms in the Greenfield Deployment Utility consider each remaining vector individually.Hence, the algorithms cannot consider if two vectors are overlayed and thus the generatedinter-site distances might differ from the input parameters.

To overcome that problem, please make sure that the vector data in 9955 is really only a singlevector. It might be required to draw a new vector and export this vector or to use external toolsto join the vector pieces.

Exporting vectors from 9955

Vectors in the Geo data tab can be exported by following these steps:

1. Navigate to the Geo data tab in 9955 project explorer and open the vector data folder.

2. Select the vector data of interest, right click and select "Save as"

3. Save the vector data as MapInfo file (.mif)

The vector data is now available for further processing in the Greenfield Deployment Utility. Toinclude the vector data in the automatic site deployment, use the Add vector button in theGreenfield Deployment Utility user interface.

CautionPlease ensure that the quality of the vector data is sufficient for placement. This means that thevector should contain as few vector pieces as possible. Please refer to the previous section fordetails.

CautionMake sure that the used coordinate system of the vectors in the .mif file is identical to thecoordinate system of the project in 9955, otherwise Greenfield will not be able to project thevector data accurately.

Supported vector file formats

The vector format supported by the Greenfield Deployment Utility is the mapinfo vector file format(.mif).

The file may consist of a header (terminated with a DATA token) and a series of LINE or PLINEentries. The tokens PEN, BRUSH, POINT and REGION can be contained in the file and areignored. Other tokens are not allowed and have to be removed before importing the file.

Generation of new clutter files including vector data

The 9955 ACCO Greenfield Deployment Utility allows to generate a new clutter file including thevectors with a specified corridor width. This clutter file can be used in 9955 ACCO to put clutterdependent weights on vector data, for example if coverage is required along the vectors only andnot in the surrounding areas.

The width of the corridor depends on the input value in the field above and the grid resolution ofthe clutter data. This is schematically shown in the following picture:

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The vector data is sampled with a sampling length of the raster resolution, i.e. the pixel size ofthe clutter data. This gives a number of "reference points". These reference points define thecentral pixel for the corridor width for this part of the vector. For example: If the clutter resolutionis 50m and the corridor width is defined as 50m, then, the resulting clutter representing thecorridor along the vector data only has a width of 50m.

In case that the corridor width is a multiple of the basic 50m (or any other) resolution, then theeffective corridor width will always be an odd multiple of the initial resolution. For example, if theinitial resolution is 50m, the next possible corridor widths are 150m, 250m, 350m, etc. In casethat the user inserts a corridor width that is not a direct multiple of the underlying resolution, the

effective corridor width will be computed as follows, assuming a basic pixel resolution of 50m:

Input value pixel width effective corridor width1...99m 1 pixel --> 50m100m...199m 3 pixels --> 150m200m...299m 5 pixels --> 250m200m...299m 7 pixels --> 350metc...

NoteThe implemented algorithm allows corridor widths that are multiples of the clutter resolution.Depending on the slope of the vector data, the effective corridor width will hence vary.

Site and template selection in advanced mode

This section briefly describes how sites are generated in advanced mode

Placement algorithm for area mode

The Greenfield Deployment Utility generates new site locations with an algorithm that can bedescribed as follows

1. Choose a reference site, usually this is the next site that has not been processed

2. If no reference site is available, a new site is generated in a region with high demand. If thereis no more demand, the algorithm finishes

3. Analyze the site's neighborhood in different directions. If coverage is required in a direction aset of possible site locations is generated including possible candidate locations. If there is nodemand in any direction, go to step 1

4. Find the best sequence of sites surrounding the reference site to achieve coverage on thereference site's cell border

5. Go to step 1

Generation of new site location and selection of suitable candidate locations

If requirement for additional sites has been determined in a certain direction (from the reference

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site), new sites are placed in this direction. The algorithm analyzes the reference site's range inthe evaluated direction as well as the overall range and places a test site in the investigateddirection depending on these ranges. The test site and its relation to the reference site isanalyzed applying different rules. If the distance is too far (for example if there is a coverage gap)a new test site is created with smaller distance, otherwise the distance is increased. This isrepeated several times to create a number of possible site locations and to find the optimumdistance. The process is done for all allowed templates individually, as different templates mightrequire different distances.

After site locations are generated, candidate locations in the investigated direction and in therange of the new sites are added to the pool of site locations.

Evaluation of the best sequence of neighbor sites

After the surrounding test locations for a reference sites have been created, the algorithmgenerates different sequences of neighbor sites. These sequences may include existing sites aswell and have to satisfy a number of rules, such as

· The reference site's cell border should be totally covered by the neighbor sites (no gaps arepreferred, few gaps are allowed)

· The footprint area of the sites should not differ too much

· The angular directions of the neighbor sites should be regular

· If there are gaps these should be as small as possible

Several other rules are applied depending on the test locations. To support the use of candidatelocations, the rules for candidate locations are less strict than those for new locations.

If a new suitable sequence is found, it's performance is evaluated:

· The sequence's gain is the weighted coverage increase generated by the sequence of sites

· The cost is the sum of the individual costs. The cost of candidate locations is reduced by theacceptance level to be able to handle combinations of new sites and candidate locations.

· The performance of the sequence is the quotient of gain and cost. The sequence with thebest performance is chosen and the sites are generated.

Mast height for candidate sites

Candidate sites are sites without transmitters, thus these sites do not contain information aboutthe mast height. An additional column can be created in the site table to specify the candidatemast height per candidate site.

Creating the column 'CandidateMastHeight'

Follow these steps to create a new column in the site table:

· Right click on the Site item in the project explorer's data tree to get the context menu andchoose Properties.

· Select the tab sheet Table.

· Click the button Add.

· Give the new column the name CandidateMastHeight.

· The column's data type can either be numeric (single or double, allows only one height percandidate) or text (allows multiple heights per candidate). For text columns the size shouldbe large enough to hold the required input.

Using the column 'CandidateMastHeight'

If other than the assigned template's antenna heights shall be used for a candidate, the requiredheight(s) have to be entered in the column CandidateMastHeight. The values are handled similarto the clutter based heights:

· If the field is empty, the template's antenna height is used.

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· If one height is entered, the value overrides the template's antenna height.

· If several heights are entered (separated by blanks), the largest value is used for placement,smaller values are used for height reduction.

Result parameters

After the algorithms have finished, sites, transmitters and cells are created or updated in the 9955project. This section describes the parameter modifications.

Standard result parameters

The following rules are applied for standard parameters:

Table Sites

· The site name is set to a unique site name with the format 'Sitexxx'. The first available sitenumber not conflicting with existing sites is used.

· The columns longitude and latitude are set to the chosen coordinates.

· The altitude is set to the DTM height used by the Greenfield Deployment Utility to ensurecalibration with 9955.

· All other columns are not set, i.e. their default values are maintained.

Table Transmitters

· The transmitter name is set to a unique name with the format 'Sitexxx_y'.

· Azimuth, tilt, and height are set as defined in the template or as chosen by the azimuth/tiltand height adjustment.

· Active is set to true or false as defined in the options.

· REDT is left empty. Additional electrical downtilt is not used by the Greenfield DeploymentUtility and is set to 0 or null.

· All other columns are copied from the template. The same rule as in 9955, is used, i.e. allcolumns with the same name in the transmitters table and the template are set in thetransmitter.

· Columns not existing in the template are not set, i.e. their default values are maintained.

Table CDMACells/WCells

· The cell name is set to a unique name with the format 'Sitexxx_y(1)' (only one carrier pertransmitter is supported).

· All other columns are copied from the template. The same rule as in 9955, is used, i.e. allcolumns with the same name in the cell table and the template are set in the cell.

· Columns not existing in the template are not set, i.e. their default values are maintained.

User defined result parameters

In addition to the default parameters, some user defined parameters can be set by the GreenfieldDeployment Utility. Two different categories of parameters have to be distinguished: Known userparameters and 9955 user parameters.

Known user parameters

Currently three user defined parameters are known. Two of them can exist in the site table, onecan exist in the site table and/or the transmitters table. The columns are only filled with theinformation if they are created by the user before running the Greenfield Deployment Utility.

Please follow the steps as described in Creating the column CandidateMastHeight to create newcolumns.

· The column GreenfieldSiteTraffic can be created in the site table and/or the transmitters

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table (data type single or double). It is filled with information if traffic densities are used, i.e. ifeither a traffic density raster or clutter based traffic densities are provided. If the value of thetraffic density is [unit]/km², the column contains the site's captured traffic in [unit].

· The column GreenfieldTemplateName can be created in the site table. It has to be of typetext and has to be large enough to hold the project's template names.

· The column GreenfieldMastHeight can be created in the site table (data type single ordouble). It is filled with the chosen mast height (either from the template or the clutter basedmast heights).

NoteThe column GreenfieldSiteTraffic can be used to apply filters or color schemes for sites and/ortransmitters in 9955. This can be used to evaluate different minimum captured traffic values inthe planning tool after one single run of the Greenfield Deployment Utility. The possibility tocreate the column in the site and the transmitter table allows different filtering for sites andtransmitters.

Example: Set the minimum captured traffic in the options to 0 to create only sites with traffic >0. After the sites have been created, you can use user defined filters to evaluate sites withtraffic >= 10, >= 50, >= 100...The steps to add a site filter are:· right click on Sites and select Properties in the data tab· click on Filter in the General tab· navigate to the Advanced tab· enter or select the column name GreenfieldSiteTraffic and enter a condition (e.g. '>= 10')

9955 user parameters

The Greenfield Deployment Utility uses the same handling for user defined parameters in thetransmitter table as 9955.

If you create user defined parameters in the table transmitters, these are automatically availablefor input in the templates. Fill your parameters with proper template values and these areautomatically copied to the new transmitters.

Please do not create user defined parameters with the name of known user parameters, becausethe behaviour for user defined parameters overrides the handling of 9955 user parameters. Thismeans that if you specify values for the columns GreenfieldTemplateName,GreenfieldMastHeight or GreenfieldSiteTraffic in the template, these values are ignored and thealgorithm's output values are written to the transmitters table.

Projects using much memory

Greenfield is designed for very fast calculation of small, medium, or large projects. However, ifthe project exceeds a certain size (usually in the order of tens of thousands of sites), Greenfieldmight run out of memory. In this case,

1. data is removed from memory to be able to continue running at the expense of runtimeperformance,

2. if that still does not help and Greenfield runs out of memory, a dialog is presented and the userhas the option to import that result achieved so far back to 9955.

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9Incident Reports

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IX Incident Reports

IX.1 Sending Incident Reports

Incident reports are compressed archive files containing information required to analyze orreproduce software behaviour at your software vendor. They are automatically generated afterfatal errors or they can be generated by the user. Incident Reports are stored in the 9955 ACCOtemp directory for further submission and have to be deleted manually.

Types of Incident Reports

Two different incident report formats are available:

· Small report: includes all textual data, optimization ranges and settings, log files but notexcessive binary data.

· Large report: includes the small reports data and binary data for path losses, elevationangles, traffic maps etc.

Which report type to submit

The data required to analyze software behaviour varies from situation to situation. As a generalrule you should provide as much information as possible - as long as the amount of data can besubmitted via FTP or e-mail.

Small or large report?

Generally you should try to submit the large report if it is smaller than 3 MB. Large reports up to50 MB should be transferred by FTP. If the report size exceeds 50 MB, you should prefersubmission of the small report.

Please note that the incident report files are stored on your hard disk. If the analysis of the smallincident report reveals that the large report is required, you will be contacted by the support tosubmit the large report.

FTP or e-mail?

The Incident Report Manager uses an integrated FTP client or your Windows e-mail applicationto submit reports to your software vendor. For small reports up to 3 MB both methods aresuitable, for large reports FTP transfer should be used. Incident reports are plain files, it ispossible to copy them to other media as CDs or flash memory devices.

The integrated FTP client uses passive mode, proxy support is not available.

What to submit if report generation fails

In the very rare case that an error occurs during the incident report generation, please use theoption to submit the log file by pressing the according button in the Incident Report tool.Alternatively you can e-mail a screenshot with a detailed problem description.

IX.2 Manually Creating Incident Reports

Usually incident reports are generated with the menu item Generate Incident Report in the 9955ACCO menu Tools. This function automatically adds the data loaded in 9955 ACCO to the report.

Alternatively it is possible to create incident reports using the Windows start menu entry 9955ACCO/Create Incident Report. This function allows to add user defined data to the incidentreport.

Creating Incident Reports

Use the Windows start menu entry 9955 ACCO/Create Incident Report to launch the incidentreport generation tool.

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With this tool you can add and delete files or folders and provide additional arguments. Usuallyyou will add the files and folders you want to submit, there is no need to specify additionalarguments. In some situations support might request additional information and provide you witharguments to be entered or copied into the corresponding input field.

Adding files and directories

The Incident Report Generator supports several pre-defined files that are automatically handledcorrectly. If you add these file types, the directories associated to the files are automaticallyadded to the report.

· Optimization Environment files (.coe) The according Optimization Environment directory is automatically added.

· Measurement Environment files (.cme)The according Measurement Environment directory is automatically added.

· Optimized Network Files (.con)

Other files or directories can be added as required to provide suitable information to the support.

IX.3 Managing Incident Reports

Incident reports are stored in the temporary optimization folder specified in the 9955 ACCOoptions. Usually this is C:\Windows\Temp\C3G, but it can be moved to a different location.

Reports are stored for further use and can be submitted or deleted with the Incident ReportManager.

Launching the Incident Report Manager

The Incident Report Manager can be launched with the menu Tool / Manage Incident Reports in9955 ACCO or with the Windows start menu entry 9955 ACCO/Manage Incident Reports. Inaddition it is automatically launched after a report has been created.

The Incident Report Manager automatically scans the temporary optimization folder for reportsand displays them in a structured, sorted list.

Submitting Incident Reports

Reports can be submitted by selecting a single report and clicking on one of the submit buttons:

· Send report via e-mail: After prompting for additional information, Report Manager uses yourdefault e-mail application to send the report.

· Send report via ftp: After prompting for additional information, Report Manager uses anintegrated FTP client to upload the report to the support team. The FTP client uses passivemode, proxy support is not available.

Please refer to section Sending Incident Reports for additional information on FTP and e-mailsubmission.

Before the report can be sent, some additional information is requested:

· Your name

· Your company

· Reply e-mail address (important for FTP submission)

· A problem description. Please provide as much information as possible to allow analysis andreproduction of your problem.

Deleting Incident Reports

Reports can be deleted by selecting a single or multiple reports and pressing the Delete button.

Please be careful and do not delete reports of pending support requests.

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Using alternative folders

In some cases it might be required to manage reports that are located in a different folder thanthe temporary optimization folder:

· If the temporary optimization folder has been changed and reports in the previous foldershall be managed or submitted.

· If reports on a different machine shall be managed or submitted.

· If reports have been moved to an external drive or a backup directory.

Use the toolbar button select source directory to browse for a new report folder. Incident ReportManager automatically enumerates the new folder and displays the reports in the tree view.

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10Cleanup

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X Cleanup

X.1 Overview

The Cleanup tool provides a comfortable way to delete unused 9955 ACCO optimizationenvironments and result data folders. You call it from the Windows start menu via the 9955 ACCO program group.

Environments

Select the folder to start searching for optimization environment data by using the button,then press Search folder. The main window will present a list of detected environments. Selectthem by checking the tick boxes, then press Clean up to delete the data.

Results

Select the folder to start searching for result data by using the button, then press Searchfolder. The main window will present a list of detected result folders. After expanding a folder byclicking on the "+" icon, you will see a list of available implementation plan steps. Select them all

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at once by checking the tick box of that folder. De-select the steps you want to keep by de-selecting the check boxes one by one. Pressing the Clean up button will delete all result data for the selected steps (those with tickboxes). De-selected steps will remain on disc including the analysis plots for Inspector, the resultfile with the optimized network configuration, and the report file.

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11License Manager

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XI License Manager

XI.1 Overview

The License Manager provides a comfortable way to apply license files to a local or a networkdongle.

NoteDongles connected to remote computers can be updated, too, if that remote computer isconfigured as CodeMeter license server and the licenses stored on the dongle are networklicenses. Local licenses (also known as workstation licenses) on remote dongles cannot beupdated. A local license can only be updated on the computer where the dongle is connected.

NoteLicense update files (also known as activation files) are now provided as .syl-files. Syl-filescontain not only a single update, but may contain a series of older updates and the currentupdate. License Manager will try to install all updates beginning with the oldest. This ensuresthat dongles are always kept up to date and the customer does not need to take care aboutapplying updates in the correct order, etc.

You call it from the Windows start menu via the 9955 ACCO program group.

License File

Select the 9955 ACCO license file to apply by using the button, then click the Start LicenseUpdate to apply the license.

You will find information about the licence file that is currently loaded under License File Info.

Update

If a valid license file is loaded, the Start License Button is enabled. Press it to start the update.

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The Cancel License Update button enables you to stop the license update while it is running, e.g.if it takes too long for network licenses.

Information about the update process is given under Update Status.

Once the update is finished, the Update Status information displays the status of the update.

If successful, the number of applied updates is displayed in the Status Update.

If not successful, an error message giving the reason is available in the Update Status.