a novel radio network capacity planning tool for GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSPA, LTE. Based on advanced Erlang laws. Takes counters as input. Provide accuracy estimates. Simple and natural work environment. Ideal for radio network budget forecast and for productive day-to-day capacity management.

1. E2ETELE.COM
RADIODIM
a novel radio capacity planning tool
for
GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSPA, LTE
WWW.E2ETELE.COM
January 2014
E2ETELE.COM

2. E2ETELE.COM
RADIODIM
• A tool for radio network capacity management
GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSPA, LTE
 From yearly budget forecasts to everyday radio capacity
management
 Based on rich and robust mathematical models,
taking traffic counters
 Natural work environment for capacity planning engineers
E2ETELE.COM

3. E2ETELE.COM
Typical Problem to Address
• 2G, 3G, 4G network budget planning
– What is the remaining capacity of my radio network?
– What extra equipment is needed if traffic grows by x%?
– Where to invest extra radio capacity?
• And also ..
– How to convince management that the analysis is rigourous?
E2ETELE.COM

4. E2ETELE.COM
Currently used methods and
limitations
• A few commonly seen issues:
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Empirical formulas not properly justified
Too simplistic Erlang-B model
Absence of uncertainty analysis
Data capacity models that don’t fit actual traffic
Heavy tool not adapted to daily work methods
…
E2ETELE.COM

5. E2ETELE.COM
The good moeling approach
• Mathematical models that
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–
–
–
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take into account the key parameters
take actual traffic counters as inputs
Help to understand the network
Provide accuracy indicators
Achieve the right balance between complexity and
accuracy
E2ETELE.COM

6. E2ETELE.COM
RADIODIM key features
 Advanced multiclass Erlang models for GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSPA,
LTE
 Modeling based on latest mathematical tools
 But the minimum relevant complexity is applied: no need to search for better accuracy than
traffic counters or asumptions which would not allow validation
 Traffic counters as input for close link to reality
 Installed equipment capacity and observed traffic as the basis for remaining capacity estimate
 Accuracy indicators for solid justification
 Error margins are provided on each cell for each scenario
 Cell-by cell capacity analysis
 Closes the gap between macrocoscopic budget planning and cell-by-cell capacity engineering
 What-if scenarios for detailed engineering
 What if the half-rate threshold is increased? What if the data busy hour is shifting? What if allyou-can eat data traffic promotion are launched? What if…
 Natural work environment for network capacity engineers
 Counters and configuration files extracted from the network and fed into an Excel environment
E2ETELE.COM

7. E2ETELE.COM
RADIODIM global output params (2G example)
OUTPUTS
total nb of TRX's to add (w/o extra capa of new sites)
total nb of TRX's to add (with extra capa of new sites)
total nb of new 1 sector single band sites
total nb of new 1 sector dual band sites
total nb of new 2 sector single band sites
total nb of new 2 sector dual band sites
total nb of DCS sectors to add over GSM sectors
total nb of sectors to add
DCS cells where GSM traf. can be pushed
total TRXs that can be removed at target blocking
total rejected traffic (Erl) if no TRX addition
total captured traffic (Erl) after TRX addition
traffic captured by 1st added TRX (Erl)
traffic captured by last added TRX (Erl)
current utilization (%)
estimated current utilization (%)
total
981
1150
119
8
47
10
48
262
19
3844
JFJFR
21
25
1
1
0
2
0
9
1
49
ONER
49
50
2
1
2
0
9
8
0
57
981,8
0,0
12,48
0,01
53%
52,4%
utilization after MoU increase and no TRX additon (%)
utilization after MoU increase and TRX additon (%)
60%
53%
cur % of cells with blocking > 2%
2,6%
est cur % of cells with blocking > 2%
% of cells with blocking > 2% MoU incr no TRX add
% of cells with blocking > 2% MoU incr and TRX add
average nb of PDCH/cell (stat+dyn)
average RLC data throughput/cell (kbps)
total network RLC data capacity (Mbps)
utilization of network data capacity
5,4%
10,5%
0,00%
11,6
0,0
0,0
0,0%
E2ETELE.COM
JERF
13
15
2
0
0
0
0
2
0
82
LLRG
7
7
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
75
NOOE
6
6
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
17
KFHF
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
18
ERFI
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
7
PHFE
15
19
2
1
1
0
0
6
0
32
OKBF
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
50
2G dimensioning data per region
Lost traffic if no TRX addition
Traffic captured by the most/less loaded TRX
Network utilization before/after traffic
increase and capacity increase

8. E2ETELE.COM
RADIODIM cell-level outputs (2G example)
1st TRX (cell 1) captures 12,27Erl
2nd TRX (cell 2)captures 10,82Erl
3rd TRX (cell 3)captures 10,41Erl
•
For each cell compute the effect of adding TRX’s
– assuming no traffic increase: compared with actual for model accuracy estimate
– assuming traffic increase with 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 TRX’s added
– The benefit of adding n TRX’s can be computed
E2ETELE.COM

9. E2ETELE.COM
Real application case
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•
•
•
•
A large mobile operator
Every year at the budget planning meeting the network team defends its budget requirement
based on capacity forecast and CAPEX needs for the next year
Their method was not clear, not properly justified. The senior management could not understand
and fully accept the required budget. One of the key issues was the improper modeling of half-rate
and full-rate speech coexistence in the GSM network. Another one was the choice of a global
method (parameter fit over a network-wide cloud of points) rather than a cell-by-cell analysis.Data
and 3G were not properly included.
By proposing the right Erlang modelling approach we were able to properly model the HR-FR mix. It
was applied at cell-level which allowed a bottom-up approach: capacity analysis at each individual
cell, then reasoning at site and BSC levels to assess the required number of TRX’s or new sectors or
sites to add. Data capacity analysis allowed to compare the effect of different busy hours for voice
and data. The team could assess the benefit of a dual-band layer and 3G overlay. The light tool and
its natural inclusion in their current work environment allowed the team to rapidly take ownership
of it.
As a result, they now propose well justified CAPEX requirement for their 2G-3G network evolution.
The tool is also applied to the daily capacity management work: it takes the traffic counters as an
input and higlights the cells with capacity issues and provides capacity expansion
recommendations.
E2ETELE.COM

10. E2ETELE.COM
Authors
• Pierre Eisenmann
– Industry veteran, 20 years with major Telecom suppliers, start-ups and
operators
– Experience in end-to-end wireless network design and optimization,
signal processing, marketing & sales development, strategy
– Founder of www.e2etele.com providing engineering, R&D, strategy
and business development services to the telecom industry
• Thomas Bonald:
– Professor at Telecom-ParisTech
– Several years at Orange labs as radio network modeling expert
– Author of 60 papers on traffic modeling and dimensioning applied to
mobile networks and the Internet and one book
– Author/coauthor of 8 patents
– 2013 Recipient of the Blondel Medal
– http://perso.telecom-paristech.fr/~bonald/
E2ETELE.COM

11. E2ETELE.COM
Contact us!
• For any inquiry on
– Acquisition of the RADIODIM software
– Dedicated mission, for co-development of a
customized capacity planning tool
– Audit and optimization of your current capacity
planning methods
www.e2etele.com
E2ETELE.COM