Commprove Ltd - Netledge 3G Radio QoS

Netledge - the only permanent, network-wide monitoring system for 3G radio networks - developed for a Tier 1 European 3G operator to attack coverage gaps, dropped calls, low data rates & inadequate voice quality: all symptoms of poor radio performance. These cause customer dissatisfaction, reduced service usage & lost revenue. Michele Vigliotti, TIM Senior Radio Planning & Optimisation Engineer said "Netledge 3G Radio QoS provides unique & valuable insight to improve the quality of our 3G network". UMTS is the most complex radio technology so far for mass mobile communication. 2G/3G handovers & HSDPA increase the complexity. Traditional quality management methods, like drive testing & network element counters, are inadequate.

Netledge makes EVERY call a "drive test". Netledge captures & analyses radio quality measurements from all active handsets to provide the most comprehensive service quality reports available, supporting better configuration decisions & improved network performance.

3G network capacity is directly related to the reduction of cell overlap, but overlap is required to ensure reliable handovers so the cell edge is the key area for optimisers. Network element statistical counters only provide data at a cell level, so overlap is hard to manage. Netledge captures measurements of quality (Ec/No) and coverage (RSCP) everywhere a 3G phone is being used, and provides a quality profile WITHIN a cell, presenting the essential information required to adjust cell power, tilt and parameter settings to maximise capacity and maintain service quality. A Netledge-optimised network provides more capacity with the same number of cells, meaning less capital investment and improved financial performance. Rapidly accessible information means optimisers find and fix problems faster, meaning operational efficiency gains as each optimiser looks after more cells. Improved service quality means less complaint calls, reducing operating costs and driving up financial efficiency.

Legacy methods of finding problems in the RAN cannot cope with the dynamic nature of W-CDMA. Service availability and reliability change depending on traffic levels. HSDPA usage can dramatically reduce coverage for other users. These "cell breathing" effects mean that short term measurements, like drive tests, can provide misleading information on QoS experienced by customers, and can't provide accurate input for optimisation. To correctly optimise the network, information is needed on service quality over many hours, maybe even days. By continuously capturing information from all calls and data sessions, Netledge ensures the optimisation process is based on real traffic behaviour, including the mix of actual services used, the real ratio of indoor/outdoor users and the varying performance of different handset models. When the network is optimised using the full range of information available from Netledge, users benefit from optimum service quality, and the network maximises revenue.

Netledge is the only OSS that focuses on the network area where most problems occur, the radio link. Netledge is the only method to measure actual service quality experienced by 100% of 3G customers, 100% of the time, across the whole monitored area. Netledge costs considerably less than protocol analysers, making it cost effective to deploy Netledge permanently, network-wide. Netledge 3G Radio QoS can be integrated with Netledge 2G Radio QoS for a single view of how GSM and UMTS integrate.

The product was launched on 15th November 2006 - after several months fine tuning the range of reports available by operating the system in a live network and consulting with the operator. Commercial proposals have been made to multiple 3G network operators and several evaluation trials are already planned.

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