Automatic cell planning strategies for UMTS networks
J.M. Picard, Zwi Altman, Sana Ben Jamaa, Mathieu Demars, Hervé Dubreil, Benoit Fourestie, Arturo Ortega · International Journal of Mobile Network Design and Innovation · 2005
Automatic cell planning aims at optimising the performance of UMTS networks in terms of capacity, coverage and quality of service by automatically adjusting antenna parameters and common channel powers. This paper presents an overview on optimisation strategies that correspond to different scenarios depending on the operational context. Starting from capacity optimisation, we show how an Automatic Cell Planner (ACP) can be enhanced with specific functionalities such as joint coverage/capacity optimisation, automatic site selection or steered optimisation. Finally, we show how the improvement in quality of service brought about by an ACP can be accurately assessed with dynamic simulations using adequate key performance indicators (KPI).