How temperature affects system design: the basics (part 1 of 3)

In system design, temperature is a crucial factor to be considered. It can affect signal integrity, user equipment, and ultimately user experience. Our systems have to work at -40°C (-40°F) for our customers in Canada and Russia as well as at +45°C (104°F) for our customers in Dubai. This wide temperature range of 85°C (144°F) is very demanding on any…

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What is the market for voice telephony in 2017?

In competition with messaging services and Facebook and Instagram timelines, is voice telephony at all relevant in 2017 and beyond? We believe: yes, absolutely! Telephony is still the most direct and most efficient way of telecommunication. Apart from being an auditory interaction, voice still transports much more emotion – and opportunity for clarification – than any emoticon ever could. Or,…

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Smart macro network enhancements: higher-order sectorization

The various macro network enhancements available today offer a cost-efficient and smart approach to increase the capacity in mobile networks. In the previous 3 parts of this series, we discussed the two hardware-related capacity-enhancing features carrier aggregation and 4×4 MIMO, and we covered antenna tilt optimization. The final part of this series looks at yet another antenna approach to optimize…

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Harmonizing user interfaces: user role management (part 3 of 3)

User roles are important for security. They can also be useful for matters of simplicity, however. We use them, for example, to tailor the user interface of our smart drive test benchmarking solution in order to simplify the handling. But first things first: What is the purpose of user role management? User role management is predominantly used for role-based access…

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HetNets/Small cells: indoor installation (part 3 of 4)

With network planning and network design in the can, the small cell deployment’s most critical phase begins: the actual indoor installation and commissioning. Or did you know that more than 50% of subscriber issues originate in the antenna system? Many of these faults don’t necessarily trigger an alarm at the Operations Support System (OSS), at least not until a critical level…

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HetNets/Small cells: reliable small cell planning (part 2 of 4)

Reliable planning of small cells is essential for important and critical deployments. Consider hospitals, manufacturing facilities or VIP (CxO) office floors and meeting rooms (the list of examples is endless). Successful and cost-effective planning, and with it small cell deployments, require planning tools that ensure highest reliability and accuracy. This, however, is not always the case as floor plans might…

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HetNets/Small cells: indoor deployments overview (part 1 of 4)

The series “HetNets/Small cells” explains how indoor deployments help operators meet the exponentially growing data demands in mobile networks in the coming years. In this overview, we’ll deliberate the pros and cons of different types of indoor deployments, such as distributed antenna systems (DAS) and small cells, and outline the indoor deployment process as the basis of the series’ next…

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Webinar report: identifying and eliminating interference in mobile networks

In mobile networks, interference is an unwanted unlicensed signal affecting the licensed channels, causing extra noise. Interference on the RF level translates into a lower Signal-to-Noise-Ratio (SNR), Received Signal Strength Indicator, Ec/Io, etc. From a subscriber’s point of view, interference is perceived as distorted audio or video, low data rates or dropped calls. In short: a bad user experience. For…

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Service quality monitoring explained in an interactive infographic

With the provision of robust wireless connectivity to people and machines becoming a critical element, a new way of efficiently and independently monitoring the network 24/7 is required. Service quality monitoring empowers businesses and government organizations to independently verify the performance of their network in real time and 24/7. Organizations that rely on the availability, capacity, and latency of the…

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