LTE Series: Network Optimization – Best Practices for Ensuring LTE Rollout Success

LTE Series: Network Optimization – Best Practices for Ensuring LTE Rollout Success

View the Q&A

Webinar presenter: Neil Coleman, Director of Global Marketing, Actix

This webinar sponsored by Actix will address the following: 

  • Best practice drawn from Actix’s experiences working with over 50 operators and vendors currently rolling out networks
  • How to deliver day one LTE network quality by making the vendors work for you
  • Using customer demand to prioritize LTE deployments
  • Understanding the true impact of SON on LTE

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    Tags; Actix, Archive, Featured, LTE, network optimisation, telecoms.com
    Q&A
    • admin June 25, 2012 at 2:47 pm

      This Q&A is now closed, thank you for your questions.

    • Sébastien Chrzan June 21, 2012 at 9:41 am

      Hi, do you think LTE networks optimization will be driven by QoE rather than QoS?

      • Neil Coleman
        Neil Coleman June 21, 2012 at 10:00 am

        I think it has to be quality of experience. QOS is network centric and it definitely is important but the shift is very much towards the customer. One recent example is that when monitoring a UK network – we we’re investigating an area with high numbers of dropped data sessions. Normally you would think this would be customer impacting but it turned out that we were seeing the drops clustered around Tube (underground) station entrances. The logical conclusion was that customers were entering the station with the phones in their pockets. These phones were passively trying to get Facebook / twitter updates etc and we’re dropping as the customer moved out of coverage. Technically its a drop – but the customer didn’t even notice – its not quality of experience affecting.

    • Gai June 21, 2012 at 9:34 am

      major challenges that an operator is facing when deploying an LTE network (SON) network based on your experience with 60 or more LTE operator?

      • Neil Coleman
        Neil Coleman June 21, 2012 at 10:03 am

        I think one of the largest challenges is trust. As with 2G/3G SON solutions operators need to build trust for automated optimization algorithms. We see some operators enabling SON features others prefering to continue with manual optimization.

    • Gai June 21, 2012 at 9:32 am

      would The transition to LTE will result in consolidation of the total number of operators in each market?

      • Neil Coleman
        Neil Coleman June 21, 2012 at 10:20 am

        I think so – though it may take the form of network sharing and the adoption of wholesale models rather than operator brand names going away.

    • Paul Hemming June 21, 2012 at 9:30 am

      Hi Neil, it is great to hear that customer behaiviour is becoming a key determinant of LTE rollout planning and optimisation of existing networks – are the marketing groups in your operator clients playing an active role in the network plannng and optimisation processes? Thank you.

      • Neil Coleman
        Neil Coleman June 21, 2012 at 9:44 am

        Yes. Marketing and strategy groups have always steered network coverage and capacity but up until recently it’s been at arm’s length over long time frames. Usually this takes the form of rollout prioritization. However, with the availability of this granular customer data they are now able to take a more day to day hands on approach. A good example of this is that a lot of home femto or repeater deployments are no longer under the control of network engineering – marketing departments are just mailing out small cells directly to subscribers.

    • Gai June 21, 2012 at 9:28 am

      Based on technology growth and number of opimisation vendors available in market how do you expect the impact on pricing for 2G, 3G, 4G , SON technology software tools

      • Neil Coleman
        Neil Coleman June 21, 2012 at 10:09 am

        Good question. Infonetics research estimate that the optimization market is worth $2bn – or about $2m-$10m per operator – so its a large market. I think the growing complexity and need for broad solutions will cause some of the smaller supplier (those with 1-2 operator customers) to consolidate.

    • laurentP June 21, 2012 at 9:25 am

      for LTE roaming, what would be the key business KPIs ?

    • Gai June 21, 2012 at 9:24 am

      Do you expect 2G next works complete fade away from 2016? (starting from tier1 operators)

      • Neil Coleman
        Neil Coleman June 21, 2012 at 9:38 am

        That’s a good question. I think it depends on the operator and the country. Global 2G networks still have the largest coverage and customer footprint – plus they’re rock solid for voice – so it will be many years before 2G goes away. We’re seeing operators refarming 2G spectrum for LTE – and single RAN boxes make it easier for operators to dynamically reallocate spectrum – so its more likely we’ll see a long gradual decline.

    • laurentP June 21, 2012 at 9:23 am

      up to you, what are the 3 key business challenges for LTE ?

      • Neil Coleman
        Neil Coleman June 21, 2012 at 9:51 am

        For operators one of the biggest LTE challenges I see is when to move to LTE. For many 3G is good enough for the moment. Apart from a few areas of chronic congestion most 3G networks are only 40% or so loaded. For Verizon it was about a technology (moving from CDMA) for AT&T it was about staying competitive and having an LTE badge just like Verizons. Cost is also a factor and I think we’ll see more network sharing and wholesale models being used to make LTE cost effective. Other challenges relate to spectrum availability.

    • roy June 21, 2012 at 9:23 am

      please excuse my ignorance: what is “IRAT”? Thanks

      • Neil Coleman
        Neil Coleman June 21, 2012 at 9:30 am

        IRAT is Inter Radio Access Technology. These are handovers that occur across different technologies for example 3G->2G or LTE->UMTS.