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User Manual
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AT331_UMR_E2
AT331_UMR_E2
Table of Contents
Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Atoll 3.3.1 User Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
About Atoll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
About Forsk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Printing Help Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
About Atoll Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Contacting Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
1.3 Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
1.3.1 Renaming an Object. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
1.3.2 Deleting an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
1.3.3 Modifying the Visibility of Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
1.3.3.1 Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
1.3.3.2 Changing the Order of Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
1.3.4 Accessing Object Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
1.3.5 Setting the Display Properties of Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
1.3.5.1 Setting the Display Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
1.3.5.2 Setting the Transparency of Objects and Object Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
1.3.5.3 Setting the Visibility Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
1.3.5.4 Associating a Label to an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
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7.8.7 Generating Interference Matrices from a Drive Test Data Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485
7.8.8 Printing and Exporting the Drive Test Data Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485
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12.5 Displaying Elements of One Atoll Document in a 3GPP Multi-RAT Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1018
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13.5 Displaying Elements of One Atoll Document in a 3GPP2 Multi-RAT Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1041
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Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1401
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Atoll 3.3.1 User Manual for Radio Networks
AT331_UMR_E2 Introduction
About Atoll
Atoll is a 64-bit multi-technology wireless network design and optimisation platform. Atoll is open, scalable, flexible, and
supports wireless operators throughout the network life cycle, from initial design to densification and optimisation.
Atoll includes integrated single RAN multiple RAT network design capabilities for both 3GPP (GSM/UMTS/LTE) and 3GPP2
(CDMA/LTE) technology streams. It provides operators and vendors with a powerful native 64-bit framework for designing
and optimising current and future integrated multi-technology networks. Atoll supports multi-technology HetNets, small cell
planning, and Wi-Fi offloading.
Atolls integration and automation features help operators smoothly automate planning and optimisation processes through
flexible scripting and SOA-based mechanisms. Atoll supports a wide range of implementation scenarios, from standalone to
enterprise-wide server-based configurations.
If you are interested in learning more about Atoll, please contact your Forsk representative to inquire about our training solu-
tions.
About Forsk
Forsk is an independent company providing radio planning and optimisation software solutions to the wireless industry since
1987.
In 1997, Forsk released the first version of Atoll, its flagship radio planning software. Since then, Atoll has evolved to become
a comprehensive radio planning and optimisation platform and, with more than 7000 installed licenses worldwide, has
reached the leading position on the global market. Atoll combines engineering and automation functions that enable opera-
tors to smoothly and gradually implement SON processes within their organisation.
Today, Forsk is a global supplier with over 450 customers in 120 countries and strategic partnerships with major players in the
industry. Forsk distributes and supports Atoll directly from offices and technical support centres in France, USA, and China as
well as through a worldwide network of distributors and partners.
Since the first release of Atoll, Forsk has been known for its capability to deliver tailored and turn-key radio planning and opti-
misation environments based on Atoll.
To help operators streamline their radio planning and optimisation processes, Forsk provides a complete range of implemen-
tation services, including integration with existing IT infrastructure, automation, as well as data migration, installation, and
training services.
Getting Help
The online help system that is installed with Atoll is designed to give you quick access to the information you need to use the
product effectively. It contains the same material as the Atoll 3.3.1 User Manual.
You can browse the online help from the Contents view, the Index view, or you can use the built-in Search feature.
You can also download manuals from the Forsk web site at:
http://www.forsk.com/MyForskAccount/
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5. Click OK.
30
Chapter 1
Working Environment
This chapter presents the Atoll working environment and
explains the tools and shortcuts available.
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1 Working Environment
The Atoll working environment provides a wide set of tools to create and design radio-planning projects in a single application
and to create and export results based on your projects.
In Atoll, radio-planning projects are modelled and managed through Atoll documents (files with the .ATL extension).
The Atoll working environment is flexible and supports standard Windows capabilities (such as simultaneous opening of
several windows, moving windows or objects by dragging and dropping them, commands accessible through context menus,
standard shortcuts).
Data and objects contained in an Atoll document are accessible from different ways:
Explorers: The explorers contain most of the objects in a document arranged in folders. Using the explorers, you can
manage all objects in the Atoll document: sites, transmitters, calculations, as well as geographic data such as the Dig-
ital Terrain Model (DTM), traffic maps, and clutter classes. You can, for example, define various coverage predictions
or configure the parameters or display of data objects.
Maps: Atoll provides many tools for working with the map. You can change the view by moving or zooming in or out
and you can choose which objects are displayed and how they are displayed. You can also export the current display
definition, or configuration, to use it in other documents.
Data tables: The content of the folders in the explorers can be displayed in tables, allowing you to manage large
amounts of data. You can sort and filter the data in a table, or change how the data is displayed. You can also enter
large amounts of information into a table by importing data or by cutting and pasting the information from any Win-
dows spreadsheet into the table.
This chapter provides an overview of the Atoll working environment and covers the following topics:
"Documents" on page 33
"Atoll Work Area" on page 45
"Objects" on page 49
"Maps" on page 59
"Data Tables" on page 75
"Printing in Atoll" on page 89
"Grouping, Sorting, and Filtering Data" on page 93
"Toolbars and Shortcuts" on page 109.
1.1 Documents
In Atoll, radio-planning projects are modelled and managed through Atoll documents (files with the .ATL extension).
Each Atoll document can contain multiple technologies and assembles the following necessary information:
Radio equipment such as sites, transmitters, antennas, repeaters, and other equipment. For more information on
radio equipment, see the technology-specific chapters.
Radio data such as frequency bands, technology-specific parameters, coordinate systems. For more information on
radio data, see the technology-specific chapters.
Geographic data such as clutter classes, clutter heights, Digital Terrain Model (DTM), population maps. For more infor-
mation on geographic data, see Chapter 2: Geographic Data.
Atoll documents can be used in a single-user or multi-user environment:
In a single-user environment, Atoll documents are standalone documents. Atoll is delivered with document templates
that contain the data and folder structure necessary for the technologies you are using. You can also create your own
templates by opening an existing template, changing it to fit your own requirements, and then saving it as a new tem-
plate.
In a multi-user environment, documents are connected to a database and can be created from an existing database.
When you create an Atoll document from a database, the database you connect to has been created with the tech-
nologies and data you need. Working with a database allows several users to share the same data while at the same
time managing data consistency.
This section covers the following topics:
"Standalone Documents" on page 33.
"Documents Connected to a Database" on page 35.
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parameters available differ according to the project. As well, the objects that are available are appropriate for the technology.
For example, UMTS cells are only available in UMTS documents and TRX are only available in GSM-TDMA documents.
If you create a multi-RAT document, Atoll enables you to select the multiple radio technologies you will be planning for. In a
multi-RAT document, the data and data structures for each radio technology planned for are made available in the new Atoll
document.
Once you have selected the appropriate template for your radio-planning project, you must configure the basic parameters
of the Atoll document.
This section covers the following topics:
"Available Templates" on page 34
"Creating a Standalone Document" on page 35
The 3GPP multi-RAT template can also be used to create a GSM, UMTS, or LTE single-RAT
document. By using the 3GPP multi-RAT template to create a single-RAT document, you
make it possible to add other 3GPP technologies to the document at a later time.
3GPP2 Multi-RAT: This template can be used to model 3G/4G multi-technology projects. When starting a new 3GPP2
multi-RAT project, Atoll allows you to model the CDMA2000/LTE technology combination in the same project.
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The 3GPP2 multi-RAT template can also be used to create a CDMA2000 or LTE single-RAT
document. By using the 3GPP2 multi-RAT template to create a single-RAT document, you
make it possible to add the other 3GPP2 technology to the document at a later time.
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editing edit clutter or traffic in their respective projects, usually store these modifications locally, since these mod-
ifications rarely have an impact on other users.
Path loss matrices: Shared path loss matrices are calculated in the central Atoll project by the administrator. Users
can read these path loss data but cannot modify them. When the shared path loss data becomes invalid in a usersr
Atoll document, the new path loss matrices are calculated and stored locally, either embedded in the ATL file or
linked to an external file. The shared path loss data is not modified.
Shared path loss matrices are updated when the calculation administrator performs an update, taking into ac-
count the modifications made by other users that have been updated in the central database.
User Documents: Individual user documents are initialised by the administrator but are later worked upon and man-
aged by each user. User documents are Atoll files which are connected to the central database, load only the required
part of the geographic data (as defined by the CFG file, for example), and have access to the shared path loss matrices
folder.
For information on creating and maintaining the database, see the Administrator Manual.
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You can configure Atoll to always use a defined database type (MS Access, SQL
Server, or Oracle) by setting an option in the Atoll.ini file. In this case, the Open
from a Database dialog box is replaced by the database-specific authentication
dialog box. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
Additional dialog boxes might open asking you to choose which project in the data-
base to load or which site list to load.
3. Click OK. The Data to Load dialog box is displayed allowing you to select the data to load into the new Atoll document.
4. Select the Project, Site List, Custom Fields Groups, and Neighbours to be loaded from the database to create the doc-
ument and click OK. If you load the intra-technology or the inter-technology neighbour list, the associated exceptional
pairs table is also loaded.
The new document opens with data loaded from the database.
If the north-west point of the project is by default the axis origin, the new document
opens with no site displayed in the map window. You can centre the document on the
data displayed in the Network explorer by expanding the Sites folder, right-clicking any
site, and selecting Centre in Map Window from the context menu (see "Centring the
Map Window on a Selection" on page 62).
If you disconnect your document from the database, it becomes a standalone document
and it is not possible to reconnect it to the database.
If you chose Refresh unmodified data only or Cancel your changes and reload
database, Atoll proceeds without asking for confirmation.
If you chose Archive your changes in the database, the Archive dialog box
appears. For information, see "Archiving the Modifications in the Database" on
page 38.
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3. Under Take into account, you can select the neighbour lists, Intra-technology Neighbours and Inter-technology
Neighbours, to refresh.
4. To create a report for the refresh process, select Generate Report under Modifications Since the Last Refresh.
5. Click OK. The document is refreshed according to the selected options.
If you selected to generate a report, Atoll creates a text file in CSV (Comma Separated Values) format in the temporary files
system folder and opens it. You can then rename the file and save it where you want. The report lists all the modifications
(deletions, additions, and updates) that were stored in the database since the last time you refreshed or opened your docu-
ment.
You can archive only site-related data in the database by right-clicking the Sites folder in
the Network explorer and selecting Archive from the context menu. The Archive dialog
box appears with only site-related data displayed. Which data is archived depends on the
radio technology you are working with. For example, in a UMTS HSPA radio planning
project, the site-related data is: sites, transmitters, cells, and neighbours.
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If you want to overwrite the database value with the value of the same field in your document, select the check
box next to the highlighted change and click Okay. Your modification will be written to the database, overwrit-
ing the value there.
If you want to accept the value of the field in the database, clear the check box next to the highlighted change
and click Okay. Your modification will be lost and the value in the database will remain unchanged.
On a deleted record: You are in the process of archiving your modifications on the database and another user has
deleted a record since you last archived or refreshed your data. For information, see "Resolving Data Conflicts" on
page 38.
Atoll displays a message explaining that the record you are trying to update has been deleted from the database
(see Figure 1.4). Select one of the following:
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Yes: Select Yes to store your modifications in the database, thereby recreating the deleted record.
No: Select No to abandon your modifications to this record and delete this record from your document.
Cancel: Select Cancel to cancel.
2. Click Close to close the Archive dialog box.
To resolve all the data conflicts:
1. In the Pending Changes pane of the Archive dialog box, select any conflict and click Resolve All. Atoll displays a
message explaining how Resolve All works (see Figure 1.5). Select one of the following:
Yes: Select Yes to accept all the modifications made by other users in the database and update your document
with values from the database.
No: Select No to overwrite the modifications made by other users in the database with the values from your doc-
ument.
Cancel: Select Cancel to cancel.
2. Click Close to close the Archive dialog box.
You should only resolve all the data conflicts when you are certain about the
modifications.
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shown appropriately at the expense of the other characteristics, or he must compromise on several characteristics1. The
projected zones are referenced using cartographic coordinates (metre, yard, etc.).
Two projection systems are widely used:
The Lambert Conformal-Conic projection: a portion of the earth is mathematically projected on a cone conceptually
secant at one or two standard parallels. This projection type is useful for representing countries or regions that lay
primarily east to west.
The Universal Transverse Mercator projection (UTM): a portion of the earth is mathematically projected on a cylinder
tangent to a meridian (which is transverse or crosswise to the equator). This projection type is useful for mapping large
areas that are oriented north-south.
A geographic system is not a projection, but a representation of a location on the earth's surface from geographic coordinates
(degree-minute-second or grade) giving the latitude and longitude in relation to the origin meridian (Paris for the NTF system
and Greenwich for the ED50 system). The locations in the geographic system can be converted into other projections.
Atoll has databases including more than 980 international coordinate system references, a database based on the European
Petroleum Survey Group and another one regrouping only France's coordinate systems. Atoll uses the cartographic coordi-
nate systems for projection and either cartographic or geographic coordinate systems for display.
The maps displayed in the workspace are referenced with the same projection system as the imported geographic data files;
thus, the projection system depends on the imported geographic file. By choosing a specific display system, you can see (using
the rulers or status bars) the location of sites on the map in a coordinate system different from the projection coordinate
system. You can also position on the map sites referenced in the display system: the coordinates are automatically converted
from the projection system to the display system and the site is displayed on the map.
All imported raster geographic files must be use the same cartographic system. If not, you
must convert them to a single cartographic system.
If you frequently use a particular coordinate system you can add it to a catalogue of favou-
rites by clicking Add to Favourites.
5. Click OK. The selected coordinate system appears in the Projection field and, by default, in the Display field as well.
6. To set a different coordinate system for the display, click the Browse button to the right of the Display field and repeat
step 3. to step 5. For the display system, both cartographic systems (identified by the symbol) and geographic sys-
tems ( ) are available.
1. Snyder, John. P., Map Projections Used by the US Geological Survey, 2nd Edition, United States Government Printing
Office, Washington, D.C., 313 pages, 1982.
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The degree format options apply only to the geographic coordinate systems.
You can change the default metre-to-feet conversion factor from 3.28 to a more precise
value by setting the MeterToFeetFactor option in the [Units] section of the Atoll.ini file. For
more information, see the Administrator Manual.
You can change the default mile-to-metre conversion factor from 1609 to a more precise
value by setting the MileToMeterFactor option in the [Units] section of the Atoll.ini file. For
more information, see the Administrator Manual.
Climate:
Temperature: Select either "C" (Celsius) or "F" (Fahrenheit)
3. Click OK.
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3. Click OK.
You can set an option in the [Settings] section of the Atoll.ini file to link, copy, or ignore
the externalised calculation results files and to hide the Externalised results dialog box
when saving a copy of a document.
3. Click OK in the Externalised results dialog box. The Save As dialog box is displayed.
4. Select the folder where the copy is to be stored, enter a File name, and click Save.
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A "Geo" folder with all the linked geographic data available in the Geo explorer for the Atoll document.
This folder contains subfolders with the same names as the folders in the Geo explorer. Geographic data that are
found outside folders in the Geo explorer are stored in files under the Geo folder, and data present within folders
in the Geo explorer are stored inside their respective folders. If the geographic data files linked to the document
are located on a remote computer, such as a file server over a network, they are first copied to the local computer
in the Windows temporary files folder and then added to the archive.
Once the portable archive is created, you can open it directly from Atoll without first having to extract it using another tool.
To open an archive containing an ATL file and all linked geographic data files:
1. In the File menu, select Open from Zip. The Open dialog box appears.
2. Select the ZIP file that contains the ATL file and linked geographic data files and click Open. The Browse For Folder
dialog box appears.
3. Select the folder where you want to extract the contents of the ZIP file.
4. Click OK. Atoll extracts all the files from the archive to the selected folder. If necessary, it creates the subfolders
required for extracting the contents of the Geo folder. Once Atoll has finished extracting files from the archive, it
opens the extracted ATL file. Geographic data extracted from the archive are linked to the ATL file.
You do not need to have a compression utility, such as WinZip or WinRAR, installed
on the computer when working with archived ATL files.
The highest compression level is used when creating the archive.
It can take a long time to back up large documents. Therefore, you should set a corre-
spondingly longer interval between backups when working with large documents in order
to optimise the process.
5. Click OK. If you selected the Prompt before starting automatic backup check box, Atoll prompts you each time before
backing up the document. If you click OK, Atoll proceeds to back up all open documents. If you click Cancel, Atoll skips
the backup once.
The automatic backup timer is stopped while the prompt is displayed. Atoll displays a message in the Events viewer
every time a backup file is updated. If you are performing calculations, which means coverage predictions or simula-
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tions, the automatic backup is delayed until the calculations have ended. The timer starts again once the calculations
are over. If you save the original document manually, the timer is reset to 0.
You can easily recover your backup document and open it in Atoll just like any other Atoll
document. If the original document is named "filename.atl," the backup document is
stored in the same folder and is named "filename.atl.bak".
If you just remove the BAK extension, your backup file will have the same file name as the
original file and Windows will not allow you to rename the file. Therefore, it is safer to give
a new name to the backup file and keep the original file until you are sure which version is
most recent.
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1.2.2 Explorers
Explorers play a central role in Atoll by grouping the data and objects contained in an Atoll document:
The Network explorer contains data related to sites, transmitters, predictions, simulations, interference matrices,
drive test data, and links.
The Site explorer allows you to view the elements located on the site that is currently selected in the Network explorer
or in the map. The transmitters and links of the selected site are displayed in technology-specific folders.
The Geo explorer allows you to manage the geographic data such as traffic maps, population, clutter heights, clutter
classes, Digital Terrain Model (DTM), and online maps.
The Parameters explorer allows you to manage propagation models, traffic parameters, radio network and micro-
wave settings and equipment.
Each explorer contains objects and folders containing objects. The name of each folder containing at least one object is
preceded by an Expand button ( ) or a Collapse button ( ).
You can refresh the display of the Network explorer by clicking Refresh ( ) on the toolbar or pressing F5.
Each object and folder in the explorers has a context-specific menu that you can access by right-clicking. You can modify items
at the folder level, with changes affecting all items in the folder, or you can access and edit items individually.
The content of the folders in the explorers can be displayed in tables, allowing you to manage large amount of data. For infor-
mation on working with tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
By default, explorers are displayed when launching Atoll. If the explorers are hidden you can display them by using the View
menu.
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New Horizontal Tab Group: A new horizontal tab group is created and the selected document window is
added.
New Vertical Tab Group: A new vertical tab group and the selected document window is added.
You can also add a document window to a new tab group by clicking its title and then selecting New Horizontal Tab
Group or New Vertical Tab Group from the Window menu.
If you drag the window icon to the lower edge or right edge of an existing tab group, even
if there is only one tab group, an outline appears to indicate the tab group the window will
automatically be added to when you release the mouse.
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The Find on Map window can be displayed by selecting Find on Map in the Tools menu.
For more information, see "Searching for Objects on the Map" on page 62.
2. Place the tool window or the explorer over the part of the positioning icon corresponding to the new position. An out-
line appears over the Atoll work area to indicate the new position of the window.
If you release the window icon without placing it over the positioning icon, you can float
the explorer or tool window over the work area.
3. Release the mouse. The explorer or toll window docks in its new position.
When auto-hide is activated on an explorer window, all the other explorers are reduced
to vertical tabs at the edge of the work area.
You can display the hidden explorer or tool window by resting the pointer over the name of the explorer or the tool
window.
2. In the title bar of the explorer or tool window, click Auto Hide ( ). The explorers or the tool window are restored to
their former positions.
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1.3 Objects
In Atoll, the items found in the Network explorer or the Geo explorer and displayed on the map are referred to as objects.
Most objects in Atoll belong to an object type. For example, a transmitter is an object of the type transmitter.
Atoll enables you to carry out many operations on objects by clicking the object directly or by right-clicking the object and
selecting the operation from the context menu.
This section covers the following topics:
"Renaming an Object" on page 49
"Deleting an Object" on page 50
"Modifying the Visibility of Objects" on page 50
"Accessing Object Properties" on page 51
"Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51
"Modifying Transmitters and Sites on the Map" on page 56
"Exporting Network Elements to Vector Files" on page 58
In Atoll, objects such as sites or transmitters are named with default prefixes. Individual
objects are distinguished from each other by the number added automatically to the
default prefix. You can change the default prefix for sites, transmitters, and cells by editing
the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
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The Delete All command available in the context menus of certain folders (Geoclimatic
Parameters, Population, Clutter Heights, Clutter Classes, Digital Terrain Model) allow you
to delete all the objects in those folders.
Hiding an object affects only its visibility in the map window; the hidden object is still taken
into consideration during calculations.
When the check box of a folder appears greyed ( ), it indicates that the folder contains
both visible and hidden objects.
3. To hide all the objects of an entire folder, clear the check box corresponding to the folder name in the Network or Geo
explorer.
4. To display an hidden object, select the check box corresponding to the object name in the Network or Geo explorer.
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Before you print a map, you should pay attention to the arrangement of the layers. For
more information, see "Printing Recommendations" on page 90.
When several objects (transmitters, antennas, sites, services, user profiles, and so on) are
defined in the same folder, you can switch between the Properties dialog box of each
object using the browse buttons ( ).
If you have made any changes to the properties of an item, Atoll prompts you to confirm
these changes before switching to the next Properties dialog box.
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Value intervals: defines the display of each object according to set ranges of the value of a selected field. This display
type can be used, for example, to distinguish population density, signal strength, and the altitude of sites.
Automatic: only available for transmitters; a colour is automatically assigned to each transmitter, ensuring that each
transmitter has a different colour than the transmitters surrounding it.
To change the display type:
1. Access the Display tab of the Properties dialog box as explained in "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on
page 51.
2. Select a display type from the Display Type list.
3. If you selected the Discrete values or Value Intervals display type, select the name of the Field by which you want to
display the objects.
4. To modify the appearance of a symbol, click the symbol in the table, modify the symbol properties, and click OK in the
dialog box that is displayed.
5. You can use the Actions button to access to the following commands:
Properties: The Display Parameters dialog box opens, which enables you to define the appearance of the selected
symbol in the table.
Refresh: Select this option to refresh the table.
Select all: All the values in the table are selected.
Insert before: When "Value Intervals" is the selected display type, a new threshold is inserted in the table before
the threshold selected in the table.
Insert after: When "Value Intervals" is the selected display type, a new threshold is inserted in the table after the
threshold selected in the table.
Delete: The selected value is removed from the table.
Shading: The Shading dialog box appears.
When "Value Intervals" is the selected display type, you select Shading to define the number of value intervals
and configure their colour. Enter the upper and lower limits of the value in the First Break and Last Break
boxes respectively, and enter a value in the Interval box. Define the colour shading by choosing a Start Colour
and an End Colour. The value intervals will be determined by the set values and coloured by a shade going
from the set start colour to the set end colour.
When "Discrete Values" is the selected display type, you select Shading to choose a Start Colour and an End
Colour.
Display Configuration: Select Load if you want to import an existing display configuration. Select Save if you want
to save the display configuration in a file.
6. Click OK.
When you create a map object, for example, a site or a transmitter, you must click
the Refresh button ( ) to assign a colour to the newly created object according
to the display type.
You can define the default symbol used for sites and how it is displayed by setting
an option in the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
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To change the order of a field in the list, select the field and click or to move it up or down.
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4. Click OK to close the Field Selection dialog box then OK to close the Properties dialog box. The objects will be grouped
in the order of the fields in the Selected Fields list, from top to bottom.
For most object types, you can also display object information in the form of tip text that
is only visible when you move the pointer over the object. This option has the advantage
of not filling the map window with text. For more information on tip text, see "Associating
a Tip Text to an Object" on page 54.
b. To remove a field from the Selected Fields list, select the field in the Selected Fields list and click to remove
it.
For most object types, you can also display object information in the form of a label that is
displayed with the object. This option has the advantage of keeping object-related infor-
mation permanently visible. For more information on tip text, see "Associating a Label to
an Object" on page 53.
4. Click OK.
Once you have defined the tip text, you must activate the tip text function before it appears by clicking Display Tips ( ). Tip
text are displayed when the pointer is over the object.
If you have more than one coverage prediction displayed on the map, the tip text displays the tip text for all the coverage
predictions available on a pixel up to a maximum of 30 lines. You can change this default maximum using an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
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With value intervals, you can enter information in the Legend column to be displayed on the legend. If there is no information
entered in this column, the maximum and minimum values are displayed instead.
1. Access the Display tab of the Properties dialog box as explained in "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on
page 51.
2. Select the Add to legend check box. The defined display will appear on the legend.
You can also display the comments defined in the properties of a coverage prediction in the Legend window by setting an
option in the Atoll.ini file. For more information about setting options in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
When making a best server prediction, Atoll calculates, for each pixel on the map, which server provides the best reception.
If the selected display type for transmitters is "Automatic," Atoll colours each pixel on the map according to the colour of the
transmitter that is best received on that pixel. This way, you can immediately identify the best received transmitter on each
pixel. The following two figures show the results of the same best server area and handover margin coverage prediction.
In Figure 1.12, the transmitter display type is "Discrete Values," with the site name as the chosen value. The difference in
colour is insufficient to make clear which transmitter is best received on each pixel. In Figure 1.13, the transmitter display type
is "Automatic." Because Atoll ensures that each transmitter has a different colour than the transmitters surrounding it, the
prediction results are also immediately visible.
Figure 1.12: Value interval display type Figure 1.13: Automatic display type
To display the results of a server coverage prediction with the transmitters set to the automatic display type:
1. Right-click the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer. The context menu appears.
2. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box appears.
3. Select the Display tab.
4. Select "Automatic" as the Display Type.
5. Click OK.
6. Click the Refresh button ( ) to update the display of the prediction results.
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Atoll displays the results of a signal level prediction as value intervals. On the map, these value intervals appear as differences
of shading. You can use the Shading command to define the appearance of these value intervals to make the results easier to
read or more relevant to your needs. For example, you can change the range of data displayed, the interval between each
break, or you can change the colours to make the intervals more visible.
In this example, Figure 1.14 shows the results of the best signal level plot from -60 dBm to -105 dBm. However, if you are more
interested in reception from -80 dBm to -105 dBm, you can change the shading to display only those values. The result is visi-
ble in Figure 1.15.
Figure 1.14: Shading from -60 dBm to -105 dBm Figure 1.15: Shading from -80 dBm to -105 dBm
To change how the results of a signal level coverage prediction are displayed:
1. Expand the Predictions folder in the Network explorer and right-click the signal level prediction. The context menu
appears.
2. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box appears.
3. Select the Display tab.
4. Click Actions to display the menu and select Shading. The Shading dialog box appears.
5. Change the value of the First Break to "-80". Leave the value of the Last Break at "-105."
6. Click OK to close the Shading dialog box.
7. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box and apply your changes.
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While this method allows you to place a site quickly, you can adjust the location more
precisely by editing the coordinates on the General tab of the Site Properties dialog box.
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1. On the map, click the antenna whose azimuth you want to modify.
2. Move the pointer to the end of the antenna with a green circle ( ). An arc with an arrow appears under
the pointer.
3. Click the green circle and drag it to change the antennas azimuth. The current azimuth of the antenna is
displayed in the far left of the status bar.
4. Release the mouse when you have set the azimuth to the desired angle.
The antennas azimuth is modified on the Transmitter tab of the Transmitter Properties dialog box.
You can also modify the azimuth on the map for all the antennas on a base station using the mouse.
To modify the azimuth of all the antennas on a base station using the mouse:
1. On the map, click one of the antennas whose azimuth you want to modify. Move the pointer to the end
of the antenna with a green circle ( ). An arc with an arrow appears under the pointer.
2. Hold Ctrl and, on the map, click the green circle and drag it to change the antennas azimuth.
The current azimuth of the antenna is displayed in the far left of the status bar.
3. Release the mouse when you have set the azimuth of the selected antenna to the desired angle. The azi-
muth of the selected antenna is modified on the Transmitter tab of the Transmitter Properties dialog box.
The azimuth of the other antennas on the base station is offset by the same amount as the azimuth of the
selected antenna.
If you make a mistake when changing the azimuth, you can undo your changes by using
Undo (by selecting Edit > Undo, by pressing Ctrl+Z, or by clicking in the toolbar) to
undo the changes made.
1.3.6.5 Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site Using the Mouse
By default, antennas are placed on the site. However, antennas are occasionally not located directly on the site, but a short
distance away. In Atoll, you can change the position of the antenna relative to the site either by adjusting the Dx and Dy
parameters or by entering the coordinates of the antenna position on the General tab of the Transmitter Property dialog box.
Dx and Dy are the distance in metres of the antenna from the site position. You can also modify the position of the antenna
on the map, using the mouse.
To move a transmitter using the mouse:
3. Click the green rectangle and drag it to change the antennas position relative to the site. The current
coordinates (x and y) of the antenna are displayed in the far right of the status bar.
4. Release the mouse when you have moved the selected transmitter to the desired position. The position
of the selected transmitter is modified on the General tab of the Transmitter Properties dialog box.
If you make a mistake when changing the position of the transmitter, you can undo your
changes by using Undo (by selecting Edit > Undo, by pressing Ctrl+Z, or by clicking in
the toolbar) to undo the changes made.
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To change the order in which the fields will be exported, select a field and click or to move it up or down.
The top-most field under Exported fields corresponds to the left-most field under Preview.
The actual X and Y coordinates are stored in a hidden GEOMETRY field. The X and Y fields
are informative.
6. Click Export. The selected network elements are exported to the vector file.
You can import vector files in Atoll using File > Import. For more information, see "Importing Vector Format Geo Data Files"
on page 120.
1.4 Maps
Atoll has the following functions to help you work with maps:
"Configuring the Layout of the Map Window" on page 59
"Changing the Map Scale" on page 60
"Moving the Map in the Document Window" on page 61
"Using the Panoramic Window" on page 62
"Opening a New Map Window" on page 62
"Centring the Map Window on a Selection" on page 62
"Searching for Objects on the Map" on page 62
"Measuring Distances on the Map" on page 64
"Using Zones in the Map Window" on page 65
"Vector Objects" on page 71
"Map Window Pointers" on page 74
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You can move the Close Full Screen button by clicking and dragging the Full Screen title bar
above it. If you inadvertantly move the Close Full Screen button off screen, you can still
return to the normal view by selecting View > Full Screen again or by pressing ESC.
With the toolbars and scrollbars hidden, you can still navigate around the map window using the keyboard shortcuts:
Ctrl++: Zoom in on the map
Ctrl+: Zoom out on the map
Ctrl+Q: Select Zoom In/Out tool (left click to zoom in and right click to zoom out)
Ctrl+D: Move the map in the map window
ALT+: Previous zoom and location on the map
1. Click the Zoom icon ( ) on the Map toolbar (or press Ctrl+Q).
2. Click the map where you want to zoom in.
You can also zoom in by pressing Ctrl++, by selecting Zoom > Zoom In from the View menu,
or by holding down the Ctrl key and rotating the mouse wheel button forward.
1. Click the Zoom icon ( ) on the Map toolbar (or press Ctrl+Q).
2. Right-click the map where you want to zoom out.
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You can also zoom out by pressing Ctrl+, by selecting Zoom > Zoom Out from the View
menu, or holding down the Ctrl key and rotating the mouse wheel button backward.
1. Click the Zoom Area icon ( ) on the Map toolbar (or press Ctrl+W).
2. Click in the map on one of the four corners of the area you want to select.
3. Drag to the opposite corner. When you release the mouse button, Atoll zooms in on the selected area.
1. Click the arrow next to the scale box ( ) on the Map toolbar.
2. Select the scale from the list.
3. If the scale value you want is not in the list:
Click the Previous Zoom button ( ) to return to a zoom level you have already used (or press ALT+).
Once you have returned to a previous zoom level, click the Next Zoom button ( ) to return to the latest zoom level
(or press ALT+).
You can also adjust the map window to a record (polygon or line) in a vector table. The map
window is then adjusted so that the polygon (or line) entirely occupies the displayed map.
1. Click the Move Map Window button ( ) on the Map toolbar (or press Ctrl + D).
2. Move the pointer over the map and drag the map in the desired direction.
You can also move the map in the document window by placing the pointer over the map,
pressing the mouse wheel, and dragging the map in the desired direction.
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You can also centre the map window on any record of a site table, transmitter table, and
vector table. To centre the map window on a table record, select the record in the table
and click Centre on Map ( ) in the Table toolbar.
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"Searching for a Point on the Map by its Full or Partial Postal Address" on page 64
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3. Enter the X and Y coordinates of the point, using the same units as defined under Display on the Coordinates tab of
the Document Properties dialog box (see "Projection and Display Coordinate Systems" on page 40).
Make sure that the coordinate system used in your document uses the same projection
system as the tile server. Failing to do so will lead to inappropriate behaviour when an
online map is specified (disproportionate and badly rendered map tiles) as you drag the
map away from the area targeted by the specified projection coordinate system. For more
information on displaying online maps, see "Displaying Online Maps" on page 136.
1.4.7.4 Searching for a Point on the Map by its Full or Partial Postal Address
You can use Find on Map to search for a point by its postal address.
Atoll can use a geocoding service to locate a point on the map from a full or partial postal address. Atoll currently supports
the following geocoding providers: Microsoft Bing and MapQuest. To enable this service, see the Atoll Administrator Manual.
This geocoding service is not part of Atoll and is governed by the terms and conditions of
its provider, which are subject to change without notice.
To search for a point on the map by its full or partial postal address:
1. Select Tools > Find on Map. The Find on Map window appears.
2. From the Find list, choose Online.
3. Enter a postal Address. You can specify a full or partial address, for example: street name, precinct, city, county,
country, and so on.
4. Click Search. Atoll automatically begins searching and displays the results in the Find on Map window.
5. Select a result from the list. Atoll centres it in the map window.
1. Click Distance Measurement ( ). The mouse cursor turns into a scale cursor ( ).
2. Click the starting point on the map. The information displayed in the status bar changes from "Ready" to the following
message:
The following popup appears next to the scale cursor if the Display Tips button ( ) on the toolbar is active:
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3. As you move the pointer away from the first point, Atoll marks the initial position and connects it to the pointer with
a line. The status bar displays the distance covered by the pointer thus far ("Path = 0 m" and "Line = Total"), and the
azimuth of the pointers location with respect to the first point. As you move the pointer away from the first point, the
measurement "Line" increases from 0 m to the distance covered by the pointer thus far.
4. Click the next point on the map. The status bar displays the same information as in step 2. (except that "Path = Total"
and "Line = 0 m").
5. Continue clicking points until you have clicked the last point. In the example shown in Figure 1.19, "BRU062" is the
first point, "BRU069" is the last point, the pointers location is 567 m away from the last point and its azimuth is 248
with respect to the last point.
6. Double-click anywhere on the map to exit distance measurement.
Zones are taken into account whether or not they are visible. In other words, if you have
drawn a zone, it will be taken into account whether or not its visibility check box in the
Zones folder of the Geo explorer is selected. For example, if you have filtered the sites
using a filtering zone, the sites outside the filtering zone will not be taken into
consideration in coverage predictions, even if you have cleared the filtering zones
visibility check box. You will have to delete the zone if you no longer want to select sites
using a filtering zone.
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In this example:
Sites 78 and 95 are not in the computation zone, but their propagation zones intersect with the rectangle containing
the computation zone. Therefore, they are taken into consideration in the calculations.
The propagation zones of sites 71 and 93 do not intersect with the computation zone. Therefore, they are not taken
into account in the calculations.
Site 130 is within the coverage zone but has no active transmitters. Therefore, it is not taken into consideration.
The computation zone is considered whether or not it is visible. In other words, if you have drawn a computation zone, it is
taken into account whether or not its visibility check box in the Zones folder of the Geo explorer is selected. You must delete
the zone if you no longer want to define an area for the calculations.
A focus zone can consist of more than one polygon. The polygons of a focus zone must not
intersect or overlap each other.
The geographic export zone can only export in raster format. You can not export in raster
format if the coverage prediction was made per transmitter (for example, coverage
predictions with the display type set by transmitter, by a transmitter attribute, by signal
level, by path loss, or by total losses). Only the coverage area of a single transmitter can
be exported in raster format.
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Scale: If you want to define the size by scale, select Scale, enter a scale in the text box and a resolution. If you want
to export the image with rulers, select Include Rulers.
Pixel size: If you want to define the size by pixel size, select Pixel size, and enter a pixel size in the text box.
If you want to use the exported file as a digital terrain model, you must define the size of
the exported image by pixel size. Atoll then creates a geo-reference file for the exported
image.
You can save the computation zone, so that you can use it in a different Atoll document,
in the following ways:
Saving the computation zone in the user configuration: For information on saving
the computation zone in the user configuration, see "Saving a User Configuration"
on page 102.
Exporting the computation zone: You can export the computation zone by right-
clicking the Computation Zone folder in the Geo explorer and selecting Export
from the context menu.
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Once you have the polygon zone in editing mode, you can edit it as explained in the following sections:
"Editing the Contour of a Zone" on page 69
"Creating Complex Zones" on page 69
"Deleting Zones" on page 70
"Copying Zones into Other Applications" on page 70
When the zone is selected in the Vector Editor toolbar list, it is automatically put in editing
mode.
2. Edit the points on the contour as explained in "Editing Polygon Contours and Lines" on page 72
When the zone is selected in the Vector Editor toolbar list, it is automatically put in editing
mode.
2. Edit the zone using the Vector Editor toolbar as explained in "Creating Complex Polygons" on page 73.
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You can also delete a zone by right-clicking the contour of the zone on the map and select-
ing Delete.
You can delete all zones by right-clicking the Zones folder and selecting Delete All Zones.
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By default, the loaded zone replaces an existing zone of the same type. An optional
merge feature allows you to merge the imported zone with the existing zone by adding
an option in the Atoll.ini configuration file. For more information, see the Atoll
Administrator Manual.
You can also use the File > Import menu to load zones. In this case, the imported zone
always replaces the existing zone regardless of the Atoll.ini setting.
For more information on saving and loading user configurations, see "User Configurations" on page 101.
You can also make the vector tools available by selecting the vector layer to edit from the
Vector Editor toolbar list. Because Atoll names all new vector layers "Vectors" by default,
it might be difficult to know which vector folder you are selecting. By renaming each vector
folder, you can ensure that you select the correct folder. For information on renaming
objects, see "Renaming an Object" on page 49.
If the Vector Editor toolbar is not visible, select View > Toolbars > Vector Editor.
2. Perform any of the following actions:
To draw a polygon:
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If the polygon or rectangle is on the vector layer of a population map, or custom data, you
must define the value the polygon or rectangle represents and map the vector layer. For
more information, see "Editing Population or Custom Data Maps" on page 145.
To draw a line:
i. Click New Line ( ) in the toolbar.
ii. Click once on the map where you want to begin the line.
iii. Click each time you change angles on the line.
iv. Double-click to end the line.
To draw a point, click New Point ( ) in the toolbar and click once on the map where you want to place the point.
3. Press ESC to deselect the currently selected button on the Vector Editor toolbar.
You can activate the vector tools by selecting the vector layer to edit from the Vector
Editor toolbar list.
i. Position the pointer over the point that you want to move. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Drag the point to its new position.
To delete a point from the polygon:
i. Position the pointer over the point you want to delete. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Right-click and select Delete Point from the context menu. The point is deleted.
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You can also activate the vector tools by selecting the vector layer to edit from the Vector
Editor toolbar list.
3. Select the polygon contour and edit the points of the polygon by performing any of the following actions:
To move a point:
i. Position the pointer over the point that you want to move. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Drag the point to its new position.
To add a point to the polygon:
i. Position the pointer over the polygon zone border where you want to add a point. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Right-click and select Insert Point from the context menu. A point is added to the polygon zone border at the
position of the pointer.
To delete a point from the polygon:
i. Position the pointer over the point you want to delete. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Right-click and select Delete Point from the context menu. The point is deleted.
You can activate the vector tools by selecting the vector layer to edit from the Vector
Editor toolbar list.
2. Select the polygon contour and edit the polygon by performing any of the following actions:
To combine several polygon zones:
i. In the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Combine button ( ).
ii. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the new polygon zone.
iii. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the polygon zone.
iv. Double-click to close the polygon zone.
v. Draw more polygon zones if desired. Atoll creates a group of polygons of the selected and new contours. If
polygon zones overlap, Atoll merges them.
To combine two existing contours:
i. In the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Combine button ( ).
ii. Click the contour that you want to combine with the selected one. Atoll combines the two selected contours
into a single object, merging them if they overlap.
To delete part of the selected polygon zone:
i. In the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Delete button ( ).
ii. Draw the area you want to delete from the selected polygon zone by clicking once on the map where you want
to begin drawing the area to delete.
iii. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the area.
iv. Double-click to close the area. Atoll deletes the area from the selected contour.
To create a contour out of the overlapping area of two polygons:
i. In the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Intersection button ( ).
ii. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the polygon that will overlap the selected one.
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iii. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the polygon.
iv. Double-click to close the polygon. Atoll creates a new polygon of the overlapping area of the two polygons
and deletes the parts of the polygons that do not overlap.
To split the selected polygon into multiple polygons:
i. In the Vector Editor toolbar, click the Split button ( ).
ii. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the polygon that will split the selected one.
iii. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the polygon.
iv. Double-click to close the polygon. Atoll separates the area covered by the polygon from the selected polygon
and creates a new polygon.
The polygon drawing pointer indicates that you can draw a zone to filter either sites
or transmitters, draw computation/focus/hot spot/filtering/printing/ geographic
Polygon drawing
export zones, or draw vector or raster polygons on the map. To draw a polygon, click
pointer
once to start, and each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of
the polygon. Close the polygon by clicking twice.
The rectangle drawing pointer indicates that you that can draw computation/focus/
Rectangle drawing
hot spot/filtering/printing/geographic export zones, or draw vector or raster
pointer
rectangles on the map. To define a zone, click and drag diagonally.
Hand The hand pointer indicates that you can move the visible part of the displayed map.
The zoom pointer indicates that you can click to zoom in and right-click to zoom out
Zoom tool
at the location of the mouse pointer
The zoom area pointer indicates that you can zoom in on an area of the by clicking
Zoom area
and dragging to define the area.
The transmitter pointer indicates that you can place a transmitter on the map where
New transmitter you click. You can place more than one station by pressing Ctrl as you click on the
map.
The deletion pointer indicates that you can delete a newly created polygonal clutter
Deletion
zone by clicking its border.
The position indicator pointer indicates that you can select the border of a polygon.
Position indicator Right-clicking the polygon border opens a context menu allowing you to add a point,
delete the polygon, or centre the map on the polygon.
The select/create points pointer indicates that you can modify the polygon in the
map window. You can add a new point and modify the polygon contour by clicking
Select/create
on one of the edges and dragging. You can move an existing point by clicking and
points
dragging an existing point. You can right-click to open a context menu to delete a
point, delete the polygon, or centre the map on the polygon.
Placing a CW
The first CW measurement point pointer indicates that you can click a point on the
measurement
map to create the first point of a CW measurement path.
point
Placing points in a The next CW measurement point pointer indicates that the first CW measurement
CW measurement point has been set and you can now click other points on the map. Double-click to
path end the CW measurement path.
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The terrain section pointer indicates that you can create a terrain section by clicking
once on the map to create the first point and once more to create the second point.
Terrain section
The terrain profile between the two points is displayed in the Point Analysis window
and stored under Terrain Sections in the Geo explorer.
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You can set default values and choice lists for standard Atoll database fields. For more
information, see the Administrator Manual.
Type: Select a type for the field (text, short integer, long integer, single, double, true/false, date/time, or currency)
Size: The Size field is only available if you have selected "text" as the Type. Enter a size in characters.
Group: If necessary, you can define the groups to which this custom field will belong separating each group name
with a semicolon. When you open an Atoll document from a database, you can then select groups of custom fields
to be loaded from the database, instead of loading all custom fields.
Legend: Enter the name for the field that will appear in the Atoll user interface.
Read-only: Select the Read-only check box if you do not want the custom field to be modifiable in the user inter-
face.
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Default value: If necessary, enter a default value that will appear when you create a new record of this object type.
Choice list: The Choice list field is only available if you have selected "text" as the Type. You can create a choice
list by entering the list items in the Choice list text box and pressing ENTER after each list item, keeping each choice
on a separate line.
- Select the Restricted check box if you want the custom field to accept only values listed in the Choice list.
- Clear the Restricted check box if you want to allow users to enter values other than those in the Choice list.
4. Click OK to return to the object type table.
User or custom fields are for information only and are not considered in calculations. You
can find these fields on the Other Properties tab of an object types Properties dialog box.
All data stored in the field is lost when you delete the field itself. Make sure that you are
not deleting important information.
1. Access the object types table fields as explained in "Accessing Table Fields" on page 75.
2. Select the custom field that you want to delete.
Some fields can not be deleted. If you select a field and the Delete button remains
unavailable, the selected field is not a custom field and can not be deleted.
3. Click Delete. The field is deleted from the object types data table.
You can also open the Record Properties dialog box by double-clicking the record. To avoid
editing the record when you double-click, double-click the left margin of the record instead
of the record itself. You can also select the record and click the Record Properties button
( ) in the Table toolbar.
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Table formats can be saved to and loaded from user configuration files. For more informa-
tion, see "User Configurations" on page 101.
3. In the Table toolbar, click the arrow next to the Background Colour button ( ). A colour palette appears.
4. In the colour palette, select a background colour. The colour is applied to the background of the selected columns.
In the colour palette, you can click Other to open the Colours dialog box and select a colour that is not listed in the
main palette.
You can also click Default to revert to the default column background colour corresponding to your Windows theme.
To align the content of the selected cells to the left, click Align Left ( ).
To align the content of the selected cells to the centre, click Centre ( ).
To align the content of the selected cells to the right, click Align Right ( ).
To display the content of the selected cells in bold, click Bold ( ).
To display the content of the selected cells in italic, click Italic ( ).
You can change the width of several columns at the same time by selecting their
headers before clicking and dragging the border separating any two column
headers.
Double-clicking the border separating two column headers resets the width of the
column to the left of the border.
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You can change the height of several rows at the same time by selecting their
headers before clicking and dragging the border separating any two row headers.
Double-clicking the border separating two row headers resets the height of the
row above the border.
2. In the Table toolbar, click the Display Columns button ( ). The Columns to Be Displayed dialog box appears.
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You can search for a column in the table by entering its name in the search field.
You can display or hide all the columns by selecting or clearing the (Select all) check
box.
You can change the order of columns in the table by selecting them in the list and
5. Click Close.
You can also hide one or more columns in the table by selecting their headers and clicking the Hide Columns button ( ) in
the Table toolbar.
3. Right-click the selected header or headers and select Freeze Columns from the context menu or click the Freeze Col-
umns button ( ) in the Table toolbar. Frozen columns are grouped to the left of the table and separated from other
columns with a vertical red line.
To unfreeze columns:
Right-click the table and select Unfreeze All Columns from the context menu or click the Unfreeze All Columns button
( ) in the Table toolbar.
You can only move several columns at the same time when they are adjacent.
3. Click again on the selected column and drag to the desired position. As you drag the column, the position the column
will occupy is indicated by a red line.
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If a list of options has been defined for a field, you can select a value from the list (see
Figure 1.27) or enter a new value.
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To copy the contents of the bottom cell of the selection into the other cells, right-click the selection and select
Edit > Fill Up from the context menu or click the Fill Up button ( ) in the Table toolbar (see Figure 1.30).
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You can also click the Find button ( ) in the table toolbar.
2. In the Find button, define what you want to find:
a. Enter the text you want to find in the Find what box.
b. Select whether you want to search Up or Down from your current position in the table.
c. If desired, select the Match case check box.
3. Click Find Next.
You can also click the Replace button ( ) in the table toolbar.
2. In the Replace button, define the text you want to find and replace:
a. Enter the text you want to find in the Find what box.
b. Enter the text you want to replace the text in the Find what box in the Replace with box.
c. If desired, select the Match case check box.
3. Click Find Next. Atoll proceeds to the next entry of the text entered in the Find what box.
You can replace the text found:
Replace: Atoll replaces the selected text with the entry in the Replace with box.
Replace All: Atoll replaces all occurrences of the text in the Find what box with the entry in the Replace with box.
In Atoll you can organise data in several different ways, allowing you to select only certain
data. For more information, see "Grouping, Sorting, and Filtering Data" on page 93.
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The statistics displayed depend on the type of numerical data selected. If you leave the Statistics dialog box open, you
can view the statistical analysis of other cells by selecting them in the table. The contents of the Statistics dialog box
are updated automatically.
You can open XML Spreadsheet files in MS Excel 2003 and later.
Unlike XLS files, XML Spreadsheet files are not limited to 65,536 rows and 256 columns.
To export a table:
1. Open the data table as explained in "Opening a Data Table" on page 75.
2. Right-click the table. The context menu appears.
3. Select Export from the context menu. The Export dialog box appears with, at the bottom, a Preview of the table you
want to export according to the current Field separator setting (see Figure 1.32).
4. Select the Header check box if you want to export the names of the columns with the data.
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Export to CSV format always uses the "List separator" defined in the Windows regional
settings as the Field Separator.
7. Select the fields (displayed as columns in the table) you want to export. You can display all the fields belonging to a
table by clicking the Expand button ( ) to the left of the table name. You can select contiguous fields by clicking the
first field, pressing Shift and clicking the last field. You can select non-contiguous fields by pressing Ctrl and clicking
each field separately.
To select a field to be exported, select the field in the Available Fields box and click to move it to the
Exported Fields list. All fields in the Exported Fields list will be exported.
To remove a field from the list of Exported Fields, select the field and click .
To change the order of a field in the list, select the field and click or to move it up or down. The top-most
field under Exported Fields corresponds to the left-most field under Preview.
You can save the choices you made in the Export dialog box via the Save button next to
Configuration file. The next time you export a data table, you can click Load in the Export
dialog box to open the configuration file you saved and reuse the same settings.
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5. If the file was created using a different Coordinate System, click the Browse button to select the coordinate system
the file was created with. Atoll converts the coordinates in the imported file to match the coordinate system used in
the Atoll document.
6. Enter the number of the first line of data in the 1st Data Row box.
7. Select a Decimal symbol from the list.
8. Select a Field Separator from the list.
To import a table from a CSV format file, the Field separator you select must be the
same as the "List separator" defined in the Windows regional settings.
You can change the width of the columns to make the contents easier to work with. See
"Changing Column Widths and Row Heights" on page 78.
You can save the choices you made in the Import dialog box via the Save button next to
Configuration file. The next time you import a data table, you can click Load in the Import
dialog box to open the configuration file you saved and reuse the same settings.
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An additional import mode is available when you import neighbour, secondary antenna, and GSM TRX records:
Reset and add: this mode is identical to Update and add with the addition that existing records will be deleted if
and when the imported file is found to contain data for the same transmitter or cell in the current table.
11. Neighbours only: At this point, you can compare the neighbour data you want to import with existing neighbour data.
Click Compare. The neighbour list to be imported is compared with the existing neighbour list and a comparison report
is displayed in text file, "NeighboursDeltaReport.txt", which sums up the changes that would occur after import.
"NeighboursDeltaReport.txt" lists the following:
The document name and the relations type.
The number of Neighbour Link(s) Creation(s) that will take place after import, i.e. imported neighbour relations
which are not in the existing neighbour list, and a list of these relations.
The number of Neighbour Link(s) Deletion(s) that will take place after import, i.e. existing neighbour relations
which are not in the imported neighbour list, and a list of these relations.
A list of Neighbour Link(s) Deletion(s) can only be built in Reset and add import mode.
The number of Existing Neighbour Link(s), i.e. existing neighbour relations that are also proposed in the imported
neighbour list, and a list of these relations.
A list of Existing Neighbour Link(s) can only be built in Update and add or Reset and add
import modes.
12. Click Import. The contents are imported in the current table according to the selected import Mode.
You can import data from text files into the Sites and Transmitters tables by selecting the
corresponding folder or view in the Network explorer and pressing Ctrl+I.
For information on exporting the information in a data table into a text file, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and Spread-
sheets" on page 85.
If you want to export only selected tables to XML files, you must set the AdvancedXML
option in the [Export] section of the Atoll.ini file. When this option is set, you can select the
tables you want to export. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
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the XML files and the current Atoll document must use the same system and technology,
and the Atoll version used to create the XML files must be identical to the Atoll version used to import the data.
When XML files are imported in a document, table and field definitions are not modified, i.e. "Networks" and "CustomFields"
tables are not imported. For more information on XML files, see the Data Structure Reference Guide.
To import data tables into your document from XML files:
1. Select Document > Data Exchange > XML Import. The Select Folder dialog box appears.
2. Select the folder containing the index.xml file.
3. Click OK. The data tables corresponding to the XML files listed in index.xml are imported in the document.
Tables are imported in the same order they appear in the index.xml file. You must not
modify the order of tables in index.xml. The order in which tables are imported is very
important; some data must be imported before other. For example, antennas used by
transmitters must be imported before the transmitters themselves.
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Printing graphics is a memory-intensive operation and can put a heavy load on your
printer. Before printing for the first time, review the "Printing Recommendations" on
page 90 to avoid memory-related problems.
To print a map:
1. Select the document window containing the map.
2. You now have the following options before printing the map:
Create a printing zone or a focus zone as explained in "Creating Zones" on page 68.
Modify the print layout as explained in "Defining the Print Layout" on page 90.
Preview how the map will appear once printed as explained in "Previewing Your Printing" on page 92.
3. Select File > Print.
4. Click OK.
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You define the print setup on the Page tab, the Components tab, and the Header/Footer tab. You can see any changes
you make in the schematic preview on the right side of the Print Setup dialog box.
If you have previously defined a configuration file containing all the necessary settings, you
can click the Load button under Configuration file to import those settings.
2. Click the Page tab to define the page size, margins, and orientation and the scale of the printed map:
a. Under Orientation, select whether the page should be printed in Portrait or Landscape.
b. Under Paper, select the Size of the paper and, optionally, the Source of the paper.
c. Under Scaling, define the scale of the printed image either by selecting Fit to page, or by selecting Scale and de-
fining the scale.
d. Under Margins, set the margins of the page in millimetres.
3. Click the Components tab.
a. Under Map, you can define the appearance of the printed map:
Select the Rulers check box if you want to print the map with a scale around it.
Select the Area inside focus zone only check box if you only want to print the part of the map inside the focus
zone.
b. Under Legend, you can define the placement of the legend.
Select the Legend check box if you want to print a legend with the map.
Click the Font button to open the Font dialog box to define the font of the legend.
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c. Select the Comments check box if you want to print a comment with the map and set its Position. Clicking the
Properties button opens a dialog box where you can enter text and set variables such as the current time and date.
If you want the comment to appear on the map (and not outside of it), select the On the map check box.
4. Click the Header/Footer tab to set the position of graphic items.
a. Select the Map title check box to define a title for the map and set its Position. Clicking the Properties button
opens a dialog box where you can enter text and set variables such as the current time and date. If you want the
title to appear on the map (and not outside of it), select the On the map check box.
b. Under Logo 1 and Logo 2, you can define graphics that appear for the map. The graphics can be a company logo
or other information, such as copyright information, in the form of a BMP graphic.
i. For the selected logo check box, click the Properties button. The Logo dialog box appears.
By default, Atoll searches for a file named logo.bmp in the Atoll installation folder to use as the default header
logo. However, you can select a different file.
ii. In the Logo dialog box, click File. The Open dialog box appears.
iii. Select the your graphic in BMP format and click Open.
Only BMP graphics can be used as logos. If your logo is in a different format, you must first
convert it using a graphics programme to the BMP format.
You can save the current settings as a configuration file by clicking the Save button under
Configuration file. This enables you to reuse the same settings the next time by loading
them.
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You can also group data objects by the computation or focus zone. You normally create a computation or focus zone
when you want to concentrate on a given subset of transmitters, for example, when you are working on a certain area
of the network. By grouping them by computation or focus zone, the transmitters you are working on are immediately
visible under the Transmitter folder.
By right-clicking the Transmitter folder and selecting Group By > Polygon > Focus Zone, you can group the transmit-
ters in the focus zone together. The result of grouping can be seen in Figure 1.36. The transmitters are now in two
groups: those inside the focus zone and those outside the focus zone.
To group data objects by multiple properties, see "Advanced Grouping of Data Objects" on
page 95.
To change the single property by which the data objects are currently grouped:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the folder or view whose grouping you want to change. The context menu appears.
3. Select Group By > Field2 where Field2 is the new property by which you want to group the data objects. The data
objects are now grouped by the new property you selected for the corresponding folder or view.
To undo basic grouping of data objects:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the folder or view whose grouping you want to undo. The context menu appears.
3. Select Group By > None. The data objects are no longer grouped in the corresponding folder or view.
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You can select contiguous fields by clicking a field, pressing Shift and clicking the last field.
You can also select non-contiguous fields by pressing Ctrl and clicking each field separately.
To make a field appear in the Group By submenu, select the field in the Available fields list and click to move
it to the Fields of the group list.
To remove a field from the Fields of the group list, select the field in this list and click .
To change the order of a field in the list, select the field and click or to move it up or down.
6. Click OK to close the Configure Menu dialog box then OK to close the Properties dialog box. The Group By submenu
now contains only the fields you selected, in the same order as in the Fields of the group list, and from top to bottom.
To modify the configuration of a Group By submenu:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the folder or view whose Group By submenu you want to modify. The context menu appears.
3. From the context menu, select Group By > More fields. The Configure Menu dialog box appears.
4. Add/Remove/Order the fields that you want in the Fields of the group list as shown in the previous procedure.
5. Click OK. The Group By submenu of the corresponding folder or view now contains the same fields as in the Fields of
the group list, in the same order and from top to bottom.
To reset the configuration of a Group By submenu:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the folder or view whose Group By submenu you want to reset. The context menu appears.
3. From the context menu, select Group By > More fields. The Configure Menu dialog box appears.
4. Remove each field currently listed under Fields of the group by selecting the field and clicking .
5. Click OK. The Group By submenu of the corresponding folder or view now contains the default list of fields.
You can select contiguous fields by clicking a field, pressing Shift and clicking the last field.
You can also select non-contiguous fields by pressing Ctrl and clicking each field separately.
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To select a field to be used to group the data objects, select the field in the Available Fields list and click to
move it to the Fields of the group list.
To remove a field from the Fields of the group list, select the field in the Fields of the group list and click .
To change the order of a field in the list, select the field and click or to move it up or down.
6. Click OK to close the Group dialog box then OK to close the Properties dialog box. The data objects are now grouped
by these properties in the corresponding folder or view, in the order of the fields in the Fields of the group list, from
top to bottom (e.g. "Antenna", "Height (m)", "Site" in Figure 1.37).
5. Remove each field currently listed under Fields of the group by selecting the field and clicking .
6. Click OK to close the Group dialog box then OK to close the Properties dialog box. The data objects are no longer
grouped in the corresponding folder or view.
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You can also sort data in a table by selecting the column as described and then clicking
either the Sort Ascending ( ) or Sort Descending ( ) buttons in the Table toolbar.
You can only sort in a table by adjacent columns. If you want to sort by columns that are not adjacent, you can move the
columns first as explained in "Moving Columns" on page 80.
If you want to sort data by several columns without moving the columns, you can use the
Sort function on the Properties dialog box. For information, see "Advanced Sorting" on
page 97.
You can also sort data in a table by selecting the column as described and then clicking
either the Sort Ascending ( ) or Sort Descending ( ) buttons in the Table toolbar.
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5. Click the Sort button. The Sort dialog box appears (see Figure 1.39).
6. For the first column you want to sort on:
a. Select the column name from the Sort by list.
b. Choose whether you want to sort in ascending or descending order.
7. For each other column you want to sort on:
a. Select the column name from the And by list.
b. Choose whether you want to sort in ascending or descending order.
8. Click OK.
When the data in a table are filtered, a filter icon ( ) appears at the top of the leftmost
column and in the corresponding column header(s), as shown in Figure 1.40 and Figure
1.41. The icon in the leftmost column can prove useful when the column containing the
filtered data is not displayed due to a large table width.
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You can also filter data in a table by selecting the values as described and then clicking
either the Filter by Selection ( ) or Filter Excluding Selection ( ) buttons in the Table
toolbar.
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Figure 1.42: The Advanced Filter tab - Conditions on multiple fields combined with an AND operator
To express a filter on a single field combined with an OR operator (for example: a<1 OR a>2) specify the first criteria
on the Criteria row and other criteria on the Or row, as in Figure 1.43. In the following example, the filtered table dis-
plays antennas for which the gain is either 17, or 18, or above 20 dBi:
Figure 1.43: The Advanced Filter tab - Conditions on a single field combined with an OR operator
To express a filter on multiple fields combined with an OR operator (for example: a=1 OR b=2) specify the first criteria
in the first column of the Criteria row and the other criteria on the OR row of the next column, as in Figure 1.44. You
can combine the OR expressions with AND expressions. In the following example, the filtered table displays antennas
for which either the manufacturer name starts with K, or the gain is between 15 and 20 dBi:
Figure 1.44: The Advanced Filter tab - Conditions on multiple fields combined with AND and OR operators
In the filtering table, the priority of AND and OR conditions is defined by combining them first horizontally, then vertically.
To create an advanced filter:
1. Open the data table as explained in "Opening a Data Table" on page 75.
2. Click the Advanced Filter button ( ) in the Table toolbar. The Filter dialog box appears.
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You can also access the Filter dialog box by clicking the Filter button on the General tab
of the Transmitter Properties dialog box.
Making selections on the Filter tab of the Filter dialog box is equivalent to filtering by selec-
tion as explained in "Filtering in Data Tables by Selection" on page 98.
To combine conditions with an AND operator, enter the conditions in separate columns on the same row.
To combine conditions with an OR operator, enter the conditions on separate rows.
5. Click OK to filter the data according to the criteria you have defined.
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When you save the geographic data set in a user configuration file, the coordinate
system of all vector geographic data must be the same as that of the raster geographic
data.
Map Centre and Zoom Level: X and Y coordinates of the centre of the map window and the zoom level.
Zones: Filtering, focus, computation, printing, hot spot, and geographic export zones.
Network Data Table Configuration: Formats and settings of network data tables. For more information, see "Defining
the Table Format" on page 77.
Folder Configuration: Sort, group, and filter settings (the current folder configuration, even if not saved, and other
defined configurations for the folders), the filtering zone, the display settings of network data folders (including meas-
urement display settings), and LTE and WiMAX AFP parameters (including constraint weights for frequency planning,
physical cell ID planning, and preamble index planning).
Automatic Neighbour Allocation Parameters: The input parameters of the automatic neighbour allocation.
Macros: Full paths of any macros. Macros are loaded for entire Atoll sessions and not for a specific Atoll document.
You can export the macros to a user configuration even if you do not have an Atoll document open.
Prediction List: The list of all available prediction simulations.
Additional check boxes will appear according to the technology:
GSM Automatic Frequency Planning Parameters: The calculation options that are selected when running GSM AFP
as well as calculation parameters used for interference histograms.
Automatic Scrambling Code Allocation Parameters: The parameters of the automatic scrambling code allocation for
UMTS and TD-SCDMA technologies.
CDMA Automatic PN Offset Allocation Parameters: The parameters of the automatic PN offset allocation.
LTE Automatic Resource Allocation Parameters: The calculation options that are selected when running LTE AFP.
WiMAX Automatic Resource Allocation Parameters: The calculation options that are selected when running the
WiMAX AFP.
Wi-Fi Automatic Resource Allocation Parameters: The calculation options that are selected when running Wi-Fi AFP.
For a detailed description of the user configuration file, see the Administrator Manual.
This section covers the following topics:
"Saving a User Configuration" on page 102
"Loading a User Configuration" on page 102.
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In a multi-user environment, site lists can be stored in the database. When you open a document from a database, you can
select the sites to load according to any defined site lists. In a large radio-planning project, this allows you to more effectively
manage your resources by reducing the unnecessary data you retrieve from the database.
This section covers the following topics:
"Creating a Site or Transmitter List" on page 103
"Adding a Site or Transmitter to a List in the Network Explorer" on page 103
"Adding a Site or Transmitter to a List from the Map Window" on page 104
"Adding Sites or Transmitters to a List Using a Zone" on page 104
"Editing a Site or Transmitter List" on page 104
"Importing a Site or Transmitter List" on page 105
"Exporting a Site or Transmitter List" on page 105
"Filtering on a Site or Transmitter List" on page 106
"Using the Find on Map Tool to Display Site Lists" on page 106
You can create a series of blank site or transmitter lists by importing a text file with the
names of the new lists. You can import the text file by clicking the Actions button on the
Site Lists or Transmitter Lists dialog box and then selecting Import from the menu that
appears. You can also export the names of all existing site or transmitter lists by
selecting Export from the same menu.
You can create a new list by entering a name in the list instead of selecting the name
from the list. The selected site or transmitter will be added to the new list.
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You can quickly create a complete list by first filtering the contents of the Sites or
Transmitters folder as explained in "Filtering Data" on page 98. Then, by right-clicking
the Sites or Transmitters folder and selecting Site Lists > Add Sites to a List or
Transmitter Lists > Add Transmitters to a List from the context menu, you can add the
filtered contents of folder to the list you select.
You can create a new list by entering a name in the list instead of selecting the name
from the list. The selected site or transmitter will be added to the new list.
You can create a new list by entering a name in the list instead of selecting the name
from the list. The selected site or transmitter will be added to the new list.
4. Click OK. The sites or transmitters contained in the zone are added to the selected list.
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Select the name of the site or transmitter in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ).
To delete a site or transmitter from the list:
a. Click in the left margin of the row containing the site or transmitter to select it.
b. Press DEL to delete the site or transmitter from the list.
5. Click OK when you have finished editing the site or transmitter list.
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For transmitters, there is a default folder configuration called Same as Sites Folder. You
can apply this configuration to arrange the transmitters in the Transmitters folder with the
same parameters as those defined for sites.
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3. Under Folder configuration, select the name of the configuration from the list.
4. Click Delete. The folder configuration is deleted.
When you delete a folder configuration, Atoll does not ask for confirmation; it is deleted
immediately.
If you have created several views, you can rename each one to provide a more
descriptive name. For information on renaming an object, see "Renaming an Object" on
page 49.
Once you have performed the actions on each view, you can compare the differences by displaying each view, with its group-
ing, sorting, or filtering settings, on the map. For more information on display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties
of Objects" on page 51.
To compare views:
1. In the Network explorer, clear the check boxes to the left of each view. The data objects are not displayed on the map.
2. Select the check box of one of the views, leaving the check boxes of the other views cleared. The data objects of the
selected view, with its associated grouping, sorting, or filtering settings, are displayed on the map.
3. Clear this check box and select the check box of a different view. How the objects are displayed on the map will
change, depending on the different grouping, sorting, or filtering settings of the selected view.
You can remove views by deleting them. When you delete a view, the data contained are not deleted. When you delete the
last view, the data reappear under the initial folder.
To delete a view:
Select the view to be deleted and press DEL.
If, after deleting the last view, the data do not reappear under the initial folder, you can
refresh the display by right-clicking the folder and selecting Group By > None from the
context menu.
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For more information about installing add-ins and macros, see the Atoll Administrator Manual.
For information about using an add-in, see the user manual for each add-in. The user manual is located in the installation
directory of the add-in.
The add-in versions that are installed with the product are the latest available at the
release of the Atoll version. Check the Forsk web-site for updates.
Import a file
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Create a new repeater or remote antenna for the currently selected transmitter
Calculate only invalid matrices, unlocked coverages, and pending simulations (F7)
Force the calculation of all matrices, unlocked coverages, and pending simulations (Ctrl+F7)
Stop the calculation of all matrices, unlocked coverages, and pending simulations (ESC)
In the Map toolbar
Zoom in or out on the map and centre on the cursor location (Ctrl+Q)
Create a new vector layer (in either the Geo or the Network explorer)
Draw points
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Display statistics
Copy the contents of the top selected row into the rows below
Copy the contents of the bottom selected row into the rows above
When you place the cursor over an icon, tip text appears, giving a short description.
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Ctrl++: Zoom in on the map (in the toolbar, click and click the map)
Ctrl+: Zoom out on the map (in the toolbar, click and right-click the map)
Ctrl+A: Select all records in a table
Ctrl+H: Open the Replace dialog box when a table is active (in the toolbar, click )
Ctrl+I: Import the table of the selected Sites or Transmitters folder or view from a text file. For more informa-
tion, see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 86.
Ctrl+N: Open the Project Templates dialog box (in the toolbar, click )
Ctrl+Shift+N: Create a new document from an existing database
Ctrl+O: Open the Open dialog box (in the toolbar, click )
Ctrl+S: Save the current active document (in the toolbar, click )
Ctrl+U: Copy the last cell of a selection up into all selected cells
Ctrl+V: Paste the content of the clipboard (in the toolbar, click )
Ctrl+W: Define a zoom area on the map (in the toolbar, click )
Ctrl+Y: Redo the previous undone modification (in the toolbar, click )
ALT+: Previous zoom and location on the map (in the toolbar, click )
ALT+: Next zoom and location on the map (in the toolbar, click )
ALT+F8: Open the Add-ins and Macros dialog box
Using the Function Keys
F7: Calculate only invalid matrices, unlocked coverages, and pending simulations (in the toolbar, click )
Ctrl+F7: Force the calculation of all matrices, unlocked coverages, and pending simulations (in the toolbar, click
)
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You can also access menus and commands by pressing the ALT key and typing the
underlined letter in the menu or command name.
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Chapter 2
Geographic
Data
In this chapter, the following are explained:
"Geographic Data Types" on page 117
"Supported Geographic Data Formats" on page 119
This chapter provides
"Importing Geo Data Files" on page 119
information on working with
geographic data in an Atoll "Digital Terrain Models" on page 126
project. "Clutter Classes" on page 126
"Clutter Heights" on page 130
"Contours, Lines, and Points" on page 130
"Scanned Images" on page 132
"Population Maps" on page 133
"Custom Geo Data Maps" on page 133
"Displaying Online Maps" on page 136
"Setting the Priority of Geo Data" on page 138
"Displaying Geo Data Information" on page 141
"Geographic Data Sets" on page 141
"Editing Geographic Data" on page 143
"Saving Geographic Data" on page 146
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2 Geographic Data
Several different geographic data types are used in an Atoll document. For example: the digital terrain model (DTM), clutter
classes, clutter heights, online maps, population maps, traffic data maps, and scanned images are types of the geographic data
that you can import or create. Some data types, such as clutter classes, can be used to give more realistic calculations. Other
types such as scanned images, are used to create a more realistic display of the region under study.
You can import a wide variety of both vector and raster-format geo data files. When you import a geo data file into Atoll, you
can decide in which folder it goes. The Geo explorer window has folders for the commonly used data types. Therefore, choos-
ing a folder is choosing what the file will be used for. You can also create your own data type by importing a file and defining
what data is to be used.
Once you have imported a file into the Atoll document, you can edit the data, define how the geo data will be displayed. Atoll
also allows you to manage multiple files for a single data type, deciding the priority of data files with different information or
different resolutions. You can also display geo data over items in the Network explorer, either by transferring them to the
Network explorer, or by importing them directly to the Network explorer.
You can also create and edit geographic data. You can add a vector layer to certain data types to which you can add contours,
lines, or points, create new geographic data, or modify existing data. You can also create raster-based geographic data such
as traffic maps or clutter classes.
You can export most geo data objects (for example, DTM, clutter classes, clutter heights, raster polygons, or vector layers) for
use in other Atoll documents or in other applications. Atoll also allows you to save changes you make to geo data objects back
to the original files. This enables you to update the original files and, through the process of saving them, recompact the file.
This chapter explains the following topics:
"Geographic Data Types" on page 117
"Supported Geographic Data Formats" on page 119
"Importing Geo Data Files" on page 119
"Clutter Classes" on page 126
"Clutter Heights" on page 130
"Digital Terrain Models" on page 126
"Contours, Lines, and Points" on page 130
"Scanned Images" on page 132
"Population Maps" on page 133
"Custom Geo Data Maps" on page 133
"Setting the Priority of Geo Data" on page 138
"Editing Geographic Data" on page 143
"Saving Geographic Data" on page 146.
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The DTM describes the elevation of the ground over sea level. You can display the DTM in different ways: by single value,
discrete values, or by value intervals (see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51).
The DTM is automatically taken into account by the propagation model during computations.
Clutter Classes
The clutter class geo data file describes land cover or land use. Clutter classes are taken into account by the propagation model
during computations.
Each pixel in a clutter class file contains a code (from a maximum of 256 possible classes) which corresponds to a clutter class,
or in other words to a certain type of ground use or cover. The height per class can be defined as part of the clutter class,
however, the height will be defined as an average height for each clutter class. For information on defining the height per clut-
ter class, see "Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 127. Clutter heights can also be defined by a separate clutter heights
file (see "Clutter Heights" on page 118). A clutter height map can represent height much more accurately because it allows a
different height to be assigned for each pixel of the map.
Clutter Heights
Clutter height maps describe the altitude of clutter over the DTM with one altitude defined per pixel. Clutter height maps can
offer more precise information than defining an altitude per clutter class because, in a clutter height file, it is possible to have
different heights within a single clutter class.
When clutter altitude is defined both in clutter classes and in a clutter height map, clutter altitude is taken from the clutter
height map.
You can display the clutter height map in different ways: by single value, discrete values, or by value intervals (see "Setting
the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51).
The only propagation models that can take clutter heights into account in calculations are
the Standard Propagation Model, CrossWave, and the WLL model.
Atoll supports contours, lines, and points to represent polygons such as regions, or lines such as roads or coastlines, or points.
They are used for display only and have no effect on computations. Contours can also be used to create filtering polygons or
computation or focus zones.
Scanned Images
Scanned images are geographic data files which represent the actual physical surroundings, for example, road maps or satel-
lite images. They are used to provide a precise background for other objects or for less precise maps and are used only for
display; they have no effect on calculations.
Population Maps
Population maps contain information on population density or on the total number of inhabitants. Population maps can be
used in prediction reports in order to display, for example, the absolute and relative numbers of the population covered.
Population maps have no effect on prediction and simulation results.
Traffic data maps contain information on capacity and service use per geographic area. Traffic data maps are used for network
capacity analyses.
You can import many different types of files for, for example, revenue, rainfall, or socio-demographic data. You could use the
imported data in prediction reports. For example, you could display the predicted revenue for defined coverage.
This imported data has no effect on prediction and simulation results.
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Online Maps
You can display various types of online maps in the map window. From the Geo explorer, you can access these maps directly
or by specifying their server URLs. For more information, see "Displaying Online Maps" on page 136.
All imported raster maps must have the same projection coordinate system.
The instructions in this section do not apply to custom geo data maps. For information on
importing or creating a custom geo data map, see "Custom Geo Data Maps" on page 133.
You can use drag-and-drop to import geo data files into a document. The format is auto-
matically recognised and Atoll presents you with the appropriate dialog box.
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Typically, vector data should be stored in the Geo explorer. Importing into the Network
explorer can however be useful when comparing an image map file with a prediction for
example.
5. By default, the imported file is linked to the Atoll document. To embed the data file into the Atoll document, select
the Embed in Document check box. For information on embedding files, see "Embedding Geographic Data" on
page 125.
6. Click Import. The geo data file is imported and listed in the Geo explorer.
Typically, vector data should be stored in the Geo explorer. Importing into the Network
explorer can however be useful when comparing an exported vector file with a prediction
for example.
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To import a vector file as a computation, filtering, printing, focus zone or a hot spot, select Geo > Zones and the
type of zone in the Import to list that you want to create. For more information on using zones, see "Using Zones
in the Map Window" on page 65.
To import geoclimatic data, select Geo > Geoclimatic Parameters in the Import to list.
The temperatures in the geoclimatic file must be expressed in Celsius whether the measurement unit defined for
temperatures in the Atoll document is Farhenheit or Celsius.
To import population data, select Geo > Population in the Import to list and specify the data fields:
Under Fields to be imported, the first list contains the attributes of the population vector data file that you are
importing, and the second list lets you select whether the attribute corresponds to population density or to a num-
ber of inhabitants.
Select from the first list which field is to be imported and from the second list whether the imported field is a Den-
sity (number of inhabitants per square kilometre for polygons, number of inhabitants per kilometre for lines, or
number of inhabitants for points) or a Value (number of inhabitants) (see Figure 2.1 and Figure 2.2).
To import traffic data maps, see "Importing Traffic Maps" on page 121
To import custom vector data for reference purposes into an existing folder, select Geo in the Import to list.
To import custom vector data for reference purposes into a new folder, click New Folder > in Geo, and type a
name for the custom data folder.
For more information on importing custom geo data, see "Custom Geo Data Maps" on page 133
5. By default, the imported file is linked to the Atoll document. To embed the data file into the Atoll document, select
the Embed in Document check box. For information on embedding files, see "Embedding Geographic Data" on
page 125.
6. The Vector Import window displays the Coordinate system that is used in the current Atoll document. If necessary,
you can convert the file from a different coordinate system into the current coordinate system. Click the Change
button to specify the coordinate system of the file that you are importing.
7. Click Import. The geo data file is imported.
You can import ellipses and arcs from MapInfo files (MIF and TAB). Rectangles are inter-
preted as polygons.
You can define mappings between the coordinate system used for the MapInfo/ESRI
vector files, defined in the corresponding MIF/PRJ files, and Atoll. This way, when you
import a vector file, Atoll can detect the correct coordinate system automatically. For
more information about defining the mapping between coordinate systems, please refer
to the Administrator Manual.
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c. To locate the MSI Planet index file, click . The Open dialog box appears.
d. Select the MSI Planet index file and click Open. The path and name of the file appears in the corresponding field
of the Planet Data to Be Imported dialog box.
4. If you are also importing network data, select the network Technology.
5. When you have selected all the types of data you want to import, click OK. The data is imported into the current Atoll
document.
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Figure 2.3: Server URL list in the Web Map Services Data Import dialog box
The list of WMS servers that appears in the Server URL list is defined by entries in the
Atoll.ini file. For information on defining these entries, see the Administrator Manual.
4. Click the Connect button. Atoll connects to the URL of the WMS server and displays the information available along
with a description of the service.
5. In the left pane of the Web Map Services Data Import dialog box, click the Expand button ( ) to navigate to the item
you want to add in the right pane.
6. Select the check box that precedes the image or the image group, i.e. a group preceded by an Expand button ( ).
The images you select are automatically listed in the right pane.
Unless you select one or several images, the image or the group of images listed in the right pane will be imported.
To select the images you want to import:
i. Click the first image, press Shift, and then click the last image to select contiguous images.
ii. Press Ctrl and click each image separately to select non-contiguous images.
7. Arrange the order in which you want multiple images to appear by selecting each image in the right pane and clicking
to move it towards the top or to move it toward the bottom. The images will be imported as a single object and
their appearance will depend on the order you define here.
8. If you want, you can also click to reverse the order of the list.
9. Click Import in the Web Map Services Data Import dialog box. The WMS Map Import dialog box appears.
The following information is given about the imported WMS data:
Data Types: "Image or Scan" is selected.
Name: The suggested Name is the name of the image currently selected in the left pane of the Web Map Services
Data Import dialog box (e.g "Raster France 1/4 000 000"), or the name of the top folder when more than one
image is selected (e.g. Serveur Geosignal_0"). If you want, you can enter a new name (e.g."my_server").
Geographic Coordinates: The geographic coordinates that the WMS data is given.
10. In the WMS Map Import dialog box, click Import. The image is imported by reference into the Atoll document. You
can not embed a WMS image in your document.
If you had selected more than one image or an image group, Atoll imports the group as a single object. You can not
modify this object. If you want to remove one of the images or add another one you will have to go through the import
process again.
11. In the Web Map Services Data Import dialog box, click Close.
12. In the Open dialog box, click Cancel to exit.
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If you want to import your file to the Network explorer, you can select New folder in
Network.
4. Enter a name for the folder in Folder Name box and click OK.
5. Click Import. Your file is imported into the newly created folder.
You can now import other geo data files into this folder by selecting it from the Data Type list (on the File Import dialog box)
or the Import To list (on the Vector Import dialog box) when you import.
You can transfer geo data that has been imported from the Geo explorer to the Network
explorer, or vice versa. Right-click the data in the Explorer window and select Move to
Network or Move to Geo.
Figure 2.4: New folder for vectors or images in Network and Geo explorers
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You can change the name of the folder to give it a more descriptive name.
You can also move a folder of any level into another folder, as long as the destination
folder does not belong to the folder you want to move.
If you are using distributed calculations, you must link your geo data files. Distributed
calculations will not work with embedded geo data files. For information, see the
Administrator Manual.
To embed a geo data file in the current Atoll document while you are importing:
Select the Embed in Document check box on the File Import or Vector Import dialog box.
To embed a geo data file that is already linked to the current Atoll document:
1. Select the Geo explorer.
2. Right-click the file you want to embed in the current document.
3. Select Properties from the context menu.
4. Click the General tab of the Properties dialog box.
5. Click Embed.
6. Click OK. The geo data file is now embedded in the current Atoll document.
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If Height is left blank, propagation models that use this value use 0 by default.
If clutter class heights are modified, you must recalculate path loss matrices by
clicking Force Calculation ( ) to apply the changes to any predictions and simu-
lations.
6. Enter default values in the first row of the table on the Description tab. or information about each field, see the
descriptions in the following step.
The default values are used if no clutter map is available. Even if there is a clutter classes map, you can select the Use
default values only check box on the at the bottom of the Description tab to make Atoll use the values specified in
this row instead of the values defined per clutter class.
7. If necessary, you can enter a value for each of the following fields applicable to the current document:
For all Atoll documents:
Model Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the path loss, as related to a user-defined
cell edge coverage probability.
Indoor Loss (dB): to be applied to the path loss and used in coverage predictions, point analysis, and Monte
Carlo simulations. Use this setting to define a value of indoor loss per frequency. If a network item operates
on a frequency for which the indoor loss is not defined in the indoor loss graph, an indoor loss value is inter-
polated from the values available in the graph.
For GSM GPRS EDGE documents:
C/I Standard Deviation (DL) (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the C/I values, as related to a user-defined
cell edge coverage probability.
Additional Transmit Diversity Gain (DL) (dB): to add to the 3 dB gain if Tx diversity is active at the subcell level.
Antenna Hopping Gain (DL) (dB): to apply on a calculated C/I if antenna hopping is active at the subcell level.
For UMTS HSPA, and CDMA2000 1xRTT 1xEV-DO documents:
Ec/Io Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Ec/Io values, as related to a user-defined
cell edge coverage probability.
DL Eb/Nt Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Eb/Nt values, as related to a user-
defined cell edge coverage probability.
UL Eb/Nt Standard Deviation (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the Eb/Nt values, as related to a user-
defined cell edge coverage probability.
% Pilot Finger: to be used in the Ec/Io calculations. This factor represents the percentage of energy received
by the mobile pilot finger. Mobile user equipment has one searcher finger for pilot. The searcher finger selects
one path and only energy from this path is considered as signal; energy from other multipaths is considered
as interference. For example, if 70% of the total energy is in one path and 30% of the energy is in other
multipaths, then the signal energy is reduced to 70% of total energy).
Orthogonality Factor: to be used to evaluate DL Eb/Nt. This parameter indicates the remaining orthogonality
at the receiver; it can be modelled by a value from 0, indicating no remaining orthogonality because of multi-
path, to 1, indicating perfect orthogonality.
Spatial Multiplexing Gain Factor: to apply to the spatial multiplexing gain read from the Max Spatial Multi-
plexing Gain graphs in the MIMO tab of reception equipment.
Additional Diversity Gain (DL) (dB): to add to the users downlink HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt, if the user and its reference
cell supports transmit diversity.
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LTE C/I Standard Deviation (DL) (dB): to calculate shadowing losses on the C/(I+N) values (from LTE cells only),
in relation to a user-defined cell edge coverage probability.
LTE SU-MIMO Gain Factor: to apply to the spatial multiplexing gain read from the Max SU-MIMO Gain graphs
in the MIMO tab of LTE reception equipment.
LTE Additional Diversity Gain (DL) (dB): to add to the users downlink C/(I+N), if the users mobile and his
reference LTE cell support transmit diversity.
LTE Additional Diversity Gain (UL) (dB): to add to the users uplink C/(I+N), if the users mobile and his refer-
ence LTE cell support receive diversity.
8. If you want to use default values for all clutter classes, select the Use only default values check box at the bottom of
the Description tab.
9. Click the Display tab to define the display properties for clutter classes. In addition to the Display tab options described
in "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51, each clutter class display type has a visibility check box. By
selecting or clearing the visibility check box, you can display or hide clutter class display types individually.
Selecting white as the colour for a clutter class value or value interval will cause that clutter
class value or value interval to be displayed as transparent.
You can copy the description table into a new Atoll document after importing the clutter
classes file. To copy the description table, select the entire table by clicking the cell in the
upper-left corner of the table and press Ctrl+C. On the Description tab of the clutter
classes Properties dialog box in the new Atoll document, press Ctrl+V to paste the values
in the table.
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Si
% of I = -------------- 100
Sk
k
The clutter height of the current pointer position as given in the clutter height file or in the clutter classes is displayed in the
status bar.
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You can manage the display of an individual vector object by right-clicking the vector
object in the vector layer folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
All the vector objects of a vector layer and their attributes are listed in the vector table.
To open the vector layer table:
1. On the Explorer window tab containing the vector layer, right-click the vector layer folder. The context menu appears.
2. Select Open Table from the context menu. The vector table appears.
You can edit the contents of this table using the commands from the context menu or from the Edit, Format, and Records
menus. For more information on editing tables in Atoll, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
The vector layer Properties dialog box has three tabs: a General tab, a Table tab, and a Display tab.
To open the Properties dialog box of a vector layer:
1. On the Explorer window tab containing the vector layer, right-click the vector layer folder. The context menu appears.
2. Select Properties from the context menu.
3. Click the General tab. The following options are available:
Name: The name of the vector layer. You can rename the vector layer using this field.
Source File: The complete path of the vector layer file if the file is linked to the Atoll document; otherwise the file
is described as embedded.
Find: Click the Find button to redefine the path when the files location has changed.
Embed: Click the Embed button to embed a linked vector layer file in the Atoll document.
Coordinate System: When a vector layer is linked, the coordinate system used is the files, as specified when the
file was imported. When the a vector layer is embedded, the coordinate system used is documents, as specified
when the file was embedded.
Change: Click the Change button to change the coordinate system of the vector layer.
Sort: Click the Sort button to sort the data contained in the vector layer. For information on sorting, see "Advanced
Sorting" on page 97.
Filter: Click the Filter button to filter the data contained in the vector layer. For information on filtering, see
"Advanced Data Filtering" on page 99.
4. Click the Table tab. You can use the Table tab to manage the vector layer table content. For information on the Table
tab, see "Adding, Deleting, and Editing Data Table Fields" on page 75.
5. Click the Display tab. You can use the Display tab to manage the vector layer display. For information on the Table tab,
see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
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You can transfer the vector layer back to the Geo explorer by right-clicking it in the Network explorer and selecting Move to
Geo from the context menu. For more information about display priority in Atoll, see "Setting the Priority of Geo Data" on
page 138.
To import an index
1. Select File > Import.
2. Select the index file and click Open. The File Import dialog box appears.
3. Select Image or Scan from the Data Type list.
4. Click Import. The image files imported and listed in the Geo explorer.
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Visibility Scale: Enter a visibility scale minimum in the between 1: text box and maximum in the and 1: text box.
When the displayed or printed scale is outside this range, the scanned image is not displayed.
5. Click OK.
Vector points added to a vector population map are not displayed if the map is displayed
by population density.
Statistics are displayed only for visible data. See "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map"
on page 50.
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If you do not select all the formats you need now, you will not be able to add a format
later.
6. Under Supported Input Formats, select the check box corresponding to the type of value of the present file and all
other files that will constitute the new custom geo data map:
Classes (8 bits): to create a map of value classes (such as clutter classes) with classes from 0 to 255.
Short Integer (16 bits): to create a map with whole values.
Long Integer (32 bits): to create a map with whole values.
Float (32 bits): to create a map with decimal values.
Double (64 bits): to create a map with decimal values.
7. Select the Integrable check box if you want to be able to use imported data as a surface density value and show cumu-
lative custom geo data in prediction reports.
To use imported data as a surface density value, you must select the Integrable
check box.
You can not change the integrable setting once you have created your custom geo
data map.
8. Click OK.
9. If the imported file is a raster file, the File Import dialog box appears; if the imported file is a vector file, the Vector
Import dialog box appears:
File Import dialog box: From the Use as list, select whether the new data is to be used a Density or as a Value.
Vector Import dialog box: Under Fields to be imported, select from the first list which field is to be imported and
from the second list whether the imported field is a Density or a Value (see Figure 2.1 on page 121 and Figure 2.2
on page 121).
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If the file you first import when you create your custom geo data map is an 8-bit raster
map, the Use as and Fields to be imported boxes will not be available for any file that is
imported into your new custom geo data map. The values in 8-bit maps are codes and
not values such as densities.
10. .Click Import. A new folder is created in the Geo explorer containing the geo data file you imported.
If the file you first imported when you created your custom geo data map was an
8-bit raster map, the Use as and Fields to be imported boxes will not be available
for any file that is imported into your new custom geo data map.
To use imported data as a surface density value, you must select the Integrable
check box.
3. Click Import. The file is added to the custom geo data file in the Geo explorer containing the geo data file you
imported.
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Table: This tab enables you to manage the contents of the class table presented on the Description tab. For infor-
mation on working with the Table tab, see "Adding, Deleting, and Editing Data Table Fields" on page 75.
Data Mapping: This tab enables you to select which value from each imported vector file is part of the custom geo
data map. The imported vector files are listed in the Name column, with the relevant data selected in the Field
column. You can change this value by selecting another value from the Field list. If the custom geo data map is
marked as integrable (see "Integrable versus Non-integrable Data" on page 136), there is also a Density check box.
If the value in the Field column is to be considered as a density, select the Density check box.
Display: This tab enables you to define how the custom geo data map appears in the map window. Discrete value
and value interval are the available display types.
In the Field list, display by value is not permitted if the custom geo data map has:
different raster maps with different resolutions
both line and polygon vectors
both raster and vector maps.
In the Field list, display by density is not permitted if the custom geo data map consists of vector points or lines.
For information on using the display tab, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
Statistics are displayed only for visible data. See "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map"
on page 50.
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If the projection coordinate systems are different, the map tiles can look disproportionate
when you drag the map away from the area targeted by the projection coordinate system.
2. In the Geo explorer, right-click the Online Maps folder ( ). The context menu appears.
3. Select New from the context menu. The Add a Tile Server dialog box appears.
4. Click the small triangle to the right of Name and select a tile server from the drop-down list.
Selecting a tile server from the drop-down list next to Name automatically fills the Name and Server URL fields.
Provider, Type, and Language fields remain greyed.
Name: Indicates the name of the tile server you selected. If you want, you can modify the name.
Server URL: (Read-only) Indicates the URL of the tile server you selected.
5. Click OK to validate and close the Add a Tile Server dialog box. A new item appears in the Online Maps folder with the
online map icon ( ) followed by the Name currently defined in the Add a Tile Server dialog box.
6. In the Geo explorer, select the check box preceding the online map that you specified. The selected online map
appears in the background of the map window according to the scale currently defined in the toolbar.
The map tiles that you load in Atoll are stored in a specific cache directory named after the
corresponding tile server. By default, the location of this cache is "%TEMP%\OnlineMaps".
You can change this location by setting the TilesCachePath option in the [OnlineMaps]
section of the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
2.11.2 Displaying Online Maps from the Microsoft Bing Tile Server
To display online maps from the Microsoft Bing tile server:
1. Set the relevant option with a valid key in the [OnlineMaps] section of the Atoll.ini file, e.g. BingKey=<key>.
2. Make sure that a projection coordinate system is specified (see "Setting a Coordinate System" on page 41) and that it
is the same system supported by the tile server.
If the projection coordinate systems are different, the map tiles can look disproportionate
when you drag the map away from the area targeted by the projection coordinate system.
3. In the Geo explorer, right-click the Online Maps folder ( ). The context menu appears.
4. Select New from the context menu. The Add a Tile Server dialog box appears.
5. In the Add a Tile Server dialog box, set the following options:
Name: Type the name you want to display in the Geo explorer under the Online Maps folder, for this tile server.
Provider: Select a provider from the drop-down list, e.g. "Bing"
Type: Select a map type from the drop-down list, e.g. "Aerial", "Road", "Hybrid"
Language: Select a language from the drop-down list (default languages are "English", "French", and "Japanese").
You can display other languages if they are specified in the Atoll.ini file (for example if Provider="Bing", you must
set the BingLanguage"X" and BingCulture"X" options in the [OnlineMaps] section for each additional language ).
6. Click OK to validate and close the Add a Tile Server dialog box. A new item appears in the Online Maps folder with the
online map icon ( ) followed by the Name currently defined in the Add a Tile Server dialog box.
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7. In the Geo explorer, select the check box preceding the online map that you specified. The selected online map
appears in the background of the map window, according to the scale currently defined in the toolbar.
The map tiles which are loaded in Atoll are stored in a specific cache directory named after
the corresponding tile server. By default, the location of this cache is "%TEMP%\Online-
Maps". You can change this location by setting the TilesCachePath option in the [Online-
Maps] section of the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
If the projection coordinate systems are different, the map tiles can look disproportionate
when you drag the map away from the area targeted by the projection coordinate system.
2. Follow the procedure described in "Loading a Geo Data Set" on page 142.
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All objects in the Network explorer, such as transmitters, antennas, and predictions, are
displayed over all objects in the Geo explorer. Vector geo data, however, can be trans-
ferred to the Network explorer, where they can be placed over data such as predictions.
In this way, you can ensure that certain vector geo data, for example, major geographical
features, roads, etc., remain visible in the map window For more information, see "Moving
a Vector Layer to the Network Explorer" on page 131.
The transparency of objects: You can change the transparency of some objects, such as predictions, and some object
types, such as clutter classes, to allow objects on lower layers to be visible on the map. For more information, see "Set-
ting the Transparency of Objects and Object Types" on page 53.
The visibility range of objects: You can define a visibility range for object types. An object is visible only in the map
window if the scale, as displayed on the zoom toolbar, is within this range. For more information, see "Setting the Vis-
ibility Scale" on page 53.
In Figure 2.7, vector data (including the linear vectors HIGHWAYS, COASTLINE, RIVERLAKE, MAJORROADS, MAJORSTREETS,
RAILWAYS and AIRPORT), clutter classes, DTM and scanned image have been imported and a UMTS environment traffic map
has been edited inside the computation zone. In the map window, the linear objects (ROADS, RIVERLAKE, etc.) are visible both
inside and outside the computation zone. The clutter class layer is visible in the area where there is no traffic data (outside
the computation zone). On the other hand, the DTM layer which is beneath the clutter class layer and the scanned map which
is beneath the DTM layer, are not visible.
The visibility in the context of calculations must not be confused with the display check box
( ). Even if the display check box of an object is cleared ( ), so that the object is not
displayed on the map, it will still be taken into consideration for calculations. The only
cases where clearing the display check box means that the data will not be used are for
population data in reports, and for custom geo data maps.
Object folders, for example, the DTM, clutter classes, clutter heights, and traffic density folders, can contain more than one
data object. These objects can represent different areas of the map or the same parts of the map with the same or different
resolutions. Therefore for each folder, you should place the objects with the best data at the top. These are normally the
objects which cover the least area but have the highest resolution. For example, when calculating coverage in an urban area,
you might have two clutter class files: one with a higher resolution for the downtown core, where the density of users is
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higher, and one with a lower resolution but covering the entire area. In this case, by placing the clutter class file for the down-
town core over the file with the lower resolution, Atoll can base its calculations for the downtown core on the clutter class
file with the higher resolution, using the second file for all other calculations.
Population maps and custom geo data maps, both of which can be used in prediction reports follow the same rules of calcu-
lation priority.
The following sections provide examples that illustrate how data is used in Atoll:
"Example 1: Two DTM Maps Representing Different Areas" on page 140
"Example 2: Clutter Classes and DTM Maps Representing the Same Area" on page 140
"Example 3: Two Clutter Class Maps Representing a Common Area" on page 141.
Case 1
DTM
DTM 2 (20m)
DTM 1 (50m)
Case 2
DTM
DTM 1 (50m)
DTM 2 (20m)
Figure 2.8: Multi-layer management in calculations two DTM maps representing different areas
2.12.2.2 Example 2: Clutter Classes and DTM Maps Representing the Same Area
In this example, there are two imported maps:
A clutter class map called Clutter.
A DTM map called DTM.
Independently of the order of the two maps in the Explorer window, Atoll uses both the clutter and DTM data in calculations.
In Case 1, the clutter class map is on top of the DTM map. In Case 2, the DTM map is on top of the clutter class map. In both
Case 1 and Case 2, Atoll will use both the clutter and DTM data in calculations.
Clutter classes
Clutter
DTM
DTM
Case 2
DTM
DTM
Clutter classes
Clutter
Figure 2.9: Multi-layer management in calculations Clutter and DTM maps representing the same area
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Case 1
Clutter classes
Clutter 2 (20m)
Clutter 1 (50m)
Case 2
Clutter classes
Clutter 1 (50m)
Clutter 2 (20m)
Figure 2.10: Multi-layer management in calculations two clutter maps representing the same area
Tip text only appears when the Tip Text button ( ) on the toolbar has been selected.
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You can save and load other types of information with user configuration files as well. For
information, see the Administrator Manual.
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You can automatically start Atoll with a user configuration file by naming the file "Atoll.cfg"
and placing it in the same folder as the Atoll executable. You can also edit the Windows
shortcut to Atoll and add "-cfg <CFG_file>" where "<CFG_file>" is the full path to the user
configuration file.
3. Select Edit from the context menu. The Editor toolbar appears with a clutter or traffic list, a polygon drawing tool ,
a polygon deletion tool , and a Close button (see Figure 2.12).
4. From the list, select the clutter class for the polygon you want to create.
Clutter classes are defined on the Descriptions tab of the clutter classes Properties dialog
box.
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You can copy the exact coordinates of a closed polygon by right-clicking it on the map and
selecting Properties from the context menu.
i. Position the pointer over the point you want to move. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Drag the point to its new position.
Adding a point:
i. Position the pointer over the polygon border where you want to add a point. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Right-click and select Insert Point from the context menu. A point is added to the border at the position of the
pointer.
Deleting a point:
i. Position the pointer over the point you want to delete. The pointer changes ( ).
ii. Right-click and select Delete Point from the context menu. The point is deleted.
You can select and copy the coordinates displayed in the Properties dialog box of the
polygon.
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You can also activate the vector tools by selecting the vector layer to edit from the
Vector Editor toolbar list. Because Atoll names all new vector layers "Vectors" by
default, it might be difficult to know which Vectors folder you are selecting. By renaming
each vectors folder, you can ensure that you select the correct folder. For information on
renaming objects, see "Renaming an Object" on page 49.
6. To draw a polygon, click the New Polygon button ( ) on the Vector Editor toolbar:
a. Click once on the map where you want to begin drawing the contour.
b. Click each time you change angles on the border defining the outside of the contour.
c. Double-click to close the contour.
7. To draw a rectangle, click the New Rectangle button ( ) on the Vector Editor toolbar:
a. Click the point on the map that will be one corner of the rectangle.
b. Drag to the opposite corner of the rectangle.
c. Release the mouse to create the rectangle defined by the two corners.
8. Right-click the new polygon or rectangle and select Properties from the context menu.
9. Enter a value:
Population: Enter a value in the Population field to indicate the number of inhabitants or the population density.
Custom Data Map: The value you enter will depend on the type of custom data map you created.
10. Press ESC to deselect the New Polygon ( ) or the New Rectangle ( ) button on the Vector Editor toolbar.
11. For Atoll to consider the new vector layer as part of the data map, you must map the vector layer. Right-click the Pop-
ulation or Custom Data folder. The context menu appears.
12. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box appears.
13. Click the Data Mapping tab. For the following geo data:
Population Map:
i. In the Field column, "Population" is selected by default.
ii. If the vector layer contains a population density, select the check box in the Density column. If the vector layer
indicates the number of inhabitants, and not the population density, clear the check box in the Density col-
umn.
Custom Data Map: The data you map will depend on the type of custom data map you created.
You can edit the vector objects as explained in "Vector Objects" on page 71.
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You can simultaneously export the display configuration file (CFG) of the edited vector
layer by setting an option in the Atoll.ini file. The exported display configuration file will
have the same file name and will be saved in the same directory as the exported vector-
format file. For more information about setting options in the Atoll.ini file, see the
Administrator Manual.
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6. Click Export. The vector layer is saved in the format and with the name you specified and the exported file replaces
the vector layer in the current document as a linked file.
You will not be warned that you are replacing the current file. Therefore, ensure that you
want to replace the current file before proceeding to the following step. If you do not
want to replace the current file, you can save your changes to an external file ("Exporting
an Edited Vector Layer to a Vector File" on page 147).
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If the geo data file is a vector file, the Vector Export dialog box appears.
a. The Vector Export dialog box displays the coordinate system of the file. To change the coordinate system used for
the exported file, click Change. The Coordinate Systems dialog box appears. For information on the Coordinate
Systems dialog box, see "Setting a Coordinate System" on page 41.
b. Click Export. The geo data file is exported with the selected coordinate system.
If the geo data file is a raster file, the Export dialog box appears.
a. Under Region, select one of the following:
The Entire Project Area: This option allows you to export the entire raster-format geo data file, including any
modifications you have made to the geo data. The exported file will replace the embedded file in the Geo ex-
plorer.
Only Pending Changes: This option allows you to export a rectangle containing any modifications you have
made to the geo data. The exported file will be added as an object in the geo data folder.
The Computation Zone: This option allows you to export the geo data contained by a rectangle encompassing
the computation zone, whether or not the computation zone is visible. The exported file will be added as an
object in the geo data folder.
b. Define a Resolution in Metres. The resolution must be an integer and the minimum resolution allowed is 1.
c. Click OK. The selected data is saved in an external file.
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Chapter 3
Radio Antennas
and Equipment
This chapter provides the This chapter covers the following topics:
information to work with
"Working With Antennas" on page 153
antennas and equipment in
Atoll. "Working With Equipment" on page 161
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It is strongly recommended to enter a name in the Physical antenna field. Atoll uses this
entry to group antenna models into physical antennas.
Changing the electrical azimuth or tilt does not change the antenna diagrams. Both
electrical azimuth and tilt must remain consistent with the diagrams in order to provide
correct calculation results. To ensure consistency, it is preferable to modify the diagrams
first and then recalculate electrical tilt and azimuth.
Frequencies: This specifies the Min and Max operating frequencies of the antenna. These fields are used by the
Antenna Selection Assistant to filter antennas and to suggest antennas that are compatible with the operating
frequency of the transmitter.
Comments: Any additional information on the antenna.
Horizontal Pattern and Vertical Pattern tabs: These tabs display the horizontal and vertical antenna pattern diagrams
and a table that specifies the attenuation in dB (Att.) per Angle. You can specify horizontal and vertical antenna pat-
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tern attenuation for as many as 720 angles. Therefore, attenuation values can also be defined for angles other than
integer values from 0 to 359.
The Copy and Print buttons enable you to copy the horizontal or vertical antenna diagram to the clipboard or to
print the antenna diagram.
The Log button switches between linear and a logarithmic scale for displaying the diagram.
The Smooth button enables you to smooth the antenna pattern. For more information, see "Smoothing an
Antenna Pattern" on page 157.
Other Properties tab: This tab provides access to additional information and custom fields.
When you create a new antenna, you can copy the horizontal and vertical antenna
patterns from a spreadsheet or word processor.
To create an antenna:
1. Click the Parameters explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Radio Network Equipment folder.
3. Right-click on the Antennas folder. The context menu opens.
4. Select New from the context menu. The Antennas: New Record Properties dialog box appears.
5. Click the General tab. You can enter information in the fields described in "Antenna Properties" on page 153.
6. Click the Horizontal Pattern tab. If you have the horizontal pattern in a spreadsheet or text document, you can copy
the data directly into the table:
a. Switch to the document containing the horizontal pattern.
b. Select the columns containing the angles and attenuation values of the horizontal pattern.
c. Copy the selected data.
d. Switch to Atoll.
e. Click the upper-left cell of the Co-polar Section table describing the horizontal pattern.
f. Press Ctrl+V to paste the data in the table.
If there are blank rows in your data sheet, Atoll interpolates the values in order to obtain a complete and re-
alistic pattern.
When performing a calculation along an angle for which no data is available, Atoll calculates a linear interpo-
lation from the existing pattern values.
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g. Click Apply to display the pattern of the values you have pasted in.
7. Click the Vertical Pattern tab. If you have the vertical pattern in a spreadsheet or text document, you can copy the
data directly into the table as described in step 6.
8. Click OK.
Atoll checks whether the vertical and horizontal patterns are properly aligned at the extremities. The antenna patterns are
properly aligned when the following conditions are met:
Horizontal pattern attenuation at 0 is the same as the vertical pattern attenuation at the electrical tilt angle, and
Horizontal pattern attenuation at 180 is the same as the vertical pattern attenuation at "180 minus the electrical
tilt".
Atoll allows you to import Planet-format index files for pattern attenuations with as many
as 720 angles.
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and vertical sections of the antenna pattern are displayed, Atoll conserves all the information and can use it directly; Atoll
does not therefore need to interpolate to recreate the three-dimensional antenna pattern.
The text file must have the following format:
Antenna description: Three separate values are necessary to describe the three-dimensional antenna pattern. The
columns containing the values can be in any order:
Azimuth: The allowed value range is [0,360] and the smallest increment is 1.
Tilt angle: The allowed value ranges are [-90,90] and [0,180], and the smallest increment is 1.
Attenuation: The attenuation (in dB).
The text file describing the antenna can also contain a header with additional information. When you import the antenna
pattern you indicate where the header ends and where the antenna pattern itself begins.
To import three-dimensional antenna pattern files:
1. Select the Parameters explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Radio Network Equipment folder.
3. Right-click the Antennas folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Import from the context menu. The Open dialog box appears.
5. Select "3D Antenna Files (*.txt)"from the Files of type list.
6. Select the file you want to import and click Open. The Setup dialog box appears (see Figure 3.2).
7. If you already have an import configuration defining the data structure of the imported file, you can select it from the
Configuration list. If you do not have an import configuration, continue with step 8.
a. Under Configuration, select an import configuration from the Configuration list.
b. Continue with step 11.
8. Under Name, you can define a name for the imported antenna pattern. This name will appear in the Antennas folder
in the Network explorer. If no name is defined, Atoll will use the file name as the name of the antenna:
If the name of the antenna is in the file, check the Value read in the file check box and enter a Keyword identifying
the name value in the file.
If you want to enter a name for the antenna, clear the Value read in the file check box and enter a name.
9. Under Gain, you can define the antenna gain. If no gain is defined, Atoll assumes that the gain is "0."
If the gain of the antenna is in the file, check the Value read in the file check box and enter a Keyword identifying
the gain value in the file.
If you want to enter a gain for the antenna, clear the Value read in the file check box and enter a gain value.
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10. Under Diagram, you define the structure of the antenna pattern file. As you modify the parameters, the results are
displayed in the table.
1st Pattern: Select the first row of the file containing data on the antenna pattern.
File Tilt Range: Select the tilt range in the file. The tilt range can be measured from top to bottom or from bottom
to top and from 0 to 180 or from -90 to 90.
Field Separator: Select the character that is used in the file to separate fields (" ", "<tab>", ";")
Decimal Symbol: Select the decimal symbol.
11. In the table under Diagram, click the title in each column in the table and select the data type: Azimuth, Tilt, Attenu-
ation, or <Ignore>. As you modify the parameters, the results are displayed in the table.
You can save the choices you have made in the Setup dialog box as a configuration file by
clicking the Save button at the top of the dialog box and entering a name for the configu-
ration. The next time you import a three-dimensional antenna pattern file, you can select
the same settings from the Configuration file list.
12. Click Import. The antenna patterns are imported into the current Atoll document.
You should make a copy of the antenna before smoothing its vertical pattern. You can
make a copy of the antenna by opening the Antennas table and copying and pasting the
antenna data into a new row. For information on data tables, see "Data Tables" on
page 75.
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Alternatively, you can right-click a specific antenna and select Compare with.
2. In the Antenna Comparison window, click Add Pattern. The Antenna Selection Assistant window opens.
3. In the Antenna Selection Assistant window, find and select an antenna and click OK. For more information about the
Antenna Selection Assistant, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on page 158.
4. Repeat from step 2 to add as many antenna patterns as required. The patterns are displayed over each other in the
Horizontal Patterns and Vertical Patterns tabs.
5. Select Add antenna gain to display the patterns with the specified gain.
6. Click Close when you have finished comparing the antenna patterns.
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The Antenna Sharing assistant contains a table with a list of candidate transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas
(i.e. candidates located on sites with the same position), along with the corresponding physical parameters.
The bottom frame contains the physical parameters of the transmitter, repeater, or remote antenna that you selected
on the map.
3. In the table, select a candidate transmitter, repeater, or remote antenna by clicking it in the "Transmitter" column:
If the candidate already has a shared antenna name, you will see that name in the "Shared Antenna" column and
it appears greyed in the field beside Shared antenna at the top of the Antenna Sharing assistant.
If the candidate does not have a shared antenna name, you can enter a name in the field beside Shared antenna
at the top of the Antenna Sharing assistant, as shown in Figure 3.3.
4. Click OK to close the Antenna Sharing assistant.
As a result, the object you selected in the Network explorer now shares the antenna associated with the object you
selected in the Antenna Sharing assistant, and both objects are superimposed on the map. If you now use the mouse
to change the azimuth of the shared antenna (see "Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using the Mouse" on
page 57), the objects sharing that antenna will move together on the map.
You can also specify a shared antenna for a transmitter, a repeater, or a remote antenna
in the Shared antenna field on the General tab of their Properties dialog boxes.
If you want to use shared patterns while co-planning sites with single-RAT Atoll
documents, then the Antennas database table must be shared between all technologies
or duplicated and identical between all technologies.
With shared antenna patterns, when changes are made to the antenna pattern of one transmitter, Atoll automatically applies
those changes to all shared antennas defined as also sharing the same antenna pattern.
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Modelling multiple-beam antennas in Atoll requires one antenna pattern diagram for each beam. Each beam pattern is then
defined as a shared antenna with its own electrical azimuth. When changes are made to the position offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth,
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antenna height, or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically applies the same changes to the other beams. For more
information, see "Sharing an Antenna" on page 158.
Because each beam is defined by a different antenna pattern for each combination of half-power beamwidth, electrical tilt,
and electrical azimuth, the list of antenna patterns might become overwhelming. You can use the filtering feature of the
Antenna Selection Assistant to filter antenna patterns with the appropriate electrical azimuth as well as other characteristics.
For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on page 158.
You can choose to display multiple-beam antennas with the mechanical azimuth only. This
superimposes all beams as a single transmitter on the map, but can makes selection of
each individual transmitter more difficult.
To do this, in the Network explorer, right-click the Transmitter folder, select Properties,
click Display, and select Display mechanical azimuth only.
This only affects the display of the transmitter symbols. Predictions and simulations always
use the combination of mechanical and electrical azimuth.
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Atoll calculates the downlink losses only. These parameters can be automatically calculated from the properties of the
components or they can defined by the user.
Base station subsystems consist of the following components:
Tower-mounted amplifier: Tower-mounted amplifiers (TMAs, also referred to as masthead amplifiers) are used to
reduce the composite noise figure of the base station. TMAs are connected between the antenna and the feeder
cable. To define a TMA, see "Defining TMA Equipment" on page 162.
Feeder cables: Feeder cables connect the TMA to the antenna. To define feeder cables, see "Defining Feeder Cables"
on page 162.
Transmitter equipment: To define transmitter equipment, see "Defining Transmitter Equipment" on page 162.
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Name: Enter a name for the transmitter equipment. This name appears in other dialog boxes when you select
transmitter equipment.
Noise Figure (dB): Enter the noise figure for the transmitter equipment. This value is not used in GSM GPRS EDGE
documents.
Downlink Losses Due to the Configuration (dB): Enter the losses on downlink due to the transmitter equipment
configuration.
Uplink Losses Due to the Configuration (dB): Enter the losses on uplink due to the transmitter equipment config-
uration. This value is not used in GSM GPRS EDGE documents.
CDMA Rho Factor (%): Enter the CDMA Rho factor, as a percentage. The CDMA Rho factor enables Atoll to take
into account self-interference produced by the transmitter equipment. Because equipment is not perfect, an input
signal will experience some distortion, consequently the output signal will be not be identical. This factor defines
how much distortion the system generates. Entering 100% means the system is perfect (there is no distortion) and
the output signal will be 100% identical to the input signal. On the other hand, if you specify a value different from
100%, Atoll will consider that the transmitted signal is not 100% signal and that it contains a small percentage of
interference generated by the equipment ("self-interference"). Atoll uses this parameter to evaluate the signal-
to-noise ratio in the downlink.
This value is only used in CDMA-based technologies (CDMA2000, UMTS, and TD-SCDMA). It is not used in GSM,
WiMAX, and LTE documents.
3.2.4 Updating the Values for Total Losses and the Transmitter
Equipment Noise Figure
Once equipment is defined and assigned to a transmitter, Atoll can evaluate downlink and uplink total losses and the total
noise figure.
Atoll uses the entry of the transmitter equipment as the reference point when evaluating total losses and the total noise
figure. The transmitter equipment noise figure used by Atoll is the one specified in the transmitter equipment properties.
Transmitter reception losses include feeder reception losses, connector reception losses, miscellaneous reception losses,
antenna diversity gain, TMA benefit gain (as calculated with the Friis transmission equation), and an additional loss modelling
the noise rise generated from repeaters (if any). Transmitter transmission losses include feeder transmission losses, connector
transmission losses, miscellaneous transmission losses, and TMA transmission losses. For more information on the total noise
figure and on transmitter reception and transmission losses, see the Technical Reference Guide.
You can assign equipment to a transmitter:
Using the Equipment Specifications dialog box, available by clicking the Equipment button on the Transmitter tab of
the transmitters Properties dialog box, or
Using the Transmitters table, available by right-clicking the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and selecting
Open Table from the context menu.
When you assign equipment to a transmitter using the Equipment Specifications dialog box, Atoll updates the real values
when you click OK and close the dialog box. When you assign equipment to a transmitter using the Transmitters table, Atoll
does not update the real values automatically.
To update the real values (total losses and transmitter equipment noise figure) with the calculated values of all transmitters:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Calculations > Update Losses and Noise Figures from the context menu.
To update the real values (total losses and transmitter equipment noise figure) with the calculated values of a group of trans-
mitters:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
3. Click Group by in the context menu and select the property by which you want to group the transmitters from the
Group by submenu. The objects in the folder are grouped by that property.
4. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Transmitters folder.
5. Right-click the group of transmitters whose real values you want to update. The context menu appears.
6. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Transmitters table appears with the transmitters from the selected
group.
7. In the Transmitters table, select the values you want to update in the following columns and press DEL:
Transmission Loss (dB)
Reception Loss (dB)
Noise Figure (dB)
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164
Chapter 4
Radio
Calculations
and Models This chapter covers the following topics:
"Radio Propagation Models" on page 167
"Assigning Propagation Parameters" on page 187
This chapter provides the
"Managing Path Loss Matrices" on page 190
information to work with
calculations in Atoll. "Point Predictions" on page 201
"Coverage Predictions" on page 204
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Model Frequency Range Geo Data Taken into Account Recommended Use
d > 10 km
ITU 370-7 Vienna 93 100 400 MHz Terrain profile Low frequencies
Broadcast
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Model Frequency Range Geo Data Taken into Account Recommended Use
1 < d < 20 km
Cost-Hata Terrain profile
1500 2000 MHz GSM 1800, UMTS, CDMA2000,
(Automatic calibration) Statistical clutter (at the receiver)
LTE
1 < d < 20 km
Standard Propagation Model Terrain profile
150 3500 MHz GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, LTE,
(Automatic calibration) Statistical clutter
WiMAX, Wi-Fi
Terrain profile
Statistical or deterministic clutter All types of environments
3D building and line vectors Small, micro, and macro cells
CrossWave Model 200 5000 MHz
(optional) GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, LTE,
Specific morphology, facets and WiMAX, Wi-Fi
graphs data files (optional)
where:
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Khill, LOS corrective factor for hilly regions (=0 in case of NLOS)
These parameters can be defined on the tabs (Parameters, and Clutter) of the Standard Propagation Model Properties dialog
box. You can also use a wizard to calibrate the Standard Propagation Model. For information on the Automatic Calibration
Wizard, see the Measurements and Model Calibration Guide.
This section covers the following topics:
"Standard Propagation Model Guidelines" on page 169
"Calculating Diffraction With the SPM" on page 170
"Sample Values for SPM Formulas" on page 170
"Calculating f(clutter) with the Standard Propagation Model" on page 171
"Modelling Fixed Receivers" on page 172
"Defining the Parameters of the Standard Propagation Model" on page 172.
Because the Standard Propagation Model is a statistical propagation model, this approach
is recommended.
Approach #2: If you consider clutter altitudes, do not define a loss per clutter class. In this case, f(clutter) will be "0;"
losses due to clutter will only be taken into account in the calculated diffraction. This approach is recommended if the
clutter altitude information is semi-deterministic (i.e., where the clutter is roughly defined with an average altitude
per clutter class) or deterministic (i.e., where the clutter is sharply defined with an average altitude per clutter class
or where there is a clutter height file).
If the clutter height information is an average height defined for each clutter class, you must specify a receiver clear-
ance per clutter class. Both ground and clutter altitude are considered along the whole transmitter-receiver profile
except over a specific distance around the receiver (clearance), in which Atoll bases its calculations only on the DTM.
The clearance information is used to model streets because it is assumed that the receiver is in the street.
It is not necessary to define receiver clearance if the height information is from a clutter height file. In this case, the
clutter height information is accurate enough to be used without additional information such as clearance; Atoll calcu-
lates the path loss if the receiver is in the street (if the receiver height is higher than the clutter height). If the receiver
height is lower than the clutter height, the receiver is assumed to be inside a building. In this case, Atoll does not
consider any diffraction for the building (or any clearance) but takes into account the clutter class indoor loss as an
additional penetration loss. Nevertheless, Atoll does consider diffraction caused by surrounding buildings. In Figure
4.1 on page 170 this diffraction is displayed with a green line.
To consider indoor losses inside a building when only using a deterministic clutter map
(i.e., a clutter height map), disable the Indoor Coverage option when creating a
prediction. If the option is enabled, indoor losses are added twice (once for the entire
reception clutter class and once as indoor losses).
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Figure 4.1: Diffraction caused by surrounding buildings when the receiver is indoors
K2 20 44.9 70
K3 -20 5.83 20
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K5 -10 -6.55 0
K6 -1 0 0
K7 -10 0 0
It is recommended to set K6 to 0, and use K7 instead of K6. K6 is a multiplicative coefficient to a value in dB, which means that
slight variations in K6 have considerable impact on the path loss.
K1 is a constant; its value depends on the radio frequency. The following table gives some possible values for K1.
Frequency (MHz) K1
935 12.5
1805 22
1930 23
2110 23.8
1900 23
2300 24.7
2500 25.4
2700 26.1
3300 27.8
3500 28.3
Its value is heavily influenced by the values given to losses per clutter class.
f clutter = Li wi
i=1
where
L: loss due to clutter.
w: weight.
n: number of points taken into account over the profile.
The losses due to clutter are calculated for the maximum distance from the receiver, defined as Maximum Distance on the
Clutter tab of the Standard Propagation Model Properties dialog box. When the Maximum Distance is defined as "0", Atoll
only considers the losses on the pixel where the receiver is located. On the Clutter tab, each clutter class is assigned losses
and a weighting function, enabling Atoll to give a weight to each point. For more information, see the Technical Reference
Guide.
The losses per clutter class can be calculated using the Automatic Calibration Wizard. For
information on the Automatic Calibration Wizard, see the Measurements and Model Cali-
bration Guide.
The following table gives typical values for losses (in dB) per clutter class:
Woodland from 2 to 3
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Suburban from -5 to -3
Industrial from -5 to -3
The Standard Propagation Model is based on Hata formulas, which are valid for an urban
environment. The values above are consistent with an urban environment because losses
of 0 dB are indicated for an urban clutter class, with positive values for more dense clutter
classes and negative values for less dense clutter classes.
Default values have been assigned to the multiplying factors. The default values corre-
spond to the rural (quasi-open) Okumura-Hata formula valid for a frequency of 935 MHz.
The values for K values can be calculated using an automatic or assisted calibration
method. For more information, see the Measurements and Model Calibration Guide.
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The LOS is defined by no obstruction along the direct ray between the transmitter and the
receiver.
Under Effective Antenna Height, you can set the following parameters:
Method: Select the method that will be used to calculate HTxeff, the effective antenna height.
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You can use the Automatic Calibration Wizard to select the best method for calculating
the effective Tx antenna height. For information on the Automatic Calibration Wizard, see
the Measurements and Model Calibration Guide.
Distance min. and Distance max.: The Distance min. and Distance max. are set to 3,000 m and 15,000 m
(according to ITU recommendations) for frequencies under 500 MHz and to 0 m and 15,000 m (according to ITU
recommendations) for high frequency mobile communications. These values are only used for the "Abs Spot Ht"
and the "Enhanced Slope at Receiver" methods. For more information on how these values are used, see the Tech-
nical Reference Guide.
K3: Enter the K3 value.
Under Diffraction, you can set the following parameters:
LOS calculations only: Select LOS calculations only ("1 - Yes") or LOS and NLOS calculations ("0 - No") .
Method: Select the method that will be used to calculate diffraction.
K4: Enter the K4 value.
Under Other Parameters, you can set the following parameters:
K5: Enter the K5 value.
K6: Enter the K6 value.
It is recommended to set K6 to 0, and use K7 instead of K6. K6 is a multiplicative coefficient to a value in dB, which
means that slight variations in K6 have considerable impact on the path loss.
K7: Enter the K7 value.
Kclutter: Enter the Kclutter value.
Hilly Terrain Correction Factor: Select "1 - Yes" to take the Hilly Terrain Correction Factor into account. Other-
wise, select "0 - No". The Hilly Terrain Correction Factor corrects path loss for hilly regions when transmitter and
receiver are in LOS. For more information on the Hilly Terrain Correction Factor, see the Technical Reference
Guide.
Limitation to Free Space Loss: When using a Hata-based propagation model, it is possible to calculate a theoretical
path loss that ends up being lower than the free space loss. In Atoll, you can define any Hata-based propagation
model to never calculate a path loss that is lower than the calculated free space loss per pixel. Select "1 - Yes" if
you want the propagation model to limit the path loss calculated per pixel to the calculated free space loss.
Profiles: Select the method to be used to extract the profile. If you select "1 - Radial," Atoll establishes a profile
between each transmitter and each point located on its calculation perimeter (as defined by the calculation
radius) and then uses the nearest profile to make a prediction on a point inside the calculation perimeter. This
process is called radial optimisation. If you select "2 - Systematic," Atoll systematically determines a profile
between each transmitter and each point in its calculation area. This method requires a significantly longer calcu-
lation time, therefore, you should choose "1 - Radial" if you want a shorter calculation time.
Grid Calculation: Select "0 - Centred" if you want Atoll to perform the calculations at the centre of each pixel or
select "1 - Bottom left" if you want Atoll to perform the calculations at the lower left of each pixel.
3. Click OK.
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Under Clutter Taken into Account, you can set the following parameters under Heights:
Clutter taken into account in diffraction: Select "1 - Yes" if you want the clutter heights to be taken into account
when calculating diffraction.
Receiver on top of clutter: Select "1 - Yes" if you want to consider that the receiver is located on top of the clutter,
for example if fixed receivers are located on building rooftops.
Indoor calculations only: Select "1 - Yes" to create coverage predictions based on indoor calculations only.
Under Clutter Taken into Account, you can set the following parameters under Range:
Max. distance: Set the maximum distance from a receiver to be considered when calculating f(clutter).
Weighting function: Select a weighting function to be used when calculating f(clutter). It enables you to weigh
losses for each pixel between a receiver and a maximum distance. For more information on weighting functions,
see the Technical Reference Guide.
Under Parameters per clutter class, you can set the following parameters for each clutter class:
Losses: If necessary, enter the losses for each clutter class to be considered when calculating f(clutter).
Clearance: If necessary, enter a clearance around each receiver for each clutter class. The clearance information
is used to model streets when it is assumed that the receiver is in the street. The clearance is used to calculate
diffraction when statistical clutter is considered.
Rx Height: If necessary, enter a specific receiver height for each clutter class. Alternatively, you can select
"(default)" for the receiver height. When creating a coverage prediction, Atoll reads the receiver height on the Cal-
culation Parameters tab of the Network Settings Properties dialog box in the Parameters explorer.
3. Click OK.
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Vertical diffraction over rooftops based on Walfisch-Ikegami model and multiple knife-edge Deygout method.
Horizontal diffraction based on ray tracing.
Aster can use geographical data such as vectors for ray tracing, but it can also perform ray tracing with raster data only.
Extremely fast: Aster uses a unique high-speed ray-tracing technique, based on the raster sampling of building angles.
For example, 5 seconds are enough to calculate a 1,500 m radius cell with a 5m grid on an ordinary laptop.
Highly accurate: Aster can take all the main radio propagation effects into account, leading to highly accurate coverage
prediction results. Its accuracy applies to antennas above rooftops (where signal levels are mainly due to vertical dif-
fractions) as well as antennas under rooftops (where signal levels are mainly due to horizontal diffractions).
Ready & Easy-to-use: Aster is fully integrated in the Atoll environment and there is no need for a special database or
for any type of data pre-processing.
Compatible with high resolution (less than 25 m) raster data and with all types of clutter data. It is also compatible
with vector data (ESRI Shapefiles SHP and MapInfo TAB formats are currently supported).
Compliant with all wireless technologies and frequencies ranging from 150 MHz to 5 GHz.
Supplied with pre-calibrated parameters using more than 1.5 million measurement points. The standard deviation
from measurements is typically less than 6.5 dB. Model configurations are intuitive and easy to access.
Auto-calibration: Aster supports measurement-based auto-calibration. The standard deviation can drop to less than
6.5 dB in scenarios and environments with high-resolution geo data and good-quality measurements.
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For more information on the Aster propagation model, please refer to the following documents:
Aster User Manual
Aster Model Calibration Guide
Aster Technical Reference Guide
TN031 - Aster License Management
The CrossWave model relies on geographical data to determine a vertical profile of the terrain between a transmitter and a
receiver and provides realistic modelling by combining the three following criteria:
Vertical diffraction using elaborate clutter information
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Reflection on mountains
Horizontal guided propagation
CrossWave supports automatic tuning based on CW measurements, but is also statistically pre-calibrated by incorporating
measurements from various countries and environment types. CrossWave benefits from several years of experience in model-
ling of basic components (antenna and profile modelling) and automatic tuning (multi-linear regression, neuronal networks,
etc.). Although highly complex, the CrossWave model combines accuracy, performance, versatility, and robustness.
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5. For each clutter class under Additional Losses per Clutter Class, enter an optional correction (in dB). This correction
acts as an additional loss on the loss calculated by the chosen formula.
For information on modifying the selected formula, see "Creating or Modifying Environment Formulas (Okumura-
Hata)" on page 179.
6. Click OK.
Correction terms can be evaluated using the Automatic Calibration Wizard. For informa-
tion on the Automatic Calibration Wizard, see the Measurements and Model Calibration
Guide.
You can weight the diffraction loss by setting the diffraction multiplying factor
within the range [0;1].
Constant values and a diffraction multiplying factor can be evaluated using the
Automatic Calibration Wizard for each environment formula. For information on
the Automatic Calibration Wizard, see the Measurements and Model Calibration
Guide.
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Limitation to free space loss: When using a Hata-based propagation model, it is possible to calculate a theoretical
path loss that ends up being lower than the free space loss. In Atoll, you can define any Hata-based propagation
model to never calculate a path loss that is lower than the calculated free space loss per pixel. Select "1 - Yes" if
you want the propagation model to limit the path loss calculated per pixel to the calculated free space loss.
3. Click OK.
You can weight the diffraction loss by setting the diffraction multiplying factor
within the range [0;1].
Constant values and diffraction multiplying factor can be evaluated using the Auto-
matic Calibration Wizard for each environment formula. For information on the
Automatic Calibration Wizard, see the Measurements and Model Calibration
Guide.
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The only parameter you can define with the ITU 370-7 (Vienna 93) model is the percentage of time during which the real field
is higher than the signal level calculated by the model (1%, 10%, or 50% of the time). The value 50% is usually used for cover-
age predictions, whereas 1% is usually used for interference predictions.
To set the percentage of time during which the real field is higher than the signal level:
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the Propagation Models folder, right-click ITU370, and select Properties from the
context menu. The Properties dialog box appears.
2. Click the Parameters tab.
3. Under Calculate exceeded signal during, select one of the following:
50% of the time
10% of the time
1% of the time
4. Click OK.
When using the ITU 370-7 model, do not define the cell edge coverage probability in the
coverage prediction properties with a value other than 50%, or cell edge coverage proba-
bility will be considered twice.
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transmitter line of sight, no results at all will be displayed. If the Line of sight only option is not selected, Atoll cal-
culates the path loss for each pixel, using the formula defined in the dialog box.
If you select the Line of sight only option and the receiver is not in the transmitter line of
sight, no results at all will be displayed because Atoll will only show results for the line of
sight.
Transmitter clearance: You can set the clearance around the transmitter. This clearance can be used, for example,
to model streets in areas where the clutter class file does not show enough detail. It will be taken into considera-
tion when calculating diffraction. The default value is 20 m.
Receiver default clearance: You can set the default clearance around the receiver. This default clearance will be
used for each clutter class where the receiver clearance is not specified. This clearance will be taken into consid-
eration when calculating diffraction. The default value is 20 m.
Diffraction multiplying factor: You can set the multiplying factor for the diffraction losses. The final diffraction
losses are determined by multiplying the diffraction losses calculated using the 3-obstacle Deygout method by the
Diffraction multiplying factor.
Receiver height per clutter class: You can set a height for the receiver for each clutter class. Because the WLL prop-
agation model is designed for networks with immobile receivers, the receivers are often on top of buildings. This
option allows you to specify a height which will be added to the clutter class.
Receiver clearance per clutter class: You can set a clearance around the receiver for each clutter class. This clear-
ance will be taken into consideration when calculating diffraction.
3. Click OK.
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K2 40
K3 -30
K4 0
K5 0
K6 0
K7 -5
For more information on working with the Standard Propagation Model, see "Standard Propagation Model" on page 168.
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Duplicate: The selected propagation model is duplicated. It appears in the Propagation Models folder with the
same name, preceded by "Copy of."
Copy: The selected propagation model is copied. You can paste it, with its current settings into a new Atoll docu-
ment by opening the document, clicking the Parameters explorer and pressing Ctrl+V.
If there is already a propagation model in the Atoll document with the same name as the
one you are trying to paste, Atoll will display a warning and will not allow you to overwrite
the existing propagation model.
Atoll then calculates all unlocked coverage predictions in the Predictions folder. Atoll automatically locks the results
of a coverage prediction as soon as it is calculated, as indicated by the icon ( ) beside the coverage prediction in the
Predictions folder.
You can stop all calculations in progress by clicking the Stop Calculations button ( ) in the toolbar.
If you click Force Calculation ( ) instead of Calculate ( ), Atoll calculates all path loss matrices, unlocked coverages, and
pending simulations.
Calculating path loss matrices can be time and resource intensive when you are working on larger projects. Consequently,
Atoll offers you the possibility of distributing path loss calculations on several computers. You can install the distributed calcu-
lation server application on other workstations or on servers. Once the distributed calculation server application is installed
on a workstation or server, the computer is available for distributed path loss calculation to other computers on the network.
For information on setting up the distributed calculation server application, see The Atoll Administrator Manual.
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larger project, especially when you are making repeated predictions in order to see the effects of small changes in site
configuration, the savings in time is considerable. Limiting the number of sites by drawing a computation zone also
limits the calculations. The computation zone is taken into account whether or not it is visible.
It is important not to confuse the computation zone and the focus zone or hot spot. The computation zone defines
the area where Atoll calculates path loss matrices, coverage predictions, Monte Carlo simulations, and so on., while
the focus zone or hot spot is the area taken into consideration when generating reports and results.
For information on the computation zone, see "Computation Zone" on page 66.
You can combine a computation zone and a filter, in order to create a very precise selection of the base stations to be studied.
When creating coverage predictions, you can define a coverage resolution that is different
from the resolution defined for the path loss matrices.
There are several methods of assigning propagation models for calculations. Therefore, it is important to understand which
propagation model Atoll uses in each specific case:
If assign a propagation model to a single transmitter, as explained in "Assigning Propagation Parameters to a Single
Transmitter" on page 188, or to a group of transmitters, as explained in "Assigning Propagation Parameters to a Group
of Transmitters" on page 189, this is the propagation model that is used.
A propagation model assigned to an individual transmitter or to a group of transmitters always has precedence over
any other assigned propagation model.
If you assign a propagation model globally to all transmitters, as explained in "Assigning Propagation Parameters to
All Transmitters" on page 189, this is the propagation model that is used for all transmitters except those to which you
have assigned a propagation model either individually or as part of a group.
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When you assign a propagation model globally, you override any selection you might
have made to an individual transmitter or to a group of transmitters.
If you assign a default propagation model for calculations, as described in "Specifying the Default Propagation Param-
eters" on page 188, this is the propagation model that is used for all transmitters whose main propagation model is
"(Default model)." If a transmitter has any other propagation model chosen as the main propagation model, then that
propagation model is used.
This section covers the following topics:
"Specifying the Default Propagation Parameters" on page 188
"Assigning Propagation Parameters to a Single Transmitter" on page 188
"Assigning Propagation Parameters to a Group of Transmitters" on page 189
"Assigning Propagation Parameters to All Transmitters" on page 189
By setting an option in the Atoll.ini file, you can set Atoll to use the currently defined
default resolution if you clear the value entered in the Resolution text box when you
create a coverage prediction. That way, if you have many coverage predictions, you can
change their resolution by changing the default resolution and recalculating the coverage
predictions. Atoll will then calculate them using the updated resolution. For information
on changing entries in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
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You can group transmitters by several properties by using the Group By button on the
Properties dialog box. For more information, see "Advanced Grouping of Data Objects" on
page 95.
2. Expand the Transmitters folder and right-click the group of transmitters to which you want to assign a main and
extended propagation model. The context menu appears.
3. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Transmitters table appears with the transmitters from the selected
group.
For each transmitter, you can set the propagation model parameters in the following columns:
Main propagation model
Main calculation radius
Main resolution
Extended propagation model
Extended calculation radius
Extended resolution
To enter the same values in one column for all transmitters in the table:
a. Enter the value in the first row in the column.
b. Select the entire column.
c. Right-click the selection and select Edit > Fill Down from the context menu or click Fill Down ( ) in the Table
toolbar to copy the contents of the top cell of the selection into the other cells.
If you want to copy the contents of the last cell in the selection into all other cells, you can
right-click the selection and select Edit > Fill Up from the context menu or click Fill Up ( )
in the Table toolbar. For more information on working with tables in Atoll, see "Data
Tables" on page 75.
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If you do not yet have a zone containing the transmitters you want to set as active, you can
draw a zone as explained in "Using Zones in the Map Window" on page 65.
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Click the button beside Private Directory ( ) and select Embedded to save the path loss matrices in the Atoll
document, or Browse to select a directory where Atoll can save the path loss matrices externally.
When you save the path loss files externally, the external files are updated as soon as
calculations are performed and not only when you save the Atoll document. In order to
keep consistency between the Atoll document and the stored calculations, you should
save the Atoll document before closing it, if you have updated the path loss matrices.
Shared Directory: When you are working in a multi-user Atoll environment, the project data is stored in a data-
base and the common path loss matrices are stored in a directory that is accessible to all users. Any changes you
make will not be saved to this directory; they will be saved in the location indicated in Private Directory. The path
loss matrices in the shared directory are updated by a user with administrator rights based on the updated infor-
mation in the database. For more information on shared directories, see The Administrator Manual.
The shared path loss matrices must be unlocked in order for users to be able to work
with them. The administrator can check whether shared path loss matrices are unlocked
or not in the Propagation tab of the Transmitters folders Properties dialog box.
3. Click OK.
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If you are working with multiple radio technologies, you can select Predictions > Path
Loss Matrix Calculation > Calculate to run the calculations for all technologies at once.
You can calculate the non-existent and invalid path loss matrices for all transmitters, for a single transmitter, or for a defined
group of transmitters, by expanding the Transmitters folder right-clicking either the single transmitter or the defined group
of transmitters and selecting Calculations > Calculate Path Loss Matrices from the context menu.
Atoll calculates path loss matrices of co-located co-site transmitters in a single step, i.e., per site, instead of calculating each
transmitters matrix separately. The calculation of path losses comprises two mutually independent components:
1. The path loss due to electromagnetic wave propagation around the transmitter. This component is calculated by prop-
agation models.
2. Attenuation due to antenna pattern (masking). This component is independent of the propagation calculation.
The first component, which is the most time-consuming, is the same for all co-located co-site transmitters. Therefore, by
calculating path loss matrices per site, Atoll is able to provide short calculation times. Atoll generates separate path loss
matrix results for each transmitter, combining both components of path loss calculations. Co-located co-site transmitters are
transmitters with the same site, antenna height, DX, DY, main and extended propagation models, main and extended calcu-
lation radii, and main and extended calculation resolutions.
By default, the per-site path loss calculation is enabled in Atoll 64-bit and disabled in Atoll 32-bit. You can enable and disable
this option as needed using the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
You can prevent Atoll from calculating one or more path loss matrices by locking them. You
can lock path loss matrices using the Propagation tab of the Transmitters dialog box. You
can lock a single path loss matrix by selecting the check box in the Locked column, or more
than one by selecting several path loss matrices and then selecting Lock from the context
menu.
1. Click the Stop Calculations button ( ) in the toolbar. Atoll immediately stops all ongoing calculations. However, the
results of calculations that have already been completed will be saved.
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Size: The size of the path loss matrix for the transmitter.
File: If the path loss matrix is not embedded, the location of the file is listed.
Tuned: If the Tuned check box has been selected, the initial path loss matrix obtained by the propagation model
has been tuned by the use of real measurement points. See "Tuning Path Loss Matrices Using Measurement Data"
on page 195 for more information.
4. Click the Statistics button to display the number of path loss matrices to be recalculated. The Statistics dialog box
appears (see Figure 4.7) with the total number of invalid path loss matrices and the reasons for invalidity, as well as a
summary of the reasons for invalidity.
Figure 4.8: Available results for path loss matrices after selecting the Delete command
3. Click OK. The next time you display the Results dialog box via the Predictions folder, "No available result" will be indi-
cated in red under File for the corresponding transmitters.
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Figure 4.9: Available results for path loss matrices after selecting the Delete command
You can also delete path loss matrices via the Transmitters folder:
1. In the Network explorer, right-click the Transmitters folder and select Properties from the context menu. The Trans-
mitters Properties dialog box appears.
2. Click the Propagation tab. The path loss matrix information is listed in the Available Results table.
3. In the Available Results table, select the path loss matrix/matrices you want to delete:
To delete a single path loss matrix:
i. Click in the row containing the path loss matrix you want to delete. The selected row is highlighted.
ii. Right-click anywhere in the Available Results table and select Delete from the context menu. The deleted path
loss matrix appears hatched.
To delete multiple path loss matrices at once:
i. Select contiguous rows by clicking the first row, pressing Shift, and clicking the last row, or non-contiguous
rows by pressing Ctrl and clicking each row separately. The selected rows are highlighted.
ii. Right-click anywhere in the Available Results table and select Delete from the context menu. The deleted path
loss matrices appear hatched.
4. Click OK. The next time you click the Available results table via the Transmitters folder, "No available result" will be
indicated in red under File for the corresponding transmitters.
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Optimised Extended Radius: The radius of the extended path loss matrix after optimisation.
6. Select the Commit check box for each transmitter for which you want to commit the optimised radius (or radii). You
can select one, several, or all the results and right-click in order to select, ignore or commit the results.
7. Click Commit. The calculation radius (or radii) for all transmitters whose Commit check box is selected is updated.
Clearing the Main matrices or Extended matrices check box at the top of the dialog box will not prevent the main or
extended matrices from being updated if the given check box was selected before you clicked the Calculate button. If
the calculation radii of extended matrices are changed, the extended matrices are deleted and will need to be recal-
culated with the new radius values.
Invalid matrices cannot be optimised and have to be calculated prior to the opti-
misation process (see "Setting the Storage Location of Path Loss Matrices" on
page 191 for more information). Invalid (or non-existent) matrices are displayed in
red in the available results list.
Even if the radius can be evaluated (and committed to the transmitter properties),
path losses are not optimised for locked matrices or matrices in a shared directory
(see "Checking the Validity of Path Loss Matrices" on page 192 for more informa-
tion). These matrices are displayed in grey in the available results list.
You can also optimise path loss matrices using the context menu of a transmitter
or group of transmitters. Only the matrices of the selected transmitter or transmit-
ters will be optimised.
When you use measurement data to tune path loss matrices, the results are stored
locally. If you are using shared path loss matrices, these results will be automatically
deleted when you make a calculation if the FullResyncPrivShared option is set in the
Atoll.ini file. If you are using shared path loss matrices, you should disable this option
before tuning path loss matrices using measurement data. For more information, see the
Administrator Manual.
When using measurement data to tune path loss matrices, you need to have valid path loss matrices that are stored exter-
nally. Path loss tuning is not available when path loss matrices are stored inside the Atoll document. For more information on
path loss matrix validity, see "Managing Path Loss Matrices" on page 190.
To tune path loss calculation with measurement data:
1. Define the elliptical area around the measurement point as explained in "Defining the Area to be Tuned" on page 196.
2. Select the measurement data to be used to tune the path loss matrices:
CW Measurements: You select the CW measurements from the CW Measurements folder as explained in "Tuning
Path Loss Matrices Using CW Measurements" on page 197. The selected CW measurements will be used to tune
the path loss matrices calculated for the site on which the CW measurements were made.
Drive Test Data: You select the drive test data path from the Drive Test Data folder as explained in "Tuning Path
Loss Matrices Using Drive Test Data" on page 198. The selected measurements from drive test data path will be
used to tune the path loss matrices calculated for the selected transmitter.
Atoll replaces existing path loss matrices with the tuned matrices which remain valid as long as the radio configuration of the
network does not change. Atoll creates an external folder containing the catalogue of all the tuning paths as explained in
"Managing the Path Loss Tuning Points" on page 199. By activating or deactivating the tuning paths, you can select the tuning
path to be applied to the existing path loss matrices. Therefore, even if the path loss is recalculated, the path loss is automat-
ically retuned using the active tuning paths.
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Figure 4.10: Defining the ellipse for tuning path loss matrices
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For repeaters, Atoll also tunes the path loss matrix of both the donor transmitter and the
repeater. The contribution of the repeater and donor to the measured value is calculated
based on the ratio of calculated values between the repeater signal and the donor signal.
Each evaluated contribution is then used as input to tune the path loss matrix of each item.
b. Click the For the following transmitters list. The list opens.
c. Select the check box for each transmitter whose path loss matrix you want to tune.
d. Click the Select the measured signal levels list. The list opens.
e. For each transmitter selected from the For the following transmitters list, select the check box for each measured
signal strength that will be used to tune the path loss matrices.
f. Click OK. Atoll begins optimising the path loss matrices for the transmitter on which the CW measurement was
made. The progress is displayed in the Events viewer.
To tune the path loss matrices using all drive test data paths:
a. Right-click the Drive Test Data folder and select Tune Path Loss Matrices from the context menu. The Measure-
ment Path Selection dialog box appears (see Figure 4.13).
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For repeaters, Atoll tunes the path loss matrix of both the donor transmitter and the
repeater. The contribution of the repeater and donor to the measured value is calculated
based on the ratio of calculated values between the repeater signal and the donor signal.
Each evaluated contribution is then used as input to tune the path loss matrix of each item.
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a. Select contiguous rows by clicking the first row, pressing Shift and clicking the last row.
You can select non-contiguous rows by pressing Ctrl and clicking each rows separately.
b. Right-click inside the multiple selection. The context menu appears.
5. Select Path Loss Tuning Points from the context menu. The Path Loss Tuning Points dialog box appears.
When path loss tuning entries are changed (e.g., activated or deleted) Atoll suggests delet-
ing the corresponding path loss matrices.
You can import tuning files to replace an existing tuning or to benefit from a path loss tuning done by another user. The PTS
files are imported using a DBF file containing all the information relative to matrices and their tuning.
To import a path loss tuning catalogue:
1. In the Network explorer, right-click the Transmitters folder and select Properties from the context menu. The Prop-
erties dialog box appears.
2. Click the Propagation tab. The path loss matrix information is listed in the Available Results table.
3. In the Available Results table, select the tuning path loss matrices for which you want to import tuning files:
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a. Select contiguous rows by clicking the first row, pressing Shift and clicking the last row.
You can select non-contiguous rows by pressing Ctrl and clicking each rows separately.
b. Right-click inside the multiple selection. The context menu appears.
4. In the context menu, select Import Path Loss Tuning Catalogue from the context menu. The Open dialog box appears.
5. Select the DBF path loss tuning catalogue file you want to import.
6. Click Open. The existing PTS files are replaced by the ones referenced in the catalogue file. Any additional files in the
DBF catalogue file are added. You can work with the imported PTS files with the same options as files from a tuning
carried out in the current project.
Directory: Specify a directory where exported path loss matrices will be stored or click the Browse button ( )
to navigate to it. The directory must already exist.
Exported Values: Select the values that are to be exported: Path Loss (dB), Signal Level (dBm), Signal Level (dBV),
or Signal Level (dBV/m).
Format: Select the format of the exported data: BIL Files (*.bil), TXT Files (*.txt) (Separator: tab), or CSV Files
(*.csv) (Separator: ";").
1. Select Tools > Point Analysis. The Point Analysis window appears and the pointer changes ( ) to represent the
receiver. This receiver is placed at the centre of the active map.
If a transmitter was already selected on the map, a line appears connecting the selected transmitter and the receiver.
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2. Select the view of the Point Analysis window corresponding to the type of point prediction you want to make. For
information on the views available in the Point Analysis window, see "Views of the Point Analysis Tool" on page 202.
The Profile view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis tool for GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA, UMTS, TD-SCDMA, WiMAX,
Wi-Fi, and LTE projects.
The Profile view of the Point Analysis tool displays the profile between a reference transmitter and the receiver. As
well, Atoll displays the signal level of the received signal from the selected transmitter. You can also display the path
loss or total losses of the selected transmitter. In this view, the results are calculated in real time.
The Reception View:
The Reception view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis tool for GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA, UMTS, TD-SCDMA,
WiMAX, Wi-Fi, and LTE projects. In multi-RAT projects, there are as many Reception views as there are technologies.
The Reception view of the Point Analysis tool displays the predicted signal level from different transmitters in the
form of a bar chart, from the highest predicted signal level on the top to the lowest one on the bottom. The calcula-
tions are based on the path loss matrices. Each bar is displayed in the colour of the transmitter it represents.
In the map window, arrows from the pointer to each transmitter are displayed in the colour of the transmitters they
represent. The best server for the pointer is the transmitter from which the pointer receives the highest signal level.
If you let the pointer rest on an arrow, the signal level received from the corresponding transmitter at the pointer loca-
tion is displayed in the tip text.
The AS Analysis View:
The AS Analysis view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis tool for CDMA and UMTS projects.
The AS Analysis view displays information on the pilot quality (EcI0), which is the main parameter used to define the
mobile active set, the connection status, and the active set of the probe mobile.
The Interference View:
The Interference view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis window for GSM/GPRS/EDGE projects, WiMAX, and LTE
projects. In a multi-RAT projects where GSM and LTE are present, there is one reception window for each of these
technologies.
The Interference view displays, in the form of a bar graph, the signal level of the selected transmitter, a black bar indi-
cating the total interference experienced by the receiver, and bars representing the interference received from each
interferer.
In the map window, arrows from the receiver towards each transmitter are displayed in the colour of the transmitters
they represent. If you let the pointer rest on an arrow, the interference level received from the corresponding trans-
mitter at the receiver location will be displayed in tip text along with information on the channel being interfered and
the type of interference, i.e., co- or adjacent channel.
The PN Offset Collision View:
The PN Offset Collision view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis tool for CDMA projects.
The PN Offset Collision view of the Point Analysis tool gives you information on the reception for any point on the
map where there is PN Offset collision.
The SC Collision View:
The SC Collision view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis tool for UMTS projects.
The SC Collision view of the Point Analysis tool gives you information on reception for any point on the map where
there is scrambling code collision.
The Details View:
The Details view ( ) is available in the Point Analysis tool for GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA, UMTS, TD-SCDMA, WIMAX,
and LTE projects. In Multi-RAT projects, there are as many Results views as there are technologies.
The Details view displays the current position and height of the receiver, the clutter class it is located on. In addition,
it also displays:
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in GSM/GPRS/EDGE projects, you can select to display the results on a specific HCS layer (or all). You can also eval-
uate either C/I or C/I+N values where the interferences are due to any combination between adjacent channels,
co-channels or external sources. Atoll displays for each transmitter its BCCH signal level, the BCCH C/I, the most
interfered mobile station allocation (TRX, MAL or MAL-MAIO depending on the hopping mode) and its corre-
sponding C/I.
in CDMA projects, you can select to display the results for a specific terminal, service, mobility, carrier, DL rate,
and UL rate. Atoll displays for each transmitter its signal level (or RSCP), its path loss, Ec/Io, C/I, DL and UL Eb/Nt
values, PN offsets.
in UMTS/HSPA projects, you can select to display the results for a specific terminal, service, mobility, carrier. Atoll
displays for each transmitter its signal level, Ec/Io, DL and UL Eb/Nt values, scrambling codes.
in TD-SCDMA projects, Atoll displays for each transmitter its signal level.
in WiMAX projects, you can select to display the results for a specific terminal, service, mobility. Atoll displays for
each transmitter its preamble index, its preamble signal C, C/N and I.
in LTE projects, you can select to display the results for a specific terminal, service, mobility. Atoll displays for each
transmitter its physical cell ID, its reference signal Level, its RSRP and its RS I.
1. Right-click the receiver ( ) in the map window. The context menu appears.
2. Select Coordinates from the context menu. The Receiver Position dialog box appears.
3. Enter the X and Y coordinates of the position and click OK. The receiver moves to the specified position.
To place the receiver on a selected site:
1. Right-click the receiver ( ) in the map window. The context menu appears.
2. Select Target Site from the context menu. The Target Site dialog box appears.
3. Select the site on which you want to place the receiver from the Name list and click OK. The receiver moves to the
specified position.
1. Click the Options button ( ) at the top of the Point Analysis view. The Calculation Options dialog box appears.
2. Select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses to the total path loss.
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Atoll uses a model standard deviation with the defined cell edge coverage probability to model the effect of shadowing and
thereby provide predictions that are reliable more than fifty percent of the time. The additional losses or gains caused by shad-
owing are known as the shadowing margin. The shadowing margin is added to the path losses calculated by the propagation
model.
For example, a properly calibrated propagation model calculates a loss leading to a signal level of -70 dBm. You have set a cell
edge coverage probability of 85%. If the calculated shadowing margin is 7 dB for a specific point, the target signal will be equal
to or greater than -77 dBm 85% of the time.
For information on setting the model standard deviation and the CI standard deviations for each clutter class or for all clutter
classes, see "Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 127.
You can take shadowing into account when you are making a point analysis.
To take shadowing into account when making a point analysis:
1. Click the Options button ( ) at the top of the Point Analysis view. The Calculation Options dialog box appears.
2. Select the Shadowing Taken into Account check box and enter a Cell Edge Coverage Probability. Atoll calculates the
shadowing using the appropriate standard deviation defined per clutter class.
You can also create new coverage predictions for a specific transmitter or for all the trans-
mitters on a site. To do this, right-click a transmitter or a site on the map or in the Network
explorer, and select Calculations > Create a New Prediction from the context menu.
2. Select a coverage prediction from the Prediction Types dialog box and click OK. The coverage prediction Properties
dialog box appears.
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The Properties dialog box for a coverage prediction common to all technologies has three tabs:
General tab: You can rename the coverage prediction, define the coverage resolution, and add comments. A read-
only Unique ID is generated for each coverage prediction at creation time.
You can also define group, sort, and filter criteria; these criteria will apply to the coverage display, not the results.
Condition tab: You can define the parameters of the coverage prediction.
To calculate indoor coverage, select the Indoor Coverage option. The indoor losses defined for the clutter classes
will be added to the total path loss for each pixel. Indoor losses are defined per clutter class. You can define a de-
fault indoor losses value for all clutter classes or you can define different indoor losses for each clutter class, to
take the characteristics of each clutter class into consideration.
To include shadowing calculation into the prediction, select Take shadowing into account and define the Cell Edge
Coverage Probability. Shadowing, or slow fading, is signal loss along a path that is caused by obstructions not
taken into consideration by the propagation model. Display tab: You can define how coverage prediction results
will be displayed.
3. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
For more information on calculating coverage predictions, see "Calculating Coverage Predictions" on page 206.
You can create child folders in the Predictions folder by right-clicking the Predictions folder
and selecting New Folder. You can organise your predictions by dragging and dropping
them into these folders.
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When you calculate coverage predictions, only unlocked coverage predictions are calculated. Unlocked coverage predictions
are displayed in the Predictions folder with the unlocked icon ( ). For information on locking and unlocking coverage
predictions, see "Locking and Unlocking Coverage Predictions" on page 207.
To calculate created coverage predictions:
Click the Calculate button ( ) in the toolbar. When you click the Calculate button, Atoll first calculates non-existent
and invalid path loss matrices and then, unlocked coverage predictions in the Predictions folder.
The progress of the calculations is displayed in the Events viewer.
After calculation, the results are displayed in the map window, if the coverage predictions visibility check box has
been selected.
Click the Stop Calculations button ( ) in the toolbar. Atoll immediately stops all ongoing calculations. The results of
calculations that have already been completed, however, will be saved.
To prevent Atoll from automatically locking coverage predictions after calculating them,
you can set an option in the Atoll.ini file. For information on setting options in the Atoll.ini
file, see the Administrator Manual.
Unlocked coverage predictions are displayed in the Predictions folder with the unlocked icon ( )
Locked coverage predictions are displayed in the Predictions folder with the locked icon ( ).
To toggle a coverage prediction lock:
1. In the Network explorer, expand the Predictions folder, right-click the coverage prediction you want to lock or unlock
and select Prediction Locked from the context menu.
If the prediction was unlocked, the icon changes to the locked icon and the Prediction Locked item in the context
menu now appears checked.
If the prediction was locked, the icon changes to the unlocked icon the Prediction Locked item in the context menu is
no longer checked.
Locked coverage prediction are not calculated when the Calculate button in the toolbar is clicked. However, if you select
Calculate from the coverage predictions context menu, Atoll will first unlock the coverage prediction and then calculate it.
You can lock all unlocked coverage predictions using the Predictions folders context menu.
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You can reverse this default behaviour by setting the CalculationResults option to
0 in the [Studies] section of the Atoll.ini file. CalculationResults setting changes
only impact new documents created after changing the setting and restarting
Atoll.
Once a new document is saved, the status of the Store prediction numerical
results check box is frozen and CalculationResults setting changes have no effect.
At this point, you can only manually select/clear the status of this check box.
If a prediction is calculated in a new unsaved document, the numerical prediction
results will not be saved even if the Store prediction numerical results is selected.
When the Store prediction numerical results check box is selected, the coverage prediction numerical results are stored in
BIL format outside the ATL file for the coverage predictions calculated by value intervals with the relevant Field setting (i.e. a
field calculated by the coverage prediction and not a value taken from the database), in the following folder:
C:\<ATL_path>\<ATL_name>.studies\{<GUID>}
Where "<GUID>" is a read-only Unique ID generated for each coverage prediction when it is created (see General tab in the
predictions Properties dialog box). This ID is written to the corresponding XML file, between "<GUID>" and "</GUID>" tags.
The string combining the above path and the longest file name must not exceed 260 char-
acters.
Until you save your ATL document, the following path (including a temporary "\~" folder) is used instead of the above path:
C:\<ATL_path>\<ATL_name>.studies\~\{<GUID>}
When they exist, these externally stored numerical results spare you the need to recalculate a coverage prediction when the
legend is modified and they provide you with a numerical difference feature between basic predictions.
The storage of numerical results may require additional disk space when your document
contains several coverage predictions and transmitters, and/or when high resolutions are
used. If you have limited disk space, you can disable this feature by adding an option in the
Atoll.ini file.
The "{<GUID>}" folder always contains at least one XML file, one BIL file, and one HDR file.
For example, when a Coverage by Transmitter (DL) prediction is calculated by "Value Intervals" with Field set to "Number of
Servers", the following files are created:
<prediction_name>.XML
<prediction_name>.BIL
<prediction_name>.HDR
If you delete in Atoll all the coverage predictions calculated by "Value intervals"
and save the document, the entire "<ATL_name>.studies" folder corresponding to
this document will be deleted.
If you delete in Atoll one of several coverage predictions calculated by " Value
intervals", the corresponding "{<GUID>}" folder will be deleted automatically
without the need for saving the document.
Except for the GUID, the externally stored coverage predictions results can be imported as customised coverage predictions.
For more information on importing customised coverage predictions, see "Saving Defined Coverage Predictions" on page 209.
"Per Transmitter" Coverage Predictions
Some coverage predictions are calculated on a "per transmitter" basis. In this case, a BIL file and the associated HDR file are
generated for each transmitter, and a DBF file is created with a reference to each transmitters HDR and BIL results files.
For example, when a Coverage by Transmitter (DL) prediction is calculated by "Value Intervals" with Field set to "DL Path Loss
(dB)", the following files are created:
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<prediction_name>.XML
<transmitter_name>.BIL (one BIL file per transmitter)
<transmitter_name>.HDR (one HDR file per transmitter)
<prediction_name>.DBF
"Global" Coverage Predictions
Some coverage predictions may identify servers in their results matrices (e.g. best server, first server in active set, etc.). In this
case, another SVR.BIL file containing the server identifiers is generated along with the associated SVR.HDR file. Moreover,
each transmitter name and the corresponding identifier are stored in an SVR.MNU file.
For example, when a Coverage by Transmitter (DL) prediction is calculated by "Value Intervals" with Field set to "Best Signal
Level (dBm)", the following files are created:
<prediction_name>.XML
<prediction_name>.BIL
<prediction_name>.HDR
<prediction_name>.SVR.BIL
<prediction_name>.SVR.HDR
<prediction_name>.SVR.MNU
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4. Enter a File name for the user configuration file and click Save. The folder configuration is saved.
For information on loading the user configuration into another Atoll document, see "Loading a User Configuration" on
page 102.
When coverage predictions are calculated by value intervals, the corresponding numerical
results are automatically stored in external files. The advantage is to avoid recalculating a
prediction when the legend is modified and to have a numerical difference feature
between basic predictions. For more information, see "External Storage of Coverage
Prediction Numerical Results" on page 208.
The coverage prediction must be displayed in the map window before it can be exported.
For information on displaying objects in the map window, see "Displaying or Hiding Objects
on the Map" on page 50.
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When exporting a coverage prediction in MIF format, the tip text will be exported with it
and will be visible as tip text when you re-import the MIF file in another Atoll project. For
information on defining tip text, see "Associating a Tip Text to an Object" on page 54.
You cannot export in raster format if the coverage prediction was made per transmitter
(for example, coverage predictions with the display type set by transmitter, by a transmit-
ter attribute, by signal level, by path loss, or by total losses). Only the coverage area of a
single transmitter can be exported in raster format.
The coverage prediction must be displayed in the map window before it can be exported.
For information on displaying objects in the map window, see "Displaying or Hiding Objects
on the Map" on page 50.
When exporting a coverage prediction, the "Text Files (*.txt)" raster format will not be
listed under Save as type if, prior to calculating the prediction, the Store prediction
numerical results check box was cleared in the Predictions Properties dialog box.
6. Click Save.
a. If you select the "BIL Files (*.bil)" format, the BIL Raster Export dialog box appears:
Figure 4.16: Raster Export dialog box when exporting in "BIL Files (*.bil)" format
In the BIL Raster Export dialog box, define the following export settings:
Entire project area: Select this option to export a rectangle containing only the area covered by the prediction.
Computation zone: Select this option to export a rectangle containing the entire computation zone.
Geographic export zone: Select this option to export the rectangle defined by the geographic export zone.
Data to export:
- when Pixel values is selected, the exported BIL file contains real values.
- when Coverage thresholds is selected, the exported BIL file takes the Filtering setting into account.
Filtering: Move the slider or enter a percentage in the text box to fill each empty pixel with a value averaged
from surrounding pixels. Filtering is only active when the Coverage thresholds option is selected.
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b. If you select the "Text Files (*.txt)" format, the TXT Raster Export dialog box appears:
Figure 4.17: Raster Export dialog box when exporting in "Text Files (*.txt)" format
In the TXT Raster Export dialog box, define the following export settings:
Format:
- define the Number of decimal digits
- define a Separator
- if you want, choose to Use one line per server
Entire Project area: Select this option to export a rectangle containing only the area covered by the prediction.
Computation zone: Select this option to export a rectangle containing the entire computation zone.
Geographic export zone: Select this option to export the rectangle defined by the geographic export zone.
The coordinates of the coverage prediction are exported to the TXT file using the Display
coordinate system of the document. If you want to export the coverage prediction coordi-
nates using the Projection coordinate system, you can set the CoordSystemForTextExpor-
tIsProjection option in the [Studies] section of the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see
the Administrator Manual.
c. If you select a format other than "BIL Files (*.bil)" or "Text Files (*.txt)", another Raster Export dialog box appears:
Figure 4.18: Raster Export dialog box when exporting in a format other than "BIL Files (*.bil)" or "Text Files (*.txt)"
In this Raster Export dialog box, define the following export settings:
Entire Project area: Select this option to export a rectangle containing only the area covered by the prediction.
Computation zone: Select this option to export a rectangle containing the entire computation zone.
Geographic export zone: Select this option to export the rectangle defined by the geographic export zone.
Filtering: Move the slider or enter a percentage in the text box to fill each empty pixel with a value averaged
from surrounding pixels.
7. Click Export to finish exporting the coverage prediction.
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4. Under Select predictions to export, select the check boxes corresponding to the coverage predictions you want to
export. By default, the predictions whose visibility check box is selected in the Network explorer are already selected.
Resolution (m): resolution used when the prediction was calculated.
Prediction format: indicates if the format is raster or vector.
5. Under Options, define the following settings:
Directory: define a location where exported predictions will be stored or click the Browse button to navigate to it.
Format: select the format you want Atoll to export the coverage predictions in.
Overwrite existing predictions: if selected, existing coverage predictions will be overwritten.
Timestamp: if selected, the current date and time will be appended to the file name of each exported coverage
prediction (disabled when Overwrite existing predictions is selected).
Resolution: define a resolution for the exported coverage predictions.
6. Click Export to finish exporting the selected predictions.
When exporting several coverage predictions, Atoll will only take a geographic export zone
into account if all predictions are exported in raster format.
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b. Define the order of the columns by selecting each column you want to move and clicking to move it up or
to move it down.
You can load a configuration that you have saved previously and apply it to the current report:
a. Under Configuration, click the Load button. The Open dialog box appears.
b. Select the configuration you want to load and click Open. The loaded report configuration is applied.
You can save the current report format in a configuration:
a. Under Configuration, click the Save button. The Save As dialog box appears.
b. In the Save As dialog box, browse to the folder where you want to save the configuration and enter a File name.
4. When you have finished defining the format and content of the report, click OK in the Columns to Be Displayed dialog
box. The coverage prediction report table appears. The report is based on the hot spots and on the focus zone if avail-
able or on the hot spots and computation zone if there is no focus zone.
b. Define the order of the columns by selecting each column you want to move and clicking to move it up or
to move it down.
You can save the current report format in a configuration:
a. Under Configuration, click the Save button. The Save As dialog box appears.
b. In the Save As dialog box, browse to the folder where you want to save the configuration and enter a File name.
You can load a configuration that you have saved previously and apply it to the current report:
a. Under Configuration, click the Load button. The Open dialog box appears.
b. Select the configuration you want to load and click Open. The loaded report configuration is applied.
4. Once you have defined the format and content of the report, click OK in the Columns to Be Displayed dialog box.
A coverage prediction report appears for each selected prediction. Each report is based on the focus zone, if any (even
if it is not displayed on the map), or on the calculation zone if there is no focus zone.
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By default, the ranges that do not contain any pixels do not appear in the reports. By
setting an option in the Atoll.ini file, you can include these ranges in the report. For more
information, see the Administrator Manual.
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Under Statistics based on prediction conditions, you can view the mean and standard deviation of the coverage
criterion calculated during the coverage calculations, if available.
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You can add a new base station is added, either by creating the site and adding the transmitters, or by placing a station
template. Once the new site base station been added, the original coverage prediction can be recalculated, but then it would
be impossible to compare the results. Instead, the original signal level coverage prediction can be copied by selecting Dupli-
cate from its context menu. The copy is then calculated to show the effect of the new site (see Figure 4.21).
Figure 4.21: Signal level coverage prediction of network with new base station
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5. Click OK to create the comparison. The comparison in Figure 4.22, shows clearly the area covered only by the new
base station.
You can try modifying the tilt on the transmitter to improve the coverage. The properties of the transmitter can be accessed
by right-clicking the transmitter in the map window and selecting Properties from the context menu. The mechanical and elec-
trical tilt of the antenna are defined on the Transmitter tab of the Properties dialog box.
Once the tilt of the antenna has been modified, the original coverage prediction can be recalculated, but then it would be
impossible to compare the results. Instead, the original coverage prediction by can be copied by selecting Duplicate from its
context menu. The copy is then calculated, to show how modifying the antenna tilt has affected coverage (see Figure 4.24).
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As you can see, modifying the antenna tilt increased the coverage of the transmitter. However, to see exactly the change in
coverage, you can compare the two predictions.
To compare two predictions:
1. Right-click one of the two predictions. The context menu appears.
2. From the context menu, select Compare with and, from the menu that opens, select the coverage prediction you want
to compare with the first. The Comparison Properties dialog box appears.
3. Click the General tab. You can change the Name of the comparison and add Comments.
The General tab contains information about the coverage predictions being compared, including their name and reso-
lution.
4. Click the Display tab. On the Display tab, you can choose how you want the results of the comparison to be displayed.
You can choose among:
Intersection
Merge
Union
Difference
In order to see what changes modifying the antenna tilt made, you can choose Union. This will display all pixels
covered by both predictions in one colour and all pixels covered by only one prediction in another colour. The increase
in coverage, seen in only the second coverage prediction, will be immediately clear.
5. Click OK to create the comparison. The comparison in Figure 4.25, shows clearly the increase in coverage due to the
change in antenna tilt.
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220
Chapter 5
Neighbour
Planning
This chapter provides This chapter covers the following topics:
information on using
"Exceptional Pairs" on page 223
Atoll to plan intra- and inter-
technology neighbours in "Automatic Neighbour Allocation" on page 224
single-RAT and multi-RAT "Editing Neighbour Relationships" on page 228
networks..
"Neighbour Importance" on page 229
"Displaying Neighbour Allocation Results" on page 232
"Auditing Neighbour Allocation Plans" on page 236
"Importing and Exporting Neighbours" on page 237
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2016 Forsk. All Rights Reserved
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5 Neighbour Planning
Cell neighbour lists are necessary to ensure handovers between base stations. You can use Atoll to automatically allocate
neighbour relationships between cells. The cell to which a neighbour relation is allocated is referred to as the reference cell.
The cells that fulfil the requirements to be neighbours are referred to as potential neighbours.
The automatic allocation process allows you to manually declare exceptional pairs. These are particular neighbour relation-
ships that are declared to be either forced or forbidden and therefore are not modified by the automatic neighbour allocation
process. Exceptional pair relationships can be either symmetrical or assymetrical.
Atoll manages neighbour relationships in both single-RAT and multi-RAT documents by using the following concepts:
Intra-technology neighbours are cells defined as neighbours that use the same radio technology as the reference cell.
In single-RAT documents, only Intra-technology neighbours are supported.
Inter-technology neighbours are cells defined as neighbours that use a different radio technology. Inter-technology
neighbours are available in co-planning environments (where two single-RAT documents are linked) and multi-RAT
documents.
Typically, you allocate neighbour relationships globally at the beginning of a radio planning project. Later, you can allocate
neighbour relationships to cells as you add them. You can use automatic allocation on all cells in the document, or you can
define a group of cells either by using a focus zone or by grouping cells in the explorer window. For information on creating a
focus zone, see "Focus Zone and Hot Spots" on page 67. For information on grouping cells in the explorer window, see "Group-
ing Data Objects" on page 93.
This chapter covers the following topics:
"Exceptional Pairs" on page 223
"Automatic Neighbour Allocation" on page 224
"Editing Neighbour Relationships" on page 228
"Neighbour Importance" on page 229
"Displaying Neighbour Allocation Results" on page 232
"Auditing Neighbour Allocation Plans" on page 236
"Importing and Exporting Neighbours" on page 237
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2. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), define a reference cell under Transmitter or Cell and a neighbour
under Neighbour.
3. Specify the Status of the exceptional pair:
Forced: The selected cell will always be a neighbour of the reference cell.
Forbidden: The selected cell will never be a neighbour of the reference cell.
1. In the Radio Planning toolbar, click the arrow ( ) beside the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ).
2. Select Forced Neighbours or Forbidden Neighbours from the context menu.
3. Click the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ).
4. Select a cell to show its forced or forbidden neighbour relations on the map.
LTE: Depending on the best server selection method defined in the network set-
tings, the automatic allocation of neighbour relations can be based on coverage
areas calculated for best servers based on the reference signal levels or RSRP.
WiMAX: Depending on the best server selection method defined in the network
settings, the automatic allocation of neighbour relations can be based on coverage
areas calculated for best servers based on the preamble C or preamble C/(I+N).
TD-SCDMA: For N-frequency mode compatible cells, neighbour relations are only
stored for master carriers. A slave carrier has the same neighbour relations as its
master carrier. Neighbour relations are not allocated to standalone carriers (non-
N-frequency mode compatible).
UMTS: You can prevent Atoll from allocating inter-technology neighbours to UMTS
cells located on sites whose equipment do not support the compressed mode. by
adding the CompressModeEval option in the [Neighbours] section of the Atoll.ini
file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
When allocating neighbour relationships to all active and filtered cells, Atoll allocates neighbour relations only to the cells
within the focus zone and considers as potential neighbours all the active and filtered cells whose propagation zone intersects
the rectangle containing the computation zone. If there is no focus zone, Atoll allocates neighbour relations only to the cells
within the computation zone.
The focus and computation zones are taken into account whether or not they are visible. In other words, the focus and compu-
tation zones will be taken into account whether or not their visibility check box in the Zones folder of the Geo explorer is
selected.
You can save automatic neighbour allocation parameters in a user configuration. For information on saving automatic neigh-
bour allocation parameters in a user configuration, see "Saving a User Configuration" on page 102.
This section covers the following topics:
"Automatic Neighbour Allocation Window" on page 225
"Automatically Allocating Neighbours to Multiple Cells" on page 226
"Automatically Allocating Neighbours to a Base Station" on page 227
"Automatically Allocating Neighbours to a Single Cell" on page 227
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The Intra-technology or Inter-technology tab allows you to configure the following settings are available
Max inter-site distance: Specify the maximum distance between the reference cell and a potential neighbour.
By default, the automatic neighbour allocation compares the defined Max inter-
site distance with the effective inter-cell distance. As a consequence, there can be
cases where the real distance between assigned neighbours is higher than the Max
inter-site distance, because the effective distance is smaller.
If you want Atoll to compare the Max inter-site distance with the real inter-site
distance, set the RealInterSiteDistanceCondition option in the [Neighbours]
section of the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
You can consider repeaters and remote antennas in the maximum inter-site dis-
tance by setting the RepeaterInterSiteDistanceInAlloc option in the [Neighbours]
section of the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
Max no. of neighbours: Specify the maximum number of intra-technology or inter-technology neighbour relations
that can be allocated to a cell. This value can be either set here for all the cells, or specified for each cell separately in
their specific properties.
Carriers to allocate (for UMTS and CDMA2000 only):
On the Intra-carrier Neighbours tab, select the carriers on which you want to run the allocation. Atoll will allo-
cate neighbour relations only to the cells using the selected carriers.
On the Inter-carrier Neighbours tab, select Source and Destination carriers. Atoll will allocate neighbour rela-
tions to the cells using the carriers defined next Source. Potential neighbours can be the cells using the carriers
defined beside Destination.
Use coverage conditions: Select this option to specify the coverage conditions.
When this option is selected, click Define to open the Coverage Conditions dialog box and change the parameters.
Coverage conditions are specific to each radio technology:
GSM: "Coverage Conditions" on page 321
UMTS: "Coverage Conditions" on page 563
CDMA: "Coverage Conditions" on page 677
LTE: "Coverage Conditions" on page 904
WiMAX: "Coverage Conditions" on page 1090
Wi-Fi: "Coverage Conditions" on page 1209
TD-SCDMA: "Coverage Conditions" on page 790
When Use coverage conditions is not selected, only the distance criterion is considered between neighbours and
reference cells.
% min covered area: Enter the smallest percentage of the reference cell coverage area that the coverage area of a
potential neighbour must overlap.
Force: Specify the calculation constraints. Calculation constraints are specific to each radio technology.
GSM: see "Calculation Constraints" on page 322
UMTS: see "Calculation Constraints" on page 564
CDMA: see "Calculation Constraints" on page 679
LTE: see "Calculation Constraints" on page 905
WiMAX: see "Calculation Constraints" on page 1090
Wi-Fi: see "Calculation Constraints" on page 1210
TD-SCDMA: see "Calculation Constraints" on page 790
Delete existing neighbours: Enable this option to delete all existing neighbour relations prior to automatic allocation.
When this option is disabled, existing neighbour relations are not deleted and Atoll only adds new neighbour relations
to the list.
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Results table
After clicking Calculate, the Results table contains the following information:
Transmitter or Cell: Name of the reference cell.
Number: Total number of neighbour relations allocated to the reference cell.
Maximum number: Maximum number of neighbour relations that the reference cell can have.
Neighbour: Cell that will be allocated as a neighbour to the reference cell.
Importance (%): Neighbour importance calculated according to the selected options.
By default, the neighbour importance calculated with respect to distance is based on the
global Max inter-site distance setting for all potential neighbours. As a consequence, the
calculated importance can differ when the global Max inter-site distance is modified.
To prioritise individual distances between reference cells and their potential neighbours,
set the CandidatesMaxDistanceInImportanceCalculation option in the [Neighbours]
section of the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
Cause: Reason why Atoll has allocated the potential neighbour shown under Neighbour to the reference cell shown
on the same row under Transmitter or Cell. Possible causes depend on the technology:
GSM: "Reasons for Allocation" on page 322
UMTS: "Reasons for Allocation" on page 564
CDMA: "Reasons for Allocation" on page 679
LTE: "Reasons for Allocation" on page 905
WiMAX: "Reasons for Allocation" on page 1090
Wi-Fi: "Reasons for Allocation" on page 1210
TD-SCDMA: "Reasons for Allocation" on page 791
Relation type (except GSM): Specify the type of neighbour relationship with respect to centre frequencies. The cells
that have channels with identical centre frequencies have an intra-carrier neighbour relation.
Coverage: Specify the amount of reference cell coverage area that the neighbour overlaps, in % and km.
Adjacency: Specify the area of the reference cell, in % and km, where the neighbour is best or second best server.
Commit: Select the option in this column to specify, for each potential neighbour, whether it should be committed.
The Results table is empty if the Deleting existing neighbours option is disabled and no
new potential neighbours are found.
To allocate single-RAT neighbours, select Neighbours > Intra-technology > Automatic Allocation.
To allocate neighbours that use a different radio-technology in a co-planning environment, select Neighbours >
Inter-technology > Automatic Allocation.
To allocate multi-RAT neighbours, select Neighbours > <technology> > Automatic Allocation.
The Automatic Neighbour Allocation dialog box appears with one or two tabs, according to the technology:
UMTS/CDMA: Intra-carrier Neighbours and Inter-carrier Neighbours tabs
Other: Intra-technology Neighbours and Inter-technology Neighbours tabs
2. Define the automatic allocation settings as specified in "Automatic Neighbour Allocation Window" on page 225.
3. Click Calculate. The Event Viewer window appears and displays the progress of the neighbour allocation process.
During the calculation, the validity of path loss matrices for each neighbour is checked. If the matrices are not valid,
they are recalculated.
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4. When the calculation is finished, close the Event Viewer window. The Results table displays all neighbour candidates
for each cell.
If the Delete existing neighbours option is disabled and no new potential neigh-
bours are found, then the list is empty.
Forbidden neighbours are not listed as neighbour candidates unless the neighbour
relation already exists and the Delete existing neighbours check box is cleared
when you start the new allocation.
When Exceptional pairs and Symmetric relations options are selected, the con-
straints between exceptional pairs are considered in both directions to respect the
symmetry. However, if the neighbour relation is forced in one direction and for-
bidden in the other, the symmetry cannot be respected.
For more information on the Results table, see "Automatic Neighbour Allocation Window" on page 225.
5. In the Results table, select the Commit box for each potential neighbour that you want to commit.
6. If necessary, click the Compare button to compare the list of potential neighbours proposed by Atoll with the list of
existing neighbours. A report is generated in the NeighboursDeltaReport.txt file and is displayed automatically.
The NeighboursDeltaReport.txt file lists the following:
Document name and neighbour type
Neighbour Link(s) Creation(s): Number of potential neighbours (after automatic allocation) and their list.
Neighbour Link(s) Deletion(s): Number of deleted neighbours (after automatic allocation) and their list.
Existing Neighbour Link(s): Number of existing neighbours (prior to automatic allocation and kept after auto-
matic allocation) and their list.
7. Click Commit. The list of intra-technology neighbour relations for all cells in the Transmitters folder is updated.
To check the new neighbour relationships in the Neighbours table, right-click the Transmitters folder, and select
Neighbours > Intra-technology > Open Table or Neighbours > Inter-technology > Open Table.
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2. Define the automatic allocation settings as specified in "Automatic Neighbour Allocation Window" on page 225 and
follow the steps described in "Automatically Allocating Neighbours to Multiple Cells" on page 226.
To check the new neighbour relationships in the Neighbours table, right-click the Transmitters folder, and select
Neighbours > Intra-technology > Open Table or Neighbours > Inter-technology > Open Table.
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1. In the Radio Planning toolbar, click the arrow ( ) beside the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ).
2. Select Neighbours from the context menu.
The following procedures apply to cells. However, you can also select any repeater or
remote antenna to create a neighbour relation with the donor cell. Cascaded repeaters
and remote antennas are also considered.
3. Click the reference cell on the map. Its neighbour relationships are displayed.
4. To create a symmetric neighbour relationship, press Shift and click the target cell. The symmetric relationship is added
in the neighbours lists of both cells. Press Shift and click the target cell again to delete the relationship.
5. To create an outward neighbour relationship, press Ctrl and click the target cell. The neighbour relationship is added
in the neighbours list of the reference cell. Press Ctrl and click the target cell again to delete the relationship.
6. To create an inward neighbour relationship, press Shift and click the target cell to create a symmetric relationship, and
then press Ctrl and click the target cell. The symmetric relation is converted into an inward non-symmetric relation.
Press Shift and click the target cell again to delete the relationship.
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The Intra-technology or Inter-technology tab allows you to configure the following settings:
Max inter-site distance: Maximum distance between the reference cell and a potential neighbour.
By default, the automatic neighbour allocation compares the defined Max inter-
site distance with the effective inter-cell distance. As a consequence, there can be
cases where the real distance between assigned neighbours is higher than the Max
inter-site distance, because the effective distance is smaller.
If you want Atoll to compare the Max inter-site distance with the real inter-site
distance, set the RealInterSiteDistanceCondition option in the [Neighbours]
section of the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
You can consider repeaters and remote antennas in the maximum inter-site dis-
tance by setting the RepeaterInterSiteDistanceInAlloc option in the [Neighbours]
section of the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
Take co-site factor into account: Select this option to verify that neighbours are located on the same site as their ref-
erence cell when calculating importance. If a transmitter has no antenna, it cannot be considered as a co-site neigh-
bour.
Take cell adjacency into account (except GSM and Inter-carrier Neighbours tab in UMTS/CDMA): Select this option
to verify that neighbours are adjacent to their reference cell when calculating the neighbour importance.
Take HCS layer adjacency into account (GSM only): Select this option to verify that neighbours on other HCS layers
are adjacent to their reference cell when calculating neighbour importance.
Take layer adjacency into account (except GSM and TD-SCDMA): Select this option to verify that neighbours on other
layers are adjacent to their reference cell when calculating neighbour importance.
Filter: Click this button to open the Filter dialog box and define advanced filtering conditions to restrict the neighbours
to be calculated. The corresponding number of neighbours is indicated in the field beside the Filter button.
Use coverage conditions: Select this option to specify the coverage conditions.
When this option is selected, click Define to open the Coverage Conditions dialog box and change the parameters.
Coverage conditions are specific to each radio technology:
GSM: "Coverage Conditions" on page 321
UMTS: "Coverage Conditions" on page 563
CDMA: "Coverage Conditions" on page 677
LTE: "Coverage Conditions" on page 904
WiMAX: "Coverage Conditions" on page 1090
Wi-Fi: "Coverage Conditions" on page 1209
TD-SCDMA: "Coverage Conditions" on page 790
When Use coverage conditions is not selected, only the distance criterion is considered between neighbours and
reference cells.
Results table
After clicking Calculate, the Results table contains the following information:
Importance (%): The neighbour importance calculated with the specified importance factors. For more information,
see "Configuring Neighbour Importance Factors" on page 231
Cause: The reason why Atoll has allocated the value under Importance (%), according to the weights defined in the
corresponding Neighbour Importance Weighting dialog box. Possible causes depend on the technology:
GSM: "Reasons for Allocation" on page 322
UMTS: "Reasons for Allocation" on page 564
CDMA: "Reasons for Allocation" on page 679
LTE:"Reasons for Allocation" on page 905
WiMAX: "Reasons for Allocation" on page 1090
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Adjacent neighbours are geographically adjacent cells based on their Best Server
coverages. Cell A is considered adjacent to cell B if there exists at least one pixel of
cell As Best Server coverage area where cell B is 2nd Best Server. The ranking of
the adjacent neighbour cell increases with the number of these pixels.
Cells are considered adjacent across layers if they belong to different layers and
have a coverage overlap of at least one pixel.
Co-site factor: Set the Min and Max importance of a potential neighbour cell being located on the same site as
the reference cell. The defined Co-site factor will not be taken into account when the following check box is
cleared in the Automatic Neighbour Allocation dialog box:
GSM: Co-site transmitters as neighbours
Other: Co-site cells as neighbours
3. Click OK to save your settings and close the Neighbour Importance Weighting dialog box.
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1. In the Radio Planning toolbar, click the arrow ( ) beside the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) and select Display
Options from the context menu. The Neighbour Display dialog box appears.
2. Under Links, select Display intra-technology links to display neighbour relationships that use the radio-technology of
the current document, and click Browse ( ) to specify how neighbour relationships are displayed. The Neighbour
Display Settings dialog box appears.
a. From the Display Type list, select a display type:
Select Unique to colour the neighbour links of the selected cell with a unique colour.
Select Discrete values to colour the neighbour links of the selected cell according to:
- The colour of the source or target cell when Field is set to "Transmitter", "Cell", or "Neighbour"
- The relevant value in the table when Field is set to "Reason", "Source", "Neighbour.CellType" (GSM), "Neigh-
bour.HCSLayer" (GSM), "Neighbour.FrequencyBand" (GSM/LTE/WiMAX/Wi-Fi), "Neighbour.Carrier" (UMTS/
CDMA/TD-SCDMA), or "Relation Type" (UMTS/CDMA/LTE/WiMAX/Wi-Fi)
Select Value Intervals to colour the neighbour links of the selected cell according to the "Importance" weights
defined in the corresponding Neighbour Importance Weighting dialog box.
You can display the number of handoff attempts for each cell-neighbour pair by creating a
new field of type "Integer" in the Intra-technology Neighbour table for the number of
handoff attempts. Once you have imported or entered the values in the new column, you
can select this field from the Field list when Display type is set to "Value Intervals". For
information on adding a new field to a table, see "Adding a Field to a Data Table" on
page 76.
b. If necessary, you can disable the display of the neighbour link types you want by clearing the corresponding visi-
bility check boxes in the rightmost column.
c. Click the Browse button beside Tip text and select the characteristics to be displayed as tip text on neighbour links.
d. Click OK to save your settings and close the Neighbour Display Settings dialog box.
3. If you are in a co-planning environment, where a single-RAT document is linked to one or several other single-RAT doc-
uments, select Display inter-technology links to display neighbour relationships that use the radio-technologies of
linked co-planning documents.
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There are no display settings for inter-technology neighbours links in Co-planning. The
links appear on the map as dashed lines.
4. Under Coverages, select Highlight coverage areas to display the coverage areas of neighbours and click Browse to
specify how coverage areas are displayed. The Neighbour Display Settings dialog box appears.
a. From the Display type list, select a display type:
Unique: Select this option to colour the intra-technology coverage areas of the selected cells neighbours with
a unique colour and the coverage area of the source cell in yellow.
Figure 5.2: Example of intra-technology neighbour coverage (Display type: "Unique" with "Filter on neighbourhood")
Discrete values: Select this option to colour the intra-technology coverage areas of the selected cells neigh-
bours according to:
- the colour of the source or target cell when Field is set to "Transmitter", "Cell", or "Neighbour"
- the relevant value in the table when Field is set to "Reason", "Source", or "Relation Type" (UMTS/CDMA/LTE/
WiMAX/Wi-Fi)
Figure 5.3: Example of intra-technology neighbour coverage (Display type: "Discrete values", Field: "Neighbour")
Value Intervals: Select this option to colour the intra-technology coverage areas of the selected cells neigh-
bours according to the "Importance" weights defined in the corresponding Neighbour Importance Weighting
dialog box.
b. Click the Browse button beside Tip text and select the characteristics to be displayed as tip text on coverage areas.
c. Click OK to save your settings and close the Neighbour Display Settings dialog box.
5. Under Coverages, select whether to Filter on neighbourhoods and whether to Display relevant coverage types only.
6. Select the neighbour relations that you want to display:
Select Display non-symmetrical outwards to display a neighbour link when the selected cell is the reference cell
and the neighbour relation is not symmetric.
Select Display non-symmetrical inwards to display a neighbour link when the selected cell is the neighbour and
the neighbour relation is not symmetric.
Select Display symmetrics to display a neighbour link when the reference cell or the neighbour is selected and the
neighbour relation is symmetric.
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7. Select Adjust Map Window if you want the map window to self-adjust to display all the neighbour relations of the
selected cell.
8. In the Labels drop-down list, specify the cell labels to display when the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) is
pressed:
Select None to hide all cell labels at all times.
Select Neighbours to display the names (and carriers in UMTS/CDMA) of the selected cell's neighbours and hide
all other cells labels.
Select Transmitters to display at all times the cells labels defined in the cells' display properties.
9. Click OK to save your settings and close the Neighbour Display dialog box.
1. In the Radio Planning toolbar, click the arrow ( ) beside the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) and select Display
Options from the context menu. The Neighbour Display dialog box appears.
2. Under Links, select Display links to display neighbour relationships, click the Menu ( ) button and select a tech-
nology from the context menu to specify how neighbour relationships are displayed for that technology.
The Neighbour Display Settings dialog box appears with a separate tab for each technology combination.
3. For the intra-technology neighbours and each of the other neighbour combinations, specify the display settings:
a. From the Display Type list, select a display type:
Select Unique to colour the neighbour links of the selected cell with a unique colour.
Select Discrete values to colour the intra-technology neighbour links of the selected cell according to:
- the colour of the source or target cell when Field is set to "Transmitter", "Cell", or "Neighbour
- the relevant value in the table when Field is set to "Reason", "Source", "Neighbour.CellType" (GSM), "Neigh-
bour.HCSLayer" (GSM), "Neighbour.FrequencyBand" (GSM/LTE), "Neighbour.Carrier" (UMTS/CDMA), or
"Relation Type" (UMTS/CDMA/LTE)
Select Value Intervals to colour the neighbour links of the selected cell according to the "Importance" weights
defined in the corresponding Neighbour Importance Weighting dialog box.
You can display the number of handoff attempts for each cell-neighbour pair by creating a
new field of type "Integer" in the Intra-technology Neighbour table for the number of
handoff attempts. Once you have imported or entered the values in the new column, you
can select this field from the Field list when Display type is set to "Value Intervals". For
information on adding a new field to a table, see "Adding a Field to a Data Table" on
page 76.
b. If necessary, you can disable the display of the neighbour link types you want by clearing the corresponding visi-
bility check boxes in the rightmost column.
c. Click the Browse button beside Tip text and select the characteristics to be displayed as tip text on neighbour links.
d. Click OK to save your settings and close the Neighbour Display Settings dialog box.
4. Under Coverages, select Highlight coverage areas to display the coverage areas of neighbours and click Browse to
specify how coverage areas are displayed. The Neighbour Display Settings dialog box appears.
a. From the Display type list, select a display type:
Unique: to colour the intra-technology coverage areas of neighbours of the selected cell with a unique colour
and the coverage area of the source cell in yellow.
Discrete values: to colour the intra-technology coverage areas of the neighbours of the selected cell according
to:
- the colour of the source or target cell when Field is set to "Transmitter", "Cell", or "Neighbour"
- the relevant value in the table when Field is set to "Reason", "Source", or "Relation Type" (UMTS/CDMA/LTE/
WiMAX/Wi-Fi)
Value Intervals: to colour the intra-technology coverage areas of the neighbours of the selected cell according
to the "Importance" weights defined in the corresponding Neighbour Importance Weighting dialog box.
b. Click the Browse button beside Tip text and select the characteristics to be displayed as tip text on coverage areas.
c. Click OK to save your settings and close the Neighbour Display Settings dialog box.
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5. Under Coverages, select whether to Filter on neighbourhoods and whether to Display relevant coverage types only.
6. Select the neighbour relations that you want to display:
Select Display inter-technology only to hide intra-technology relationships.
Select Display non-symmetrical outwards to display a neighbour link when the selected cell is the reference cell
and the neighbour relation is not symmetric.
Select Display non-symmetrical inwards to display a neighbour link when the selected cell is the neighbour and
the neighbour relation is not symmetric.
Select Display symmetrics to display a neighbour link when the reference cell or the neighbour is selected and the
neighbour relation is symmetric.
7. Select Adjust Map Window if you want the map window to self-adjust to display all the neighbour relations of the
selected cell.
8. In the Labels drop-down list, specify the cell labels to display when the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) is
pressed:
Select None to hide all cell labels at all times.
Select Neighbours to display the names (and carriers in UMTS/CDMA) of the selected cell's neighbours and hide
all other cells labels.
Select Transmitters to display at all times the cells labels defined in the cells' display properties.
9. Click OK to save your settings and close the Neighbour Display dialog box.
Figure 5.4: Single-RAT intra-technology neighbour links with a "Coverage by Transmitter (DL)" prediction
1. In the Radio Planning toolbar, click the arrow ( ) beside the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) and select Neigh-
bours from the context menu.
2. Click the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ).
3. If you want to display the neighbour coverage areas, in the Network explorer, select the visibility check box of the Pre-
dictions folder in the Networks explorer.
4. Select a cell by performing either of the following actions:
In the Network explorer, expand the Transmitters folder, and select a cell.
Select a cell in Map window. For Multi-RAT documents, when there is more than one cell on the transmitter,
clicking the transmitter in the map window opens a context menu for cell selection (see "Selecting One out of Sev-
eral Transmitters" on page 57).
In the Neighbours table, select a cell by clicking the leftmost cell in the row.
The neighbours of the cell are displayed on the map. If a prediction is selected in the Predictions folder, the coverage
areas of the neighbours of the selected cell are displayed on the map. The selected cell is highlighted in the Neigh-
bours table if it is open.
Atoll displays the following information for the selected cell:
Symmetric neighbour relations of the selected cell are indicated by a simple line.
Outward neighbour relations are indicated by a line with an arrow pointing towards the neighbour.
Inward neighbour relations are indicated by a line with an arrow pointing towards the reference cell.
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Neighbour links are displayed in grey if no shading is defined for the Value assigned
to them in the Neighbour Display Settings dialog box and they are not displayed
at all if the check box corresponding to the assigned Value is cleared.
You can display forced or forbidden neighbours by clicking the arrow ( ) beside the
Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) then selecting Forced Neighbours or For-
bidden Neighbours.
4. In the Radio Planning toolbar, click the arrow ( ) beside the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ).
5. Select Display Options from the context menu. The Neighbour Display dialog box appears.
6. Select the Highlight coverage areas check box and click the Browse button beside it. The Neighbour Display Settings
dialog box appears.
7. Set Display type to "Unique" then click OK to close the Neighbour Display Settings dialog box.
8. Click OK in the Neighbour Display dialog box.
9. Select the visibility check box of the Predictions folder in the Networks explorer.
10. In the map, select the inter-technology neighbour cell that you identified at the beginning of this procedure. The area
displayed in yellow is the coverage area of the inter-technology neighbour cell.
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If the field Max number of intra-technology neighbours in the Cells table is empty, the Full
Lists check and the Lists > max number check use the Default max number value defined
in the audit dialog box.
Missing Co-Sites: X; total number of missing co-site neighbours in the audited neighbour allocation plan.
Syntax: GSM: |TRANSMITTER| |NEIGHBOUR|
Other: |CELL| |NEIGHBOUR|
Non Symmetric Links: X; total number of non-symmetric neighbour links in the audited neighbour allocation plan.
Syntax: GSM: |TRANSMITTER| |NEIGHBOUR| |TYPE| |REASON|
Other: |CELL| |NEIGHBOUR| |TYPE| |REASON|
Missing Forced: X; total number of forced neighbours missing in the audited neighbour allocation plan.
Syntax: GSM: |TRANSMITTER| |NEIGHBOUR|
Other: |CELL| |NEIGHBOUR|
Existing Forbidden: X; total number of forbidden neighbours existing in the audited neighbour allocation plan.
Syntax: GSM: |TRANSMITTER| |NEIGHBOUR| |TYPE| |REASON|
Other: |CELL| |NEIGHBOUR| |TYPE| |REASON|
Distance between neighbours > Y: X; total number of neighbours existing in the audited neighbour allocation plan
that are located at a distance greater than Y.
Syntax: GSM: |TRANSMITTER| |NEIGHBOUR| |DISTANCE|
Other: |CELL| |NEIGHBOUR| DISTANCE
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238
Chapter 6
Network
Capacity
and Traffic This chapter covers the following topics:
"Service and User Modelling" on page 241
"Working with Traffic Maps" on page 256
This chapter provides
"Simulations" on page 264
information on studying
network capacity and
performing traffic
simulations in Atoll.
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Name: A default name is provided, but you can set a more descriptive name.
Activity factor: The uplink and downlink activity factors are used to determine the probability of activity for users
accessing the service during Monte Carlo simulations. For packet-switched services (data), this parameter is used
when working with sector traffic maps and user density traffic maps. For circuit-switched services (voice), the param-
eter is taken into consideration with any traffic map.
Average Requested Throughput: You can enter the average requested throughput for uplink and downlink. This
throughput is the average throughput obtained by a user of the service. How the average requested throughput is
used in Atoll depends on the type of service:
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Circuit or All except Packet (HSPA): This throughput is the average throughput obtained by a user of the service.
It is used in simulations during user distribution generation to calculate the number of users attempting a connec-
tion and to determine their activity status.
Packet (HSPA): This throughput is the requested average throughput which guarantees a minimum average
throughput during an HSUPA call. It is used twice in a simulation: once during user distribution generation in order
to calculate the number of HSUPA users attempting a connection and then during power control as a quality target
to be compared to the real obtained average throughput.
Technology priorities (for Multi-RAT documents only): Click the Browse button beside Technology priorities to open
a dialog box enabling you to define the technologies that can use this service and their priority.
Type: You can select either "Circuit", "Packet (Max Bit Rate)" or "Packet (Constant Bit Rate)" as the service type. If you
select "Circuit", the only other applicable parameter is Max probability of blocking (or delay) (Erlang B or C, respec-
tively).
Priority: Enter a priority for this service. "0" is the lowest priority.
Max throughput demand: The maximum uplink and downlink throughputs per user is used in the simulation process
for GPRS/EDGE networks.
Min throughput demand: The minimum uplink throughput per user is used in the simulation process for GPRS/EDGE
networks. The minimum downlink throughput per user is used in both dimensioning and simulation processes for
GPRS/EDGE networks.
Max probability of blocking (or delay): The maximum blocking rate defines the call blocking or call queuing rate for
the GSM voice services and the probability of delayed packets for GPRS/EDGE data services.
Max packet delay: The maximum period of time that a packet can be delayed before transmission.
Required availability for minimum throughput: The percentage of cell coverage where the minimum throughput (or
the guaranteed bit rate for constant bit rate packet-switched services) per user must be available. This value is also
used in dimensioning.
Max number of timeslots per carrier: The maximum number of timeslots per carrier is used during dimensioning to
limit the number of timeslots that can be assigned to a user using this service on a carrier. This parameter applies to
packet-switched services. For constant bit rate packet-switched services such as VoIP, this parameter has to be set to
"1".
Application throughput: You can define the Scaling factor and the Offset. The throughput scaling factor and offset
are used to determine the user or application level throughput in Radio Link Control (RLC) throughput or timeslot cov-
erage prediction. The application throughput is calculated by multiplying the RLC throughput by the scaling factor and
subtracting the offset. These parameters model header information and other supplementary data that do not appear
at the application level.
Type: Select either "Speech", "1xRTT Data", "1xEV-DO Rev. 0 Data", "1xEV-DO Rev. A Data" or "1xEV-DO Rev. B Data".
The options available depend on the type of service:
Speech: The following options are available for services with the type "Speech":
Activity Factor FCH: Enter an activity factor for the FCH on the uplink (reverse link) and on the downlink
(forward link). The activity factor can be from "0," indicating no activity during connection, to "1," indicating
constant activity during connection. The activity factor is used to calculate the average power transmitted on
the FCH.
1xRTT Data: The following options are available for services with the type "1xRTT Data":
SCH Throughput Probabilities: Enter the probability of the service having the specified throughput, from 2 to
16 times the peak throughput (defined in the terminal properties), on the uplink (reverse link) and on the
downlink (forward link). The sum of the probabilities must be lower than or equal to 1. The throughput prob-
abilities are used during simulations to determine the throughput requested by each user.
1xEV-DO Rev. 0 Data: The following options are available for services with the type "1xEV-DO Rev. 0 Data":
Downgrading Supported: Select this option if the service supports downgrading on the reverse link.
UL Throughput Probabilities: Under UL Throughput Probabilities, you can enter the probability of the service
having the specified throughput on the reverse link. The sum of the probabilities of the service having the
specified throughput must be lower than or equal to 1. The throughput probabilities are used during simula-
tions to determine the throughput requested by each user.
If the service supports throughput downgrading, you can define the probability of the service being upgraded
or downgraded on the uplink (reverse link) for each 1xEV-DO Rev. 0 throughputs. The probabilities are taken
into account during the uplink load control part of simulations in order to determine if a user with a certain
throughput can be upgraded or downgraded. User throughput downgrading and upgrading occurs when the
cell is over- or underloaded.
The following table shows the throughput changes that are possible when a throughput is upgraded or down-
graded. The probabilities are defined with a number from 1 to 255 for each throughput.
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UL Throughput due to TCP acknowledgement: If the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is used on the down-
link (forward link), check the TCP Used check box. When TCP is used, reverse link traffic due to acknowledge-
ments is generated. The traffic generated is calculated using the graph which describes the reverse link traffic
due to TCP acknowledgements as a function of the forward link application throughput. The generated traffic
is taken into account in simulation during the reverse link power control.
1xEV-DO Rev. A Data and 1xEV-DO Rev. B Data: The following options are available for services with the type
"1xEV-DO Rev. A Data" and "1xEV-DO Rev. B Data".
QoS Class: Select "Guaranteed Bit Rate" for services that require a minimum bit rate or "Best Effort" for best-
effort applications.
Uplink Mode: This setting escribes the type of radio resource management required on uplink for that service.
Select either "Low Latency" for real-time applications, or "High Capacity" for non-real-time applications
Downgrading Supported: Select this option if the service supports downgrading on the reverse link.
Min throughput demand: If you have selected "Guaranteed Bit Rate" as QoS class, enter the minimum
required bit rate in order for the service to be available in the uplink and downlink. This parameter is not avail-
able for best-effort applications.
UL Throughput Probabilities: Under UL Throughput Probabilities, you can enter the probability of the service
having the specified uplink throughput. This parameter is available for best-effort applications only.
In the column marked with the New Column icon ( ), select a Radio Bearer Index and enter a Usage Prob-
ability. Atoll automatically creates a new blank column. The sum of the probabilities must be lower than or
equal to 1. The throughput probabilities are used during simulations to determine the throughput requested
by each user. If the bearer is not defined under UL Throughput Probabilities, it is assumed that there are no
users using the bearer.
For services requiring a minimum bit rate, the usage probability is automatically calculated according to the
number of selected radio bearers.
UL Throughput Due to TCP Acknowledgement: Select TCP Used if the downlink (forward link) uses Transmis-
sion Control Protocol (TCP). When TCP is used, reverse link traffic due to acknowledgements is generated. The
traffic generated is calculated using the graph which describes the reverse link traffic due to TCP acknowledge-
ments as a function of the forward link application throughput. The generated traffic is taken into account in
simulation during the reverse link power control.
Best-effort services with the 1xEV-DO Rev. B Data type can be provided in multi-carrier
mode if the server and the user terminal support it.
If you selected "Speech" or "1xRTT Data" as the Type, you must define each possible combination of terminal, SCH
factor, and mobility by clicking the EbNt button. On the EbNt dialog box, The SCH factor is the multiplying factor of
the terminal peak throughput used to calculate the throughput. The following table lists the SCH factors available and
the corresponding throughputs.
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For each combination, you must define the thresholds, targets, and gains:
Terminal: Select a radio configuration from the list.
SCH Factor: Enter an SCH factor.
Min. and Max. TCH Power (dBm): Enter the minimum and maximum TCH power. The TCH can be equal to the FCH
or the SCH, depending on the entered SCH factor. The values entered can be absolute or relative to the pilot
power, depending on the option chosen on the Global Parameters tab of the Network Settings Properties dialog
box, and have to be manually modified when the option is changed. The minimum and maximum traffic channel
power make up the dynamic range for forward link power control.
UL Target (dB): Enter the EbNt required on the reverse link for TCH. The TCH can be equal to the FCH or the SCH,
depending on the entered SCH factor. The value defined for the UL Target is only used when the reverse link power
control is based on traffic quality as set on the Global Parameters tab of the Network Settings Properties dialog
box.
DL Target (dB): Enter the EbNt required on the forward link for TCH. The TCH can be equal to the FCH or the SCH,
depending on the entered SCH factor.
UL Pilot Threshold (dB): Enter the pilot EcNt required on the reverse link. This is only used when the reverse link
power control is based on pilot quality as set on the Global Parameters tab of the Network Settings Properties
dialog box.
UL FCH/Pilot Offset (dB): Enter the FCH gain on the reverse link relative to the pilot. This is only used when the
reverse link power control is based on pilot quality as set on the Global Parameters tab of the Network Settings
Properties dialog box.
UL SCH/Pilot Offset (dB): Enter the SCH gain on the reverse link relative to the pilot. This is only used when the
reverse link power control is based on pilot quality as set on the Global Parameters tab of the Network Settings
Properties dialog box. This value is not used for services of Type "Speech."
Mobility: Select the mobility type for which the thresholds, targets, and gains are defined. If you select All, the
thresholds, targets, and gains will be considered valid for all mobility types.
Preferred Carrier: Select the preferred carrier for the service. This is the carrier that will be used during simulations,
if the transmitter supports it. If the preferred carrier is not available, Atoll will choose another carrier using the carrier
selection mode defined in the site equipment properties.
Priority: Enter a priority for the service. A priority of "0" gives the lowest priority. The priority is used during simula-
tions to decide which terminal will be rejected when the network is overloaded.
Soft Handoff Allowed: Select the Soft Handoff Allowed check box if this service can have a soft handoff.
Application Throughput: The application throughput is not used for services with the type Speech.
Body Loss: Enter a body loss for the service. The body loss is the loss due to the body of the user. For example, in a
voice connection the body loss, due to the proximity of the users head, is estimated to be 3dB.
R99 Radio Bearer: Select an R99 radio bearer from the list. You can click the Browse button to edit the properties of
the selected R99 radio bearer.
Type: Select either if the following service types. The options available depend on the type of service:
Circuit (R99): For circuit services.
Packet (R99): For packet services that can only use R99 channels.
Packet (HSDPA - Best Effort): For best effort applications that can use HSDPA channels. Specify the following
parameters under HSPA parameters:
E-DPCCH/A-DPCH activity factor: The downlink E-DPCCH/A-DPCH activity factor is used to estimate the aver-
age power on A-DPCH channels.
The HSDPA service is linked to a R99 bearer in order to manage the connection to the R99-
dedicated channel A-DPCH.
Packet (HSPA - Best Effort): For best effort applications that can use HSDPA and HSUPA channels. Set the following
parameters under HSPA parameters:
E-DPCCH/A-DPCH activity factor: The uplink and downlink E-DPCCH/A-DPCH activity factors are used to esti-
mate the average power on E-DPCCH and A-DPCH channels.
Packet (HSPA - Variable Bit Rate): For variable bit rate services using HSDPA channels, select Packet (HSDPA - Var-
iable Bit Rate). Specify the following HSPA parameters:
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E-DPCCH/A-DPCH activity factor: The uplink and downlink E-DPCCH/A-DPCH activity factors are used to esti-
mate the average power on E-DPCCH and A-DPCH channels.
Max throughput demand and Min throughput demand: Enter the maximum and minimum bit rate that the
service can require in the uplink and downlink.
Packet (HSDPA - Variable Bit Rate): For variable bit rate services using HSPA channels. Specify the following HSPA
Parameters:
E-DPCCH/A-DPCH activity factor: The downlink E-DPCCH/A-DPCH activity factor is used to estimate the aver-
age power on A-DPCH channels.
Max throughput demand and Min throughput demand: Enter the maximum and minimum bit rate that the
service can require in the uplink and downlink.
Packet (HSPA - Constant Bit Rate): For constant bit rate services using HSPA channels. Specify the following HSPA
Parameters:
E-DPCCH/A-DPCH Activity Factor: The E-DPCCH/A-DPCH activity factor is used to estimate the average power
on A-DPCH channels.
Min throughput demand: Enter the minimum bit rate that the service can require in the uplink and downlink.
The uplink and downlink E-DPCCH/A-DPCH activity factors have been set to 0.1 and
cannot be changed. These values are used to estimate the average power on
E-DPCCH and A-DPCH channels.
Variable Bit Rate users are processed as Best Effort users when no value is defined
for the min and max throughput demands.
If you select a packet type, click the Packet button to define the parameters used to determine the probability of activ-
ity for each user during Monte Carlo simulations. These parameters are used when working with user profile traffic
maps only. In the Packet dialog box, you can set the following parameters for packet-switched services:
Efficiency factor: The uplink and downlink efficiency factors are used to determine duration of usage by the user
during Monte Carlo simulations.
Average number of packet calls: Enter the average number of packet calls in the uplink and downlink during one
session.
Average time between two packet calls: Enter the average time between two packet calls (in milliseconds) in the
uplink and downlink.
Min size (Kbytes) and Max size (Kbytes): Enter the minimum and maximum size of a packet call in kilobytes for
the uplink and downlink.
Average time between two packets (ms): Enter the average time between two packets in milliseconds in the
uplink and downlink.
Size (Bytes): Enter the packet size in bytes in the uplink and downlink.
Preferred/Allowed Carriers: The specified carrier is considered in simulation when admitting a transmitter to the
mobile active set. If you select "Preferred Carriers" and the transmitter uses the specified carrier, Atoll selects it. Oth-
erwise, it selects another carrier using the carrier selection mode defined in the site equipment properties. If no pre-
ferred carrier is specified, it considers the carrier selection mode defined in the site equipment properties. If you select
"Allowed Carriers", Atoll only uses the defined carriers. If they are not available, the service will be rejected.
The preferred/allowed carriers are not used in predictions (i.e., AS analysis, multi-point analysis and coverage predic-
tions).
Bearer Downgrading: Select whether the service supports bearer downgrading on uplink and downkink. Bearer down-
grading is not allowed for Packet (HSDPA - Variable Bit Rate) and Packet (HSPA - Variable Bit Rate) services.
Priority: Specify a priority for this service. "0" is the lowest priority.
Soft Handoff Allowed: Select whether you want the network to be able to use soft handoff with this service.
HSDPA channels do not use soft handover even if the Soft Handoff Allowed check box is
selected. If you want the HSUPA service to be operated using soft handover, select the Soft
Handoff Allowed check box. Soft handover will be applied to R99 and HSUPA channels
only.
Supported layers: You can select the network layers supported by the service. For more information on network
layers, see "Defining Network Deployment Layers" on page 966. The specified layers are considered in predictions
(i.e., AS analysis, multi-point analysis and coverage predictions) for best serving cell selection. Users are only allowed
to connect to cells of layers supported by their services. For more information on best serving cell selection, see "Best
Serving Cell and Active Set Determination" on page 624.
The supported layers are not used in simulations.
Application throughput: You can define the Scaling factor and the Offset. The throughput scaling factor and offset
are used to determine the user or application level throughput in Radio Link Control (RLC) throughput or timeslot cov-
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erage prediction. The application throughput is calculated by multiplying the RLC throughput by the scaling factor and
subtracting the offset. These parameters model header information and other supplementary data that do not appear
at the application level.
Body Loss: Enter a body loss for the service. The body loss is the loss due to the body of the user. For example, in a
voice connection the body loss, due to the proximity of the users head, is estimated to be 3dB.
Type: You can select either "Voice" or "Data" as the service type.
Supported layers: You can select the network layers supported by the service. For more information on network
layers, see "Defining Network Deployment Layers" on page 966. During calculations, users are only allowed to connect
to cells of layers supported by their services.
QoS class identifier (QCI): You can select a QoS class identifier for the service. The information about the QoS class
used by any service is used by the schedulers for resource allocation.
QCI priority: The priority corresponding to the selected QoS class identifier (QCI). QCI values and their priorities are
defined by the 3GPP as follows:
QCI priority 2 4 3 5 1 6 7 8 9
Priority: Enter a user-defined priority for the service with respect to other services belonging to the same QoS class
identifier (QCI). "0" is the lowest priority.
Carrier aggregation: Select this check box if the service supports carrier aggregation.
Highest bearer: Select the highest bearer that the service can use in the uplink and downlink. This is considered as an
upper limit during bearer determination.
Lowest bearer: Select the lowest bearer that the service can use in the uplink and downlink. This is considered as a
lower limit during bearer determination.
Min throughput demand and Max throughput demand: Enter the minimum and maximum throughput that the ser-
vice can demand in the uplink and downlink.
Min number of frequency blocks: Enter the minimum number of frequency blocks required for this service in uplink.
Application throughput: Under Application throughput, you can set a Scaling factor between the application
throughput and the RLC (Radio Link Control) throughput and a throughput Offset. These parameters model the
header information and other supplementary data that does not appear at the application level.
The application throughput parameters are used in throughput coverage predictions and for application throughput
calculation.
Body loss: Enter a body loss for the service. The body loss is the loss due to the body of the user. For example, in a
voice connection the body loss, due to the proximity of the users head, is estimated to be 3 dB.
R99 Radio Bearer: Select an R99 radio bearer from the list. You can click the Browse button to edit the properties of
the selected R99 radio bearer.
Type: Select either if the following service types. The options available depend on the type of service:
Circuit (R99): For circuit services.
Packet (R99): For packet services that can only use R99 channels.
Packet (HSDPA): For packet services that can use HSDPA channels. Specify the following settings:
A-DPCH activity factor: The downlink A-DPCH activity factor is used to estimate the average power on A-DPCH
channels.
Packet (HSPA): For packet services that can use HSDPA and HSUPA channels, select Packet (HSPA). Specify the
followinf settings:
E-UCCH/A-DPCH activity factor: The uplink E-UCCH and downlink A-DPCH activity factors are used to estimate
the average power on these channels.
If you select a packet type, click the Packet button to define the parameters used to determine the probability of activ-
ity for each user during Monte Carlo simulations. These parameters are used when working with user profile traffic
maps only. In the Packet dialog box, you can set the following parameters for packet-switched services:
Efficiency factor: The uplink and downlink efficiency factors are used to determine duration of usage by the user
during Monte Carlo simulations.
Average number ofpacket calls: Enter the average number of packet calls in the uplink and downlink during one
session.
Average tme between two packet calls: Enter the average time between two packet calls (in milliseconds) in the
uplink and downlink.
Min size (Kbytes) and Max size (Kbytes): Enter the minimum and maximum size of a packet call in kilobytes for
the uplink and downlink.
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Average time between two packets (ms): Enter the average time between two packets in milliseconds in the
uplink and downlink.
Size (Bytes): Enter the packet size in bytes in the uplink and downlink.
Preferred or Allowed Carriers: The specified carrier is considered in simulation when admitting a transmitter to the
mobile active set. If you select "Preferred Carriers" and the transmitter uses the specified carrier, Atoll selects it. Oth-
erwise, it selects another carrier using the carrier selection mode defined in the site equipment properties. If no pre-
ferred carrier is specified, it considers the carrier selection mode defined in the site equipment properties. If you select
"Allowed Carriers", Atoll only uses the defined carriers. If they are not available, the service will be rejected.
The preferred/allowed carriers are not used in predictions (i.e., AS analysis, multi-point analysis and coverage predic-
tions).
Priority: Specify a priority for this service. "0" is the lowest priority.
Application throughput: You can define the Scaling factor and the Offset. The throughput scaling factor and offset
are used to determine the user or application level throughput in Radio Link Control (RLC) throughput or timeslot cov-
erage prediction. The application throughput is calculated by multiplying the RLC throughput by the scaling factor and
subtracting the offset. These parameters model header information and other supplementary data that do not appear
at the application level.
Body Loss: Enter a body loss for the service. The body loss is the loss due to the body of the user. For example, in a
voice connection the body loss, due to the proximity of the users head, is estimated to be 3dB.
You can modify the properties of an existing service by right-clicking the service in the
Services folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
2. Click the General tab and specify a Name for the service.
3. If the document is Multi-RAT, click the Browse button beside Technology priorities to define the technologies that
can use this service and their priority.
To select a technology that can use this service, select the technology in the Available technologies list and
click to move it to the Selected technologies list.
To remove a technology from the list of Selected technologies, select the technology in the Selected technol-
ogies list and click to move it to the Available technologies list.
To change the priority of the technologies, select a technology and click or to move it up or down in the
list. The technology at the top of the list has the highest priority.
Click OK to close the dialog box and return to the Services: New Record Properties dialog box.
4. Click the tab of the technology for which you want to define the service and enter the parameters as described in "Ser-
vice Properties" on page 241.
5. Click OK.
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dependent on mobile speed. In LTE, information about the receiver mobility is required for determining which bearer selec-
tion threshold and quality graph to use from the LTE equipment referred to in the terminal or cell.
EcI0 Threshold: Under Active Set Management, enter or modify the minimum EcI0 required from a transmitter to
enter the active set. This value must be verified for the best server.
HS-SCCH EcNt Threshold: Under HSDPA, enter or modify the minimum quality required in order for the HSDPA link
to be available. This parameter is used by Atoll to determine the HS-SCCH power when the user has selected dynamic
allocation in the cell properties. For static allocation, Atoll calculates the HS-SCCH EcNt from the HS-SCCH power set
in the cell properties and compares it to this threshold. This field is only used with HSDPA.
Under Active Set Management, enter or modify the following parameters in order to make the user active set
dependent on the mobility type:
Delta Min. EcI0: Enter a positive value in order to increase the minimum EcI0 required from a transmitter to be
the best server in the active set, or a negative value to decrease it.
Delta T_Drop: Enter a positive value in order to increase the minimum EcI0 required from a transmitter not to be
rejected from the active set, or a negative value to decrease it.
Under 1xEV-DO (Rev 0), enter or modify the following parameters:
Min. EcNt (UL): Enter or modify the minimum EcNt required on the reverse link. This parameter is only used for
CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev 0. This parameter is considered during reverse link power control in order to calculate
the required reverse link pilot power.
DL Peak Throughput = f(CI): The graph of the throughput on the forward link as a function of (CI). This parameter
is only used for CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev 0.
Under Baton handover parameters, you can set the minimum pilot signal levels required from transmitters to enter
and exit the list of potential servers.
P-CCPCH RSCP T_Add (P-CCPCH RSCP threshold): The minimum pilot signal level from transmitters required for
entering the list of potential servers.
P-CCPCH RSCP T_Drop: The signal level from transmitters below which a transmitter cannot enter the list of
potential servers.
P-CCPCH EbNt threshold or P-CCPCH CI threshold: Enter or modify the minimum P-CCPCH EbNt or CI quality. This
value is used as the minimum requirement limit for the P-CCPCH Quality Analysis (EbNt) (DL) or P-CCPCH Quality
Analysis (CI) (DL) coverage predictions.
DwPCH RSCP threshold: Enter or modify the minimum signal level required for the DwPTS coverage. This value is used
as the minimum requirement limit for the Coverage by DwPCH RSCP coverage prediction.
DwPCH CI threshold: Enter or modify the minimum DwPCH CI quality. This value is used as the minimum require-
ment limit for the DwPCH Quality Analysis (CI) (DL) coverage prediction.
UpPCH RSCP threshold: Enter or modify the minimum signal level required for the UpPTS coverage. This value is used
as the minimum requirement limit for the Coverage by UpPCH RSCP coverage prediction.
Under HSDPA, you can set the minimum Ec/Nt levels required for HSDPA channels.
HS-SCCH EcNt threshold (DL): Enter or modify the minimum quality required for the HSDPA link to be available.
Atoll calculates the HS-SCCH EcNt from the HS-SCCH power set in the cell properties and compares it to this
threshold. This field is used only with HSDPA.
HS-SICH EcNt threshold (UL): Enter or modify the minimum quality required for the HSDPA link to be available.
Atoll calculates the HS-SICH EcNt from the HS-SICH power set in the terminal properties and compares it to this
threshold. This field is used only with HSDPA.
Under HSUPA, you can set the minimum Ec/Nt levels required for E-DCH channel.
E-DCH EcNt threshold (DL): Enter or modify the minimum quality required for the HSUPA link to be available. This
field is used only with HSUPA.
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You can modify the properties of an existing mobility type by right-clicking the mobility
type in the Mobility Types folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
2. You can enter or modify the following parameters in the Mobility Types: New Record Properties dialog box.
3. Click the General tab and specify a Name for the service and the movement Speed for the user that you want to
model.
4. If the document uses UMTS, CDMA2000, or TD-SCDMA, click the tab of the technology for which you want to define
the mobility and enter the parameters as described in "Mobility Properties" on page 248.
5. Click OK.
Main Band: The primary frequency band with which the terminal compatible.
Secondary Band: The secondary frequency band with which the terminal is compatible. The compatible frequency
bands are used to allocate the user to a transmitter using that frequency band if the network is a multi-band network.
Noise Figure: The noise caused by the terminal. This value is added to the thermal noise (set to -121 dBm by default)
in predictions when studying CN or CI + N instead of C or CI.
Technology: The technology with which the terminal is compatible. You can choose among GSM, GPRS (i.e., GSM/
GPRS), or GPRS/EDGE (i.e., GSM/GPRS/EDGE).
Codec Configuration: Select the codec configuration for the terminal. This parameter is optional.
Min. power: Set the minimum transmission power. The minimum and maximum transmission power make up the
dynamic range for uplink power control.
Max power: Set the maximum transmission power.
DTX: The DTX check box is selected if the terminal supports DTX (Discontinuous Transmission) technology.
If you selected "GSM," "GPRS," OR "GPRS/EDGE" under Technology, set the following parameters under GPRS\EDGE:
Coding Scheme Configuration: If the terminal is GPRS or EDGE-compatible, select the coding scheme configura-
tion for the terminal. This parameter is optional.
Max. GPRS CS: If the terminal is GPRS-compatible, set the maximum number of coding schemes that the terminal
can use.
Max. EDGE CS: If the terminal is EDGE-compatible, set the maximum number of coding schemes that the terminal
can use.
The highest number of GPRS (or EDGE) coding schemes available to the terminal is limited
by the maximum number of GPRS (or EDGE) coding schemes defined for the TRX configu-
ration assigned to a transmitter.
Number of DL Timeslots per carrier: If the terminal is GPRS or EDGE-compatible, you can enter the maximum
number of downlink timeslots the terminal can use on a carrier. Terminals using only circuit-switched services will
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use only one downlink timeslot. Using more than one DL timeslot has an effect in the dimensioning process. For
more information, see "Dimensioning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on page 334.
Number of Simultaneous Carriers: If the terminal is EDGE evolution compatible (EGPRS2), you can enter the max-
imum number of simultaneous carriers the terminal can use. Terminals using either circuit-switched services,
GPRS, or EGPRS packet-switched services will use only one carrier at a time. Using more than one carrier has an
effect in the dimensioning process. For more information, see "Dimensioning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on
page 334.
When you model EDGE Evolution on the terminal side Atoll has to consider:
The support of high-order modulations and the use of turbo codes in specific
coding schemes which can be found in the selected GPRS/EDGE configuration.
The support of multi-carriers which can be set up on the terminal side.
The support of dual antenna terminals (mobile station receive diversity) and
enhanced single antenna terminals (single antenna interference cancellation).
Atoll offers a statistical modelling of these through the use of an EDGE evolution
configuration, with the effect of SAIC or diversity already included both in the
coding scheme admission thresholds and on the throughput versus C (or CI)
graphs.
Type: Select the terminal type. The following tabs are available depending on the selected type.
The Definition tab:
CDMA Equipment: You can change the type of equipment.
Min power and Max power: Set the minimum transmission power. The minimum and maximum transmission
power make up the dynamic range for reverse link power control in simulations.
Gain and Losses: Set the antenna gain and reception losses.
Rho factor (%): This parameter enables Atoll to take into account the self-interference produced by the terminal.
Because hardware equipment is not perfect, the input signal experiences some distortion which affects, in turn,
the output signal. This factor defines how much distortion the system generates. Entering 100% means the system
is perfect (there is no distortion) and the output signal will be 100% equal to the input signal. On the other hand,
if you specify a value different than 100%, Atoll considers that the transmitted energy is not 100% signal and con-
tains a small percentage of interference generated by the equipment, i.e., self-interference. Atoll considers this
parameter to calculate the signal to noise ratio in the reverse link.
Main Band: Select the frequency band with which the terminal is compatible and enter the terminal Noise Figure
for the main frequency.
Second Band: Select a second frequency band with which the terminal is compatible and enter the terminal Noise
Figure for the second frequency band. Leave the Secondary Band field empty if the terminal works only on one
frequency band.
Third Band: Select a third frequency band with which the terminal is compatible and enter the terminal Noise
Figure for the third frequency. Leave the Third Band field empty if the terminal works only on two frequency
bands.
There are two ways of defining multi-band terminals. Depending on the configuration,
Atoll processes multi-band terminal users differently in the Monte Carlo simulation.
The first method consists of defining main, secondary and third frequency bands.
This enables you to give different priorities to the frequency bands in the Monte
Carlo simulation (the main frequency band will have the highest priority). A user
with such a tri-band terminal will be connected to transmitters using the main fre-
quency band if carriers on this frequency band are not overloaded. In case of over-
loading, he will be connected to transmitters using the secondary frequency band
and so on.
The second consists of selecting "All" as main frequency band. This means that the
terminal works on any frequency band without any priority. In this case, the user
can be connected to transmitters using any frequency band.
In coverage predictions, both configurations give the same results. The priority of
frequency bands is not taken into account.
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For EV-DO-capable terminals, the FCH active set size also determines the active set size on
the reverse link.
Number of Fingers: Enter the maximum number of signals that the terminal can recombine. The value of this field
must be lower than the value of the active set size. The value in this field is the same for both FCH and SCH.
Peak Throughput: Set the peak throughput on both the Downlink and the Uplink.
Pilot Power Percentage: Enter the percentage of the total mobile power that is dedicated to the reverse link pilot
power. This parameter is used during the reverse link power control (if based on traffic quality) in order to calcu-
late the mobile power.
The 1xEV-DO Rev 0 and 1xEV-DO Rev A tabs. The values on these tab are relative to the reverse link pilot power. They
are added to the required reverse link pilot power in order to calculate power on the ACK, RRI (for 1xEV-DO Rev A),
DRC, and traffic data channels. You can modify the following parameters:
Acknowledgement Channel Gain: Enter the gain on the acknowledgement (ACK) channel.
Radio Reverse Indicator (RRI) Channel Gain (for 1xEV-DO Rev A): Enter the gain on the radio reverse indicator
channel.
Data Rate Control Channel Gains (DRC): Under Data Rate Control Channel Gains (DRC), enter the gain for the fol-
lowing handoff types: No Handoff, Softer, and Soft handoff.
Data Channels/Auxiliary Pilot Gains: Under Data Channels/Auxiliary Pilot Gains, enter the gains on the traffic
data channel for both low latency and high capacity services and the gain on the auxiliary pilot channel according
to the radio bearer index. The auxiliary pilot is only used the highest throughputs.
Atoll does not manage the non-rectangular active set configuration when locked mode is
selected.
Highest supported modulation: Select the highest modulation supported by the terminal. You can choose either
16QAM or 64QAM (if you select 64QAM, 64QAM, and 16QAM modulations can be used).
Max number of carriers in multi-carrier mode: Select the maximum number of EV-DO carriers that can be used
when multi-carrier mode is active.
You can create a new type of reception equipment by using the Reception Equipment
table. Expand the UMTS Network Settings folder and right-click the Reception Equipment
folder and selecting Open Table from the context menu.
Active Set Size: Set the active set size. The active set size is the maximum number of transmitters to which a terminal
can be connected at one time.
Min power and Max power: Specify the minimum and maximum transmission power. The minimum and maximum
transmission power make up the dynamic range for uplink power control.
Gain and Losses: Specify the antenna gain and reception losses.
DL Rake Factor: Set the DL rake factor. This enables Atoll to model the rake receiver on DL.
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The rake efficiency factor, used for calculating recombination in uplink has to be set in the
site equipment properties. For information on setting site equipment properties, see
"Creating Site Equipment" on page 618.
Rho factor (%): This parameter enables Atoll to take into account the self-interference produced by the terminal.
Because hardware equipment is not perfect, the input signal experiences some distortion which affects, in turn, the
output signal. This factor defines how much distortion the system generates. Entering 100% means the system is per-
fect (there is no distortion) and the output signal will be 100% equal to the input signal. On the other hand, if you
specify a value different than 100%, Atoll considers that the transmitted energy is not 100% signal and contains a small
percentage of interference generated by the equipment, i.e., self-interference. Atoll considers this parameter to cal-
culate the signal to noise ratio in the uplink.
Supported frequency bands: Click the Configure button to select the list of frequency bands supported by the ter-
minal. In the Supported Frequency Bands dialog box, select All for the terminal to support all the frequency bands or
List of selected frequency bands to define the list of supported Frequency bands with the corresponding Noise fig-
ures.
During calculations, users are only allowed to connect to cells of frequency bands supported by their terminals.
Default noise figure: Specify the default noise figure of the terminal.
Layers: You can select the network layers supported by the terminal. For more information on network layers, see
"Defining Network Deployment Layers" on page 966. The specified layers are considered in predictions (i.e., AS anal-
ysis, multi-point analysis and coverage predictions) for best serving cell selection. Users are only allowed to connect
to cells of layers supported by their terminals. For more information on best serving cell selection, see "Best Serving
Cell and Active Set Determination" on page 624.
Layers are not used in simulations.
Compressed Mode Supported: Select this option if the terminal uses compressed mode. Compressed mode is gener-
ally used to prepare hard-handover of users with single receiver terminals.
HSPA Support: Select the type of HSPA support the terminal has:
None: R99 support only.
HSDPA: Single-band HSDPA and R99 in the uplink.
HSPA: Single-band HSDPA and HSUPA.
DB-HSDPA: Dual-band HSDPA and R99 in the uplink.
DB-HSPA: Dual-band HSDPA and single-band HSUPA.
If you select DB-HSDPA or DB-HSPA, make sure that you have defined a terminal compatible with several frequency
bands.
If the terminal supports HSDPA, you can define the HSDPA parameters under HSDPA:
UE Category: Select the HSDPA user equipment category of the terminal.
MUD Factor: Enter a multi-user detection factor (MUD). MUD is based on an algorithm used to improve mobile
receiver capacity. It reduces intra-cell interference and allows for higher EcNt. MUD is modelled by a coefficient
from 0 to 1; this factor is considered in calculating DL interference. If MUD is not supported, enter "0."
Number of Reception Antenna Ports: Select the number of reception antenna ports available on the terminal for
MIMO.
If the terminal supports HSUPA, you can define the HSUPA parameters under HSUPA:
UE Category: Select the HSUPA user equipment category of the terminal.
You can model terminals with the following capabilities:
Terminal DL Connection UL Connection
R99 R99
HSDPA terminal 1 HSDPA carrier
1 frequency band 1 frequency band
R99 R99
HSPA terminal 1 HSDPA carrier 1 HSUPA carrier
1 frequency band 1 frequency band
R99 R99
DC-HSPA terminal 2 HSDPA carriers 2 HSUPA carriers
1 frequency band 1 frequency band
R99 R99
MC-HSPA terminal 8 HSDPA carriers 2 HSUPA carriers
1 frequency band 1 frequency band
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To model the various terminals listed above, you have to set the following parameters:
HSDPA terminal: Select "HSDPA" as the HSPA support and an HSDPA UE category from Category 1 to 20.
HSPA terminal: Select "HSPA" as the HSPA support, choose an HSDPA UE category from Category 1 to 20, and an
HSUPA UE category from Category 1 to 8.
DC-HSPA terminal (dual-cell HSPA): Choose "HSPA" as the HSPA support, select an HSDPA UE category from Cat-
egory 21 to 28, and a DC-HSUPA UE category from Category 8 to 9.
MC-HSPA (multi-cell HSPA) terminal: Choose "HSPA" as the HSPA support, select an HSDPA UE category from
Category 21 to 36, and a DC-HSUPA UE category from Category 8 to 9.
DB-MC-HSPA (dual-band multi-cell HSPA) terminal: Choose "DB-HSPA" as the HSPA support, select an HSDPA UE
category from Category 21 to 36, a DC-HSUPA UE category from Category 8 to 9, and define at least two Fre-
quency bands.
Min power and Max power: Enter the minimum and maximum transmission power of the terminal.
Noise figure: Enter the default noise figure of the terminal, which is used to calculate the downlink total noise.
Losses: Enter the losses of the terminal.
LTE equipment: Select an equipment from the list of available reception equipment. For more information on recep-
tion equipment, see "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 969.
UE category: Select a UE category from the list of available UE categories. For more information on UE categories, see
"Defining LTE UE Categories" on page 974.
Supported layers: You can select the network layers supported by the terminal. For more information on network
layers, see "Defining Network Deployment Layers" on page 966. During calculations, users are only allowed to connect
to cells of layers supported by their terminals.
Supported frequency bands: Click the Configure button to select the list of frequency bands supported by the ter-
minal. In the Supported Frequency Bands dialog box, select All for the terminal to support all the frequency bands or
List of selected frequency bands to define the list of supported Frequency bands with the corresponding Noise fig-
ures.
LTE-Advanced: Select this option if the terminal supports carrier aggregation or CoMP. For carrier aggregation, enter
the Max number of secondary cells for Downlink and Uplink. The number of uplink secondary cells must be less than
or equal to the number of downlink secondary cells. Setting the maximum numbers of secondary cells to 0 means that
the terminal does not support carrier aggregation. For CoMP, select whether the terminal supports in downlink,
uplink, or both.
Model: Select an antenna model from the list of available antennas. If you do not select an antenna for the terminal,
Atoll uses an isotropic antenna in calculations.
In case you do not select an antenna, Atoll uses an isotropic antenna, not an omni-direc-
tional antenna, in calculations. An isotropic antenna has spherical radiation patterns in the
horizontal as well as vertical planes.
Gain: Enter the terminal antenna gain if you have not selected an antenna model in the Model field. If you have
selected an antenna, the Gain field is disabled and shows the gain of the selected antenna.
Diversity support: Select the type of antenna diversity techniques supported by the terminal. Antenna diversity
gains will be applied to the users using any terminal type depending on the supported antenna diversity tech-
niques, i.e., AAS, MIMO, or AAS+MIMO. If a terminal that supports AAS+MIMO is connected to a cell that sup-
ports both antenna diversity techniques, both AAS and MIMO gains will be applied.
Number of transmission antenna ports and Number of reception antenna ports: Enter the values for the ter-
minal.
TD-SCDMA equipment: Select a type of reception equipment from the list. For more information on reception equip-
ment, see "Receiver Equipment" on page 839.
No. of carriers supported: Select the number of carriers that the terminal can support.
Power: These settings allow you to set the minimum and maximum transmission power limits and the UpPCH power
for the UpPTS timeslot.
Min: Set the minimum transmission power. The minimum and maximum transmission powers make up the
dynamic range for uplink power control.
Max: Set the maximum transmission power.
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UpPCH: The transmission power for the UpPTS timeslot (or the TS1 uplink timeslot in case of UpPCH shifting).
Interference: Set the parameters that influence interference:
Noise figure: Set the terminal noise figure.
JD factor: Enter a joint detection (JD) factor. Joint detection is used to model interference cancellation at the user
terminal. JD is modelled by a coefficient from 0 to 1; this factor is considered in calculating downlink interference.
If JD is not supported, enter "0."
Rho factor (%): This parameter enables Atoll to take into account the self-interference produced by the terminal.
Because hardware equipment is not perfect, the input signal experiences some distortion which affects, in turn,
the output signal. This factor defines how much distortion the system generates. Entering 100% means the system
is perfect (there is no distortion) and the output signal will be 100% equal to the input signal. On the other hand,
if you specify a value different than 100%, Atoll considers that the transmitted energy is not 100% signal and con-
tains a small percentage of interference generated by the equipment, i.e., self-interference. Atoll considers this
parameter to calculate the signal to noise ratio in the uplink.
Gain and Losses: Set the antenna gain and reception losses.
HSPA support: Select the type of HSPA support for this terminal if the terminal is able to use HSPA channels: "None"
(R99 only), "HSDPA", or "HSPA".
For an HSDPA-capable terminal, you can set the following parameters under HSDPA:
UE category: The HSDPA user equipment category of the terminal. For more information on HSDPA UE categories,
see "HSDPA UE Categories" on page 840.
HS-SICH power: The transmission power for the HS-SICH channel. When you are modelling static power allocation,
the HS-SICH dynamic power allocation check box in the cell properties is cleared and the actual power per HS-
SICH channel is entered in this box. In case of dynamic HS-SCCH power allocation, the value entered here repre-
sents the maximum power for the HS-SICH channel.
For an HSPA-capable terminal, you can also set the following parameters under HSUPA:
UE category: The HSUPA user equipment category of the terminal. For more information on HSUPA UE categories,
see "HSDPA UE Categories" on page 840.
You can modify the properties of an existing terminal by right-clicking the terminal in the
Terminals folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
2. Click the General tab and specify a Name for the service.
3. If the document is Multi-RAT, click the arrow next to Supported technologies and select the check box of each tech-
nology supported by this terminal.
4. Click the tab of the technology that you want to configure for the terminal and enter the parameters as described in
"Terminal Properties" on page 249.
5. Click OK.
You can modify the properties of an existing user profile by right-clicking the user profile
in the User Profiles folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
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2. In the User Profiles: New Record Properties dialog box, you can modify the following parameters:
Name: Enter a descriptive name for the user profile.
Service: Select a service from the list. For information on services, see "Modelling Services" on page 241.
Terminal: Select a terminal from the list. For information on terminals, see "Modelling Terminals" on page 249.
Calls/Hour: For circuit-switched (voice) services and constant bit rate packet-switched services, enter the average
number of calls per hour for the service. The calls per hour is used to calculate the activity probability. For these
services, one call lasting 1000 seconds presents the same activity probability as two calls lasting 500 seconds each.
For packet-switched (data) services (max. bit rate), the Calls/Hour value is defined as the number of sessions per
hour. A session is like a call in that it is defined as the period of time between when a user starts using a service
and when he stops using a service. In packet-switched services, however, he might not use the service continually.
For example, with a web-browsing service, a session starts when the user opens his browsing application and ends
when he quits the browsing application. Between these two events, the user might be downloading web pages
and other times he might not be using the application, or he might be browsing local files, but the session is still
considered as open. A session, therefore, is defined by the volume transferred in the uplink and downlink and not
by the time.
In order for all the services defined for a user profile to be taken into account during traffic
scenario elaboration, the sum of activity probabilities must be lower than 1.
Duration: For circuit-switched services, enter the average duration of a call in seconds. For packet-switched ser-
vices, this field is left blank.
UL Volume: For packet-switched services, enter the average uplink volume per session in kilobytes.
DL Volume: For packet-switched services, enter the average downlink volume per session in kilobytes.
3. Click OK. The user profile is created.
You can modify the properties of an existing environment by right-clicking the environ-
ment in the Environments folder and selecting Properties from the context menu.
Wk Sk
N k = N Area --------------------------
Wi Si
i
where:
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For example: An area of 10 km with a subscriber density of 100/km. Therefore, in this area, there are 1000 sub-
scribers. The area is covered by two clutter classes: Open and Building. The clutter weighting for Open is "1" and
for Building is "4." Given the respective weights of each clutter class, 200 subscribers are in the Open clutter class
and 800 in the Building clutter class.
b. Optionally, you can specify a percentage of indoor subscribers for each clutter class. During Monte Carlo simula-
tions, indoor losses defined per frequency per clutter class will be added to the path losses of indoor mobiles.
4. Click OK. The environment is created.
For CDMA: Because each of the CDMA technologies has capabilities and services that are
specific to it, it is recommended to create separate traffic maps for voice, 1xRTT data, and
EV-DO data services.
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You can also import a traffic map from a file by clicking the Import button. You can import
AGD (Atoll Geographic Data) format files that you have exported from an other Atoll docu-
ment.
5. Select a coverage prediction by transmitter from the list of available coverage predictions by transmitter.
6. Enter the data required in the Sector Traffic Map dialog box:
Uplink and Downlink Throughputs: enter the throughput demands in the uplink and downlink for each sector and
for each listed service.
Total Number of Users (All Activity Statuses): enter the number of connected users for each sector and for each
listed service.
Number of Users per Activity Status: enter the number of inactive users, the number of users active in the uplink,
in the downlink and in the uplink and downlink, for each sector and for each service.
Downlink Throughputs/Erlangs for GSM traffic analysis (For GSM only): enter the amount of traffic for modelling
GSM traffic:
In erlangs for circuit services (e.g. voice) and constant bit rate packet services (e.g. VoIP). In the second case,
erlangs are internally transformed into Kbps by multiplying the value by a service-guaranteed bit rate per user.
In Kbps for packet services (maximum bit rate).
You can also import a text file containing the data by clicking the Actions button and select-
ing Import Table from the menu. For more information on importing table data, see
"Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 86.
7. Click OK. The Sector Traffic Map N Properties dialog box appears.
8. Select the Traffic tab.
Under Terminals (%), enter a percentage for each type of terminal used in the map. The total must equal 100.
Under Mobilities (%), enter a percentage for each mobility type used in the map. The total must equal 100.
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You can also create a traffic map manually in Atoll by clicking the Create button in the New
Traffic Map dialog box. For information, see "Creating a User Profile Environment-based
Traffic Map" on page 260.
4. Select the file to import and click Import. Atoll imports the traffic map. The traffic maps Properties dialog box
appears.
5. Select the Traffic tab (see Figure 6.1). Under Traffic Fields, you can specify the user profiles to be considered, their
mobility type (kmh), and their density. If the file you are importing has this data, you can define the traffic character-
istics by identifying the corresponding fields in the file. If the file you are importing does not have data describing the
user profile, mobility, or density, you can assign values. When you assign values, they apply to the entire map.
When you import user profile or mobility information from the file, the values in the file
must be exactly the same as the corresponding names in the Traffic Parameters folder
in the Parameters explorer. If the imported user profile or mobility does not match,
Atoll will display a warning.
Wk Sk
N k = N Area --------------------------
Wi Si
i
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where:
b. If required, you can specify a percentage of indoor subscribers for each clutter class. During Monte Carlo simula-
tions, indoor losses defined per frequency per clutter class will be added to indoor user path losses.
7. Select the Display tab. For information on changing the display parameters, see "Setting the Display Properties of
Objects" on page 51.
8. Click OK to finish importing the traffic map.
You can also create a traffic map manually in Atoll by clicking the Create button in the New
Traffic Map dialog box. For information, see "Creating a User Profile Environment-based
Traffic Map" on page 260.
4. Select the file to import. The file must be in one of the following supported raster formats (8 bit): TIF, JPEG 2000, BIL,
IST, BMP, PlaNET, GRC Vertical Mapper, or Erdas Imagine.
5. Click Open. The User Profile Environment Traffic Map N Properties dialog box appears.
6. Select the Traffic tab.
7. In the imported map, each type of region is defined by a number. Atoll reads the numbers and lists them under Code.
For each Code, select the corresponding environment in the Name column.
The available environments are those available in the Environments folder, under Traffic Parameters in the Parame-
ters explorer. For more information, see "Modelling Environments" on page 255.
8. Select the Display tab. For information on changing the display parameters, see "Setting the Display Properties of
Objects" on page 51.
9. Click Import. Atoll imports the traffic map. The traffic maps Properties dialog box appears.
10. Select the Description tab.
In the imported map, each type of region is defined by a number. Atoll reads these numbers and lists them in the Code
column.
11. For each Code, select the environment it corresponds to from the Name column.
The environments available are those available in the Environments folder, under Traffic Parameters in the Parame-
ters explorer. For more information, see "Modelling Environments" on page 255.
12. Select the Display tab. For information on changing the display parameters, see "Setting the Display Properties of
Objects" on page 51.
13. Click OK to finish importing the user profile environments based traffic map.
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3. Click Create. The Environment Map Editor toolbar appears (see Figure 6.2).
4. Select the environment class from the list of available environment classes.
5. Click the Draw Polygon button ( ) to draw the polygon on the map for the selected environment class.
6. Click the Delete Polygon button ( ) and click the polygon to delete the environment class polygon on the map.
7. Click the Close button to close the Environment Map Editor toolbar and end editing.
You can display the statistics of a user profile environment traffic map by right-clicking the
traffic map and selecting Statistics from the context menu.
If you do not have a focus zone defined, statistics are determined for the computation
zone. If a clutter classes map is available in the document, traffic statistics provided for
each environment class are listed per clutter class.
2. Select User density traffic map (no. users/km2) and select the type of traffic information that you want to import:
All activity statuses: Select this option if the map you are importing provides a density of users with any activity
status.
Active in uplink: Select this option if the map you are importing provides a density of users active in the uplink
only.
Active in downlink: Select this option if the map you are importing provides a density of users active in the down-
link only.
Active in uplink and downlink: Select this option if the map you are importing provides a density of users with
both uplink and downlink activity.
Inactive: Select this option if the map you are importing provides a density of inactive users.
Downlink user density for GSM traffic analysis (for GSM only): Select Downlink user density for GSM traffic anal-
ysis if the map you are importing provides a density of users active in the downlink only, and with a view to use it
in a traffic capture. For more information on GSM traffic captures, see "Calculating and Displaying a Traffic Cap-
ture" on page 329.
3. Click the Import button. The Open dialog box appears.
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You can also create a traffic map manually in Atoll by clicking the Create button in the New
Traffic Map dialog box. For information, see "Creating a User Profile Environment-based
Traffic Map" on page 260.
4. Select the file to import. The file must be in one of the following supported raster formats (16 or 32 bit): BIL, BMP,
PlaNET, TIF, JPEG 2000, ISTAR, and Erdas Imagine.
5. Click Open. The traffic maps properties dialog box appears.
6. Select the Traffic tab.
Under Terminals (%), enter a percentage for each type of terminal used in the map. The total must equal 100.
Under Mobilities (%), enter a percentage for each mobility type used in the map. The total must equal 100.
Under Services (%), enter a percentage for each service type used in the map. The total must equal 100.
7. Select the Clutter tab.
Under Distribution per clutter class, enter the following for each clutter class:
A weight to spread the traffic over the vector.
The percentage of indoor users for each clutter class.
8. Click OK. Atoll creates the traffic map in the Traffic Maps folder.
13. In the table, enter a traffic density value (i.e., the number of users per km2) for each contour that you have drawn.
14. Right-click the traffic map in the Traffic folder and select Edit from the context menu to end editing.
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6.2.3.3 Creating User Density Traffic Maps from Sector Traffic Maps
You can create user density traffic maps from sector traffic maps. User density traffic maps created from sector traffic maps
extract and display the exact number of users per unit of surface, i.e., the density of users, taking into account any clutter
weighting defined for the sector traffic maps.
To create user density traffic maps from a sector traffic map:
1. In the Geo explorer, expand the Traffic folder and right-click the sector traffic map from which you want to create user
density traffic maps. The context menu appears.
2. Select Create Density Maps from the context menu.
Atoll creates as many user density traffic maps as the number of services present in the sector traffic map. The user
density map files use the resolution of the coverage prediction used for the sector traffic map and are embedded in
the document.
You must enter a resolution before exporting. If you do not enter a resolution, it
remains at "0" and no data will be exported.
6. Under Traffic, define the data to be exported in the cumulated traffic. Atoll uses this information to filter the traffic
data to be exported.
Terminal: Select the type of terminal that will be exported or select "All" to export traffic using any terminal.
Service: Select the service that will be exported, select "Circuit services" to export traffic using any circuit service,
or select "Packet services" to export traffic using any packet service.
Mobility: Select the mobility type that will be exported or select "All" to export all mobility types.
Activity: Select one of the following:
All Activity Statuses: Select this option to export all users without any filter by activity status.
Uplink: Select this option to export terminals that are active in the uplink only.
Downlink: Select this option to export terminals that are active in the downlink only.
Uplink/Downlink: Select this option to export only terminals with both uplink and downlink activity.
Inactive: Select this option to export only inactive terminals.
7. In the Select Traffic Maps to Be Used list, select the check box of each traffic map you want to include in the cumulated
traffic.
8. Click OK. The defined data is extracted from the selected traffic maps and cumulated in the exported file.
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6.3 Simulations
Once you have modelled the network services and users and have created traffic maps, you can create simulations. Depending
on the radio technology, the simulation process consists of several steps:
1. Obtaining a realistic user distribution: Atoll generates a user distribution using a Monte Carlo algorithm; this user
distribution is based on the traffic database and traffic maps and is weighted by a Poisson distribution between simu-
lations of the same group.
Each user is assigned a service, a mobility type, and an activity status by random trial, according to a probability law
that uses the traffic database.
The user activity status is an important output of the random trial and has direct consequences on the next step of
the simulation and on the network interferences. A user can be either active or inactive. Both active and inactive users
consume radio resources and create interference.
A shadowing error is randomly assigned to each user using the probability distribution that describes the shadowing
effect. Another random trial determines user positions in their respective traffic zone (possibly according to the clutter
weighting and the indoor ratio per clutter class).
2. Technology selection: For each mobile generated at the beginning of the simulation, Atoll searches for its serving cell
in each possible technology. For multi-technology mobiles, an active list of transmitters is generated, possibly using
different technologies. Then, retained transmitters are sorted according to the priorities of technologies in the ser-
vices.
In a 3GPP or 3GPP2 Multi-RAT environment, the very first part of the simulation consists, for each distributed mobile,
in analysing whether this mobile can be served by cells of different technologies. Each mobile dropped at the begin-
ning of the allocation has a specific mobility type and supports one or more technologies as explained in "Modelling
Terminals" on page 249.
For each supported technology, the mobile verifies whether it can be served by at least one transmitter or cell.
If the mobile supports GSM, Atoll determines a GSM best server according to an HCS server prediction where the
mobile can only be served by a GSM transmitter if its mobility does not exceed the maximum speed supported on
its HCS layer and the received signal level is stronger than its HCS layer threshold (see "Setting HCS Layers" on
page 486 for more information). If no transmitter fulfils these conditions, the mobile is not served by GSM.
If the mobile supports CDMA, a best CDMA server is determined based on the Ec/Io values of nearby CDMA cells.
If no cell fulfils these conditions, the mobile is not served by CDMA.
If the mobile supports UMTS, Atoll determines a UMTS best server based on the Ec/Io values of nearby UMTS cells.
If no cell fulfils these conditions, the mobile is not served by UMTS.
If the mobile supports LTE, Atoll determines an LTE best server as described in "Global Network Settings" on
page 963. If no cell respects these conditions, the mobile is not served by LTE.
3. Modelling network regulation mechanisms: Regulation mechanisms are modelled according to the technology, or set
of technologies, used by the network:
For the GSM traffic, Atoll manages the GSM resources as described in "Radio Resource Management in GSM" on
page 337
For CDMA traffic, the CDMA resources are managed as described in "The Power Control Simulation Algorithm" on
page 688.
For UMTS traffic, Atoll uses a power control algorithm for R99 users, and an algorithm mixing A-DPCH power con-
trol and fast link adaptation for HSDPA users and an additional loop modelling noise rise scheduling for HSUPA
users. The power control simulation algorithm is described in "The Power Control Simulation Algorithm" on
page 575.
For LTE traffic, Atoll manages the LTE resources as described in "LTE Traffic Simulation Algorithm" on page 929.
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For TD-SCDMA traffic: Atoll performs dynamic channel allocation and power control for mobiles generated in the
previous step. The power control simulation algorithm is described in "The Monte Carlo Simulation Algorithm" on
page 803.
Atoll selects the highest priority as defined in the service assigned to the mobile. Once determined, the serving technology
does not change for a given user distribution. For more information on the methods used for each radio technology, see the
following topics:
GSM: "Radio Resource Management in GSM" on page 337.
CDMA: "The Power Control Simulation Algorithm" on page 688
UMTS: "The Power Control Simulation Algorithm" on page 575
LTE: "LTE Traffic Simulation Algorithm" on page 929 for LTE.
This section covers the following topics:
"Creating Simulations" on page 265
"Displaying Simulation Results on the Map" on page 268
"Updating Cell Values With Simulation Results" on page 270
"Adding Simulations" on page 271.
"Replaying Simulations" on page 272.
"Duplicating Simulations" on page 272
Some calculation and display options available for coverage predictions are not available
when the option "Only the average simulation and statistics" is selected.
No information about mobiles: All the simulations are listed and can be displayed. For each of them, a prop-
erties window containing simulation output, divided among four tabs Statistics, Sites, Cells, and Initial Condi-
tions is available.
Standard information about mobiles: All the simulations are listed and can be displayed. The properties
window of each simulation contains an additional tab with output related to mobiles.
Detailed information about mobiles: All the simulations are listed and can be displayed. The properties
window for each simulation contains additional mobile-related output on the Mobiles and Mobiles (Shadow-
ing values) tabs.
When you are working on very large radio-planning projects, you can reduce memory
consumption by selecting Only the average simulation and statistics under Information
to retain.
3. If you are using a 3GPP or 3GPP2 Multi-RAT document, for each technology that you want to simulate, click the GSM,
UMTS, CDMA2000, or LTE tab, and click the Take the network into account option. When this check box is selected,
you can specify the following settings for each technology:
GSM: Convergence
UMTS: Load Constraints, Bearer negotiation, and Convergence.
CDMA2000: Load Constraints, and Convergence.
LTE: Load Constraints, Power Control, and Convergence
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If you are using a single-RAT document, these settings are located on the Advanced tab
4. Specify the Convergence parameters:
a. If you are using a single-RAT document, click the Advanced tab.
If you are using a 3GPP or 3GPP2 Multi-RAT document, click the technology tab and set the Convergence param-
eters for each technology that you want to take into account.
b. For GSM, specify the following Convergence parameters:
DL traffic load: Enter the relative difference in terms of downlink traffic load that must be reached between
two iterations.
UL traffic load: Enter the relative difference in terms of uplink traffic load that must be reached between two
iterations.
DL power control gain: Enter the relative difference in terms of downlink power control gain that must be
reached between two iterations.
UL noise rise: Enter the relative difference in terms of uplink noise rise that must be reached between two
iterations.
c. For CDMA2000, UMTS, and TD-SCDMA, specify the following Convergence parameters:
UL convergence threshold: Enter the relative difference in terms of interference and connected users on the
uplink that must be reached between two iterations.
DL convergence threshold: Enter the relative difference in terms of interference and connected users on the
downlink that must be reached between two iterations.
d. For LTE, specify the following Convergence parameters:
DL traffic load: Enter the relative difference in terms of downlink traffic load that must be reached between
two iterations.
UL traffic load: Enter the relative difference in terms of uplink traffic load that must be reached between two
iterations.
UL noise rise: Enter the relative difference in terms of uplink noise rise that must be reached between two
iterations.
e. For Wifi and WiMAX, enter the following Convergence parameters:
DL traffic load: Enter the relative difference in terms of downlink traffic load that must be reached between
two iterations.
UL traffic load: Enter the relative difference in terms of uplink traffic load that must be reached between two
iterations.
UL noise rise: Enter the relative difference in terms of uplink noise rise that must be reached between two
iterations.
f. Click the Advanced tab, and specify the following options:
Max number of iterations: Specify the maximum number of iterations that Atoll should run to reach a con-
vergence.
Generator Initialisation: Enter an integer as the generator initialisation value. The integer must be the same
generator initialisation number as used in the group of simulations with the user and shadowing error distri-
butions you want to use in this simulation or group of simulations. If you enter "0", the default, the user and
shadowing error distribution will be random. If you enter any other integer, the same user and shadowing
error distribution will be used for any simulation using the same generator initialisation value.
When you create groups of simulations using the same generator initialisation number
(which must be an integer other than 0) Atoll generates the same user and shadowing
error distributions (user with a service, a mobility, an activity status and a shadowing error)
in all groups using the same number. However, any modifications to traffic parameters and
radio data are taken into account during the power control simulation.
By creating and calculating one group of simulations, making a change to the network and
then creating and calculating a new group of simulations using the same generator initial-
isation number, you can see the difference your parameter changes make.
5. For UMTS, CDMA2000, LTE, Wi-Fi, and WiMAX, specify the Load Constraints parameters:
a. If you are using a single-RAT document, click the Advanced tab.
If you are using a 3GPP or 3GPP2 Multi-RAT document, click the technology tab and repeat the procedure for each
technology that you want to take into account.
b. For UMTS, CDMA2000, enter the following Load Constraints parameters:
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Number of CEs: Select the Number of CEs check box if you want the simulation to respect the number of chan-
nel elements defined for each site.
Iub throughputs (for UMTS only): Select the Iub throughputs check box if you want Atoll to respect the maxi-
mum Iub backhaul throughputs defined for each site.
Number of codes: Select the Number of codes check box if you want the simulation to respect the number of
OVSF codes available each cell.
UL load factor: If you want the UL load factor to be considered in the simulation, select the UL load factor
check box.
Max UL load factor: If you want to enter a global value for the maximum uplink cell load factor, click the button
( ) beside the box and select Global value. Then, enter a maximum uplink cell load factor. If you want to use
the maximum uplink cell load factor as defined in the properties for each cell, click the button ( ) beside the
box and select Defined per cell.
DL load (% Pmax): If you want the DL load to be considered in the simulation, select the DL load (% Pmax)
check box and enter a maximum downlink cell load in the Max DL load box.
Max DL load (% Pmax): If you want to enter a global value for the maximum downlink cell load, as a percent-
age of the maximum power, click the button ( ) beside the box and select Global value. Then, enter a maxi-
mum downlink cell load, as a percentage of the maximum power. If you want to use the maximum downlink
cell load factor as defined in the properties for each cell, click the button ( ) beside the box and select
Defined per cell.
c. For LTE, Wi-Fi and WiMAX, enter the following Load Constraints parameters:
Max DL traffic Load: If you want to enter a global value for the maximum downlink traffic load, click the button
( ) beside the box and select Global Threshold. Then, enter a maximum downlink traffic load. If you want to
use the maximum downlink traffic load as defined in the properties for each cell, click the button ( ) beside
the box and select Defined per Cell.
Max UL traffic Load: If you want to enter a global value for the maximum uplink traffic load, click the button
( ) beside the box and select Global Threshold. Then, enter a maximum uplink traffic load. If you want to
use the maximum uplink traffic load as defined in the properties for each cell, click the button ( ) beside the
box and select Defined per Cell.
Backhaul capacity: Select this option if you want Atoll to consider backhaul capacity during LTE simulation.
6. For UMTS, specify the Bearer Negociation parameters:
a. If you are using a single-RAT document, click the Advanced tab.
If you are using a 3GPP or 3GPP2 Multi-RAT document, click the UMTS tab.
b. Under Bearer negotiation, check the Bearer downgrading check box if you want to permit bearer downgrading
during the simulation. When a constraint is not respected, user radio bearers with services supporting bearer
downgrading are downgraded. If the constraint is still not satisfied after downgrading, users are rejected. If down-
grading is not selected, users will be rejected immediately, starting with users with the lowest service priority, if a
constraint cannot be respected.
7. For LTE, specify the Power Control parameters:
a. If you are using a single-RAT document, click the Advanced tab.
If you are using a 3GPP or 3GPP2 Multi-RAT document, click the LTE tab.
b. Under Power control, select the UL noise rise control (Best effort) check box if you want to activate the uplink
noise rise control in the simulations. For more information on the uplink noise rise control, see the Technical Ref-
erence Guide.
8. For TD-SCDMA, specify the following additional settings:
a. Click the TD-SCDMA tab.
b. Under Settings, enter an Angular step in degrees which is used to build the geometrical distributions of uplink and
downlink loads. Angular step in used with grid of beams, statistical, and adaptive beam modelling. For more infor-
mation on the different smart antenna models, see "Smart Antenna Systems" on page 833.
c. Under DCA strategies, select the strategy to be used for selecting carriers and timeslots during the simulations.
There are four different strategies available:
Based on Load: The least loaded cell or timeslot is selected.
Based on the Number of Available RUs: The cell or timeslot with the most available resource units is selected.
Based on the Direction of arrival: The cell or timeslot selected is the one which does not have an interfering
mobile located nearby at the same angle as the direction of arrival of the targeted mobile.
Sequential: Cells and timeslots are selected in a sequential order.
For more information about the DCA strategies, see "The Monte Carlo Simulation Algorithm" on page 803.
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d. Select the Calculate interference between mobiles check box and enter a maximum distance to consider between
interfering mobiles in the Max distance field.
e. Click the Advanced tab
f. Under Quality threshold type, select whether the simulations will be carried out using the Eb/Nt or C/I. For more
information on the quality threshold type selection, see "Global Network Settings" on page 830.
9. On the Traffic tab, enter the following parameters:
Global scaling factor: If desired, enter a scaling factor to increase user density.
When you create simulations, you are basing them on a set of traffic conditions that represent the situation you
are creating the network for. However, traffic can, and in fact most likely will, increase. The global scaling factor
enables you to increase user density without changing traffic parameters or traffic maps. For example, setting the
global scaling factor to 2 is the same as doubling the initial number of subscribers (for environment and user pro-
file traffic maps) or the throughputs or users (for sector traffic maps).
Select traffic maps to be used: Select the traffic maps you want to use for the simulation.
You can select traffic maps of any type. However, if you have several different types of traffic maps and want to
make a simulation based on a specific type of traffic map, you must ensure that you select only traffic maps of the
same type. For information on the types of traffic maps, see "Working with Traffic Maps" on page 256.
Select subscriber lists to be used (LTE, Wi-Fi, and WiMAX only): Select the subscriber lists you want to use for the
simulation.
You can select traffic maps of any type. However, if you have several different types of traffic maps and want to
make a simulation on a specific type of traffic map, you must ensure that you select only traffic maps of the same
type. For information on the types of traffic maps, see "Working with Traffic Maps" on page 256.
When you perform simulations for subscriber lists, Atoll does not base the calculations on
subscriber lists on the path loss matrices calculated for transmitters. This is because the
path loss matrices are calculated for a given receiver height (1.5 m by default), but each
subscriber in a subscriber list can have a different height. Therefore, Atoll recalculates the
path loss, received power, and other output, for each subscriber when you perform simu-
lations on subscribers.
Using the same generated user and shadowing error distribution for several simulations
can be useful when you want to compare the results of several simulations where only
one parameter changes.
11. Once you have defined the simulation, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it to calculate it later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined simulation and calculate it immediately
OK: Click OK to save the defined simulation without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the Calculate
button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
All simulations created at the same time are grouped together in a folder in the Network explorer.
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You can make the traffic distribution easier to see by hiding geo data and predictions.
For more information, see "Displaying or Hiding Objects on the Map" on page 50.
Figure 6.3: Displaying the traffic distribution by activity status (example for LTE)
To display the traffic distribution by connection status, select "Discrete values" as Display type and select "Con-
nection Status" as the Field.
To display the traffic distribution by the service in a 3GPP document (see Figure 6.4), on each technology tab,
select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "Service" as the Field.
4. Click OK. The traffic distribution is now displayed on the map as specified.
You can also display information by placing the pointer over a particular mobile generated during a simulation. After a brief
pause, a tip text appears with the information defined in the Display tab of the Simulations folder properties (see Figure 6.5).
For information on defining the tip text, see "Associating a Tip Text to an Object" on page 54.
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Figure 6.5: Displaying the traffic simulation results using tip text
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UL Load Factor
Total DL Power
For LTE:
DL and UL traffic loads
UL noise rise
UL MU-MIMO capacity gain
DL and UL number of users
Number of co-scheduled MU-MIMO users (DL)
Number of co-scheduled MU-MIMO users (UL)
UL ICIC noise rise
DL ICIC ratio
For TD-SCDMA:
Required resource units in uplink and downlink
Number of HSDPA users
DL traffic power
UL load factor
UL reuse factor
Available HSDPA power
Angular distribution of UL and DL loads
For Wi-Fi:
Traffic load (DL) (%)
Traffic load (UL) (%)
UL noise rise (dB)
No. of users (DL)
No. of users (UL)
For WiMAX:
Traffic load (DL) (%)
Segmentation usage (DL) (%)
Traffic load (UL) (%)
UL noise rise (dB)
Segmented zone UL noise rise (dB)
Angular distributions of interference (AAS)
AAS usage (DL) (%)
MU-MIMO capacity gain (UL)
No. of users (DL)
No. of users (UL)
To update cell or subcell values with calculated simulation results:
1. In the Network explorer, expand the Simulations folder and the folder of the simulation group containing the simu-
lation whose results you want to access,
2. If you are in a 3GPP or 3GPP2 Multi-RAT document, expand the folder of the radio technology.
3. Right-click the simulation and select Properties from the context menu. The simulation properties dialog box appears.
The contents of the simulation properties tab depends on the technology that is being studied.
4. On the tab corresponding to the technology and the data that you want to update, click Commit Results. The fields
listed above are updated for each cell or subcell.
2. On the General tab of the dialog box, you can set the following parameters:
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When replaying an existing group of simulations, some parameters originally used to calcu-
late the group of simulations are reused for the replayed group. Consequently, few param-
eters can be changed for the replayed group.
2. On the General tab of the dialog box, you can set the following parameters:
Change the Name, and add Comments if you want.
3. On the Traffic tab of the dialog box, select the Refresh Traffic Parameters check box if you want to take into account
traffic parameter changes in the replayed simulation.
4. On the CDMA2000 and LTE tabs, you can modify the Load constraints and the Convergence thresholds.
5. On the Advanced tab, you can set the following parameters:
Max number of iterations: Enter the maximum number of iterations that should run to make convergence.
DL traffic load: Enter the relative difference in terms of downlink traffic load that must be reached between two
iterations.
UL traffic load: Enter the relative difference in terms of uplink traffic load that must be reached between two iter-
ations.
DL power control gain: Enter the relative difference in terms of downlink power control gain that must be reached
between two iterations.
UL noise rise: Enter the relative difference in terms of uplink noise rise that must be reached between two itera-
tions.
6. Click Calculate. Atoll immediately begins the simulation.
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Chapter 7
GSM/GPRS/
EDGE Networks
This chapter provides This chapter covers the following topics:
information on using Atoll to
"Designing a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on page 275
design, analyse, and
optimise a GSM/GPRS/EDGE "Planning and Optimising GSM/GPRS/EDGE Base
network. Stations" on page 276
"Studying GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network Capacity" on
page 327
"Allocating Frequencies, BSICs, HSNs, MALs, MAIOs" on
page 342
"Automatic Frequency Planning" on page 393
"Analysing Network Quality" on page 430
"Optimising Network Parameters Using ACP" on
page 469
"Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data"
on page 473
"Advanced Configuration" on page 485
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2016 Forsk. All Rights Reserved
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7 GSM/GPRS/EDGE Networks
Atoll enables you to create and modify all aspects of a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network. Once you have created the network, Atoll
offers many tools to let you verify the network. Based on the results of your tests, you can modify any of the parameters defin-
ing the network.
The process of planning and creating a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network is outlined in "Designing a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on
page 275. Creating the network of base stations is explained in "Planning and Optimising GSM/GPRS/EDGE Base Stations" on
page 276. Allocating neighbours is also explained. In this section, you will also find information on how you can display infor-
mation on base stations on the map and how you can use the tools in Atoll to study base stations.
In "Studying GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network Capacity" on page 327, using traffic maps to study network capacity is explained.
Creating traffic captures and simulations using the traffic map information and dimensioning the network using these results
is also explained.
Using drive test data paths to verify the network is explained in "Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data" on
page 473. Filtering imported drive test data paths, and using the data in coverage predictions is also explained.
The steps involved in planning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network are described below. The numbers refer to Figure 7.1.
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You can also add base stations using a base station template (see "Placing a New Station Using a Station Template" on
page 289).
You can import or create traffic maps ( ) and use them as a basis for dimensioning ( )) (see "Studying GSM/
GPRS/EDGE Network Capacity" on page 327).
You can define them manually either on the TRXs tab of each transmitters Properties dialog box or in the Subcells
table (see "Modifying a Subcell" on page 288) ( ).
6. Since you know the required number of TRXs, manually or automatically create a frequency plan ( ).
7. Before making more advanced coverage predictions, you need to define cell load conditions ( ).
You can define cell load conditions in the following ways:
You can generate realistic cell load conditions by creating a simulation based on a traffic map ( and ) (see
"Studying GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network Capacity" on page 327).
You can define them manually ("Importing OMC Traffic Data into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data" on page 328)
( ).
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Name: Atoll automatically enters a default name for each new site. You can modify the default name here. If you
want to change the default name that Atoll gives to new sites, see the Administrator Manual.
Position: By default, Atoll places the new site at the centre of the map window. You can modify the location of
the site here.
While this method allows you to place a site with precision, you can also place sites using
the mouse and then position them precisely with this dialog box afterwards. For informa-
tion on placing sites using the mouse, see "Moving a Site Using the Mouse" on page 57.
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Altitude: The altitude, as defined by the DTM for the location specified under Position, is given here. You can
specify the actual altitude under Real, if you want. If an altitude is specified here, Atoll will use this value for cal-
culations.
Comments: You can enter comments in this field if you want.
Name: By default, Atoll names the transmitter after the site it is on, adding an underscore and a number. You can
enter a name for the transmitter, but for the sake of consistency, it is better to let Atoll assign a name. If you want
to change the way Atoll names transmitters, see the Administrators Manual.
ID: You can enter an ID for the transmitter. This is a user-definable network-level parameter for cell identification.
Site: You can select the Site on which the transmitter will be located. Once you have selected the site, you can
click the Browse button to access the properties of the site on which the transmitter will be located. For informa-
tion on the site Properties dialog box, see "Site Properties" on page 277. You can click the New button to create
a new site on which the transmitter will be located.
Shared antenna: This field is used to identify the transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas located at the
same site or on sites with the same position and that share the same antenna. The entry in the field must be the
same for all transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas sharing the same antenna. When changes are made to
the position offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth, antenna height, or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically syn-
chronises the same changes to all other transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas defined as having a shared
antenna. This field is also used for multi-band transmitters to synchronise antenna parameters for different fre-
quency bands. For more information, see "Advanced Modelling of Multi-Band Transmitters" on page 502.
Under HCS Layer:
You can select the HCS Layer (Hierarchical Cell Structure layer) for the transmitter.
Once you have selected the HCS layer, you can click the Browse button to open the properties of the HCS layer.
You can enter a specific HCS layer threshold for this transmitter. The threshold defined in the HCS Layer prop-
erties is considered only if no value is entered in this field.
For information on the HCS layer Properties dialog box, see "Setting HCS Layers" on page 486.
Under Antenna Position, you can modify the position of the antennas (main and secondary):
Relative to Site: Select this option if you want to enter the antenna positions as offsets with respect to the site
location, and then enter the x-axis and y-axis offsets, Dx and Dy, respectively.
Coordinates: Select this option if you want to enter the coordinates of the antenna, and then enter the x-axis
and y-axis coordinates of the antenna, X and Y, respectively.
Active: If this transmitter is to be active, you must select the Active check box. Active transmitters are displayed
in red in the Transmitters folder of the Network explorer.
Transmitter Type: If you want Atoll to consider the transmitter as a potential server as well as an interferer, set
the transmitter type to Intra-Network (Server and Interferer). If you want Atoll to consider the transmitter only
as an interferer, set the type to Inter-Network (Interferer Only). No coverage for an Interferer Only transmitter
will be calculated for coverage predictions.
This enables you to model the co-existence of different networks in the same geographic area. For more informa-
tion on how to study interference between co-existing networks, see "Modelling the Co-existence of Networks"
on page 508.
Transmission/Reception: Under Transmission/Reception, you can see the total losses and the noise figure of the
transmitter. Atoll calculates losses and noise according to the characteristics of the equipment assigned to the
transmitter. Equipment can be assigned by using the Equipment Specifications dialog box which appears when
you click the Equipment button.
On the Equipment Specifications dialog box (see Figure 7.3), the equipment you select and the gains and losses
you define are used to initialise total transmitter UL and DL losses:
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TMA: You can select a tower-mounted amplifier (TMA) from the list. You can click the Browse button to access
the properties of the TMA. For information on creating a TMA, see "Defining TMA Equipment" on page 162.
Feeder: You can select a feeder cable from the list. You can click the Browse button to access the properties
of the feeder. For information on creating a feeder cable, see "Defining Feeder Cables" on page 162.
Transmitter: You can select transmitter equipment from the Transmitter list. You can click the Browse button
to access the properties of the transmitter equipment. For information on creating transmitter equipment,
see "Defining Transmitter Equipment" on page 162.
Feeder Length: You can enter the feeder length at transmission and reception.
Miscellaneous Losses: You can enter miscellaneous losses at transmission and reception. The value you enter
must be positive.
Any loss related to the noise due to a transmitters repeater is included in the calculated
losses. Atoll always takes the values in the Real boxes into consideration in prediction even
if they are different from the values in the Computed boxes. The information in the real
Noise Figure reception box is calculated from the information you entered in the Equip-
ment Specifications dialog box. You can modify the real Total Losses at transmission and
reception and the real Noise Figure at reception if you want. Any value you enter must be
positive.
Power: Under Power, you can select to enter either Power or EIRP (Effective Isotropical Radiated Power). If you
select EIRP, you can enter the value yourself, without defining power and losses for the transmitter.
If you select Power, Atoll calculates losses and noise according to the characteristics of the equipment assigned
to the transmitter. Equipment can be assigned using the Equipment Specifications dialog box which appears when
you click the Equipment button. Atoll calculates EIRP with the following formula:
EIRP = Power + Gain - DL Losses
Antennas:
Height/Ground: The Height/Ground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to
the altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the remote antenna is situated on a building, the height entered
must include the height of building.
Main Antenna: Under Main Antenna, the type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse
button to access the properties of the antenna.
Click the Select button to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match
the currently selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the
operating frequency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on
page 158
Mechanical Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, Electrical Azimuth, Electrical Downtilt, and Additional electrical
downtilt display additional antenna parameters.
The Additional Electrical Downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
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Under Secondary Antennas, you can select one or more secondary antennas in the Antenna column and enter
their Azimuth, Mechanical Downtilt, Additional Electrical Downtilt, and % Power, which is the percentage of
power reserved for this particular antenna. For example, for a transmitter with one secondary antenna, if you
reserve 40% of the total power for the secondary antenna, 60% is available for the main antenna.
The Additional Electrical Downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
Under GPRS/EDGE Properties, you must select the GPRS/EDGE Transmitter check box if the transmitter is going
to be a packet-switched capable transmitter. You can select a Coding Scheme Configuration from the list. You can
click the Browse button to access the properties of the configuration. For information on creating a coding scheme
configuration, see "Coding Scheme Configuration" on page 497.
When you model EDGE Evolution on the transmitter side Atoll has to consider:
The support of high order modulations and the use of turbo codes in specific
coding schemes which can be found in the selected GPRS/EDGE Configuration.
In addition, EDGE Evolution can be modelled on the terminal side through:
The support of dual antenna terminals (Mobile Station Receive Diversity) and
enhanced single antenna terminals (Single Antenna Interference Cancellation).
Atoll offers a statistical modelling of these through the use of an EDGE evolution
configuration, with the effect of SAIC or diversity already included both in the
coding scheme admission thresholds and on the throughput versus C (or CI)
graphs.
The support of multi-carriers which can be set up on the terminal side.
For more information, see "Modelling Terminals" on page 249.
Under GSM Properties, you can select Codec Configuration from the list. You can click the Browse button to
access the properties of the codec configuration assigned to the GSM transmitter. For information on creating a
coding scheme configuration, see "Codec Configuration" on page 494.
Although coverage can be restricted within the set minimum range and maximum range,
interference from the transmitter is not limited within these ranges.
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TRX tab
The frequency domains assigned to the BCCH subcell and to the TCH subcell must refer-
ence the same frequency band, unless you are modelling multi-band transmitters. For
information on multi-band transmitters, see "Advanced Modelling of Multi-Band Transmit-
ters" on page 502.
Excluded Channels: The defined frequency domain can have, as part of its definition, a list of excluded chan-
nels. Addition excluded channels for this subcell can be added in the Excluded Channels column.
Required TRXs: The number of TRXs required for the subcell. For subcells with the BCCH TRX Type, the number
of requested TRXs must be "1," the default value. For subcells with the TCH, TCH_EGPRS or TCH_INNER TRX
Type, the value in the Required TRXs column is a result of network dimensioning, which depends on the traffic
demand and the required quality.
DL Traffic Load: The DL usage rate of TRXs within a same subcell pool; its value must be from 0 to 1. The value
in the DL Traffic Load column can be either user-defined, obtained from Monte Carlo simulations, or the result
of network dimensioning, in which case it will be the same value for all subcells covering the same area (e.g.
BCCH and TCH). The traffic load is used to calculate DL interference and in automatic frequency planning.
UL Traffic Load: The UL usage rate of TRXs; its value must be from 0 to 1. The value in the UL Traffic Load
column can be either user-defined or obtained from Monte Carlo simulations. The traffic load is used to calcu-
late UL interference.
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DL Power Reduction (dB) : The reduction of power relative to the transmitter power. The DL Power Reduction
is used to model the power reduction of TCH TRXs, TCH_EGPRS and TCH_INNER TRXs. TCH_INNER TRXs are
concentric subcells, in other words, subcells that transmit a power lower than that used by the BCCH TRX and
by TCH TRXs.
DL power reduction can also be used to model in a simple way the coverage reduction of
a 1800 subcell compared to the BCCH 900 subcell, assuming that all subcells are transmit-
ting at the same power. Atoll also enables advanced multi-band transmitter modelling. For
more information, see "Advanced Modelling of Multi-Band Transmitters" on page 502 and
the Administrator Manual.
Reception Threshold (dBm): The reception threshold defines the minimum reception level for the subcell. I
can be used as the minimum subcell reception sensitivity if the link budget is correctly defined.
C/I Threshold (dB): The minimum signal quality for the TRX Type. The C/I Threshold can be used in interfer-
ence predictions and in the AFP.
Mean Power Control Gain (dB): The average reduction in interference due to power control in downlink. This
gain is used when calculating interference generated by the subcell. Interference generated by the subcell is
reduced by this value during C/I calculations. This value can be user-defined or the result of Monte Carlo simu-
lations.
Timeslot Configuration: The timeslot configuration defines the distribution of circuit, packet and shared
timeslots for the subcell. For information on timeslot configurations, see "Timeslot Configurations" on
page 501.
DTX Supported: The DTX Supported check box is selected if the subcell supports DTX (Discontinuous Trans-
mission) technology. Subcells supporting DTX can reduce the interference they produce by the defined voice
activity factor.
Hopping Mode: The frequency hopping mode supported by the selected TRX type. The hopping mode can be
either "Base Band Hopping" mode (BBH) or "Synthesised Hopping" mode (SFH). If frequency hopping is not
supported, select "Non Hopping."
Allocation Strategy: The allocation strategy used during manual or automatic frequency planning. There are
two available allocation strategies:
- Free: Any of the channels belonging to the frequency domain can be assigned to TRXs.
- Group Constrained: Only channels belonging to a same frequency group in the frequency domain can be
assigned. You can use the Preferred Frequency Group to define the preferred group of frequencies when
using the AFP.
Default TRX Configuration: The default TRX configuration selected in this column is applied to all TRXs belong-
ing to the subcell. By selecting the default TRX configuration, the maximum number of coding schemes in GPRS
and in EDGE is set at the TRX type level. You can also define the TRX configuration for each TRX.
EDGE Power Backoff (dB): The average power reduction for EDGE transmitters due to 8PSK, 16QAM and
32QAM modulations in EDGE. This has an impact on the EDGE service zone which can be seen in traffic analysis
and EDGE predictions.
Diversity Mode: The type of diversity supported by the subcell ("None," "Tx Diversity," or "Antenna Hopping").
If you select "Tx Diversity," the signal is transmitted as many times that there are antennas. If you select
"Antenna Hopping," the signal is transmitted successively on each antenna. In "Tx Diversity" mode, transmit-
ting on more than one antenna, the signal experiences a gain of 3 dB. For all diversity modes, an additional
transmission diversity gain can be defined per clutter class in order to correctly model gain due to the envi-
ronment (for more information, see "Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 127). The resulting gain will
increase the C/I value at the terminal served by the considered subcell.
Max MAL Length: The maximum length of the mobile allocation list (MAL), in other words, the maximum
number of channels allocated to the TRXs of the subcell during automatic frequency planning if the Hopping
Mode is either SFH (Synthesised Frequency Hopping) or BBH (Base Band Hopping) and if the Allocation Strat-
egy is Free.
Synchronisation: The value entered in the Synchronisation column is used during frequency hopping;
frequency hopping is synthesised among all TRXs of subcells with the same string of characters in the Synchro-
nisation column. By default, the name of the site is used as the value in the Synchronisation column, synchro-
nising frequency hopping for all TRXs on the same site. However, you can, for example, enter different values
for each subcell to define synchronisation at the subcell level, or different values for each group of sites to
define synchronisation by sites group.
HSN Domain: Only hopping sequence numbers (HSN) belonging to the selected HSN domain will be allocated
to subcells during manual or automatic frequency planning. The HSNs are allocated if the Hopping Mode is
either SFH (Synthesised Frequency Hopping) or BBH (Base Band Hopping).
HSN: The hopping sequence number (HSN) of the subcell. All TRXs of the subcell have the same HSN. The HSN
can be entered manually or allocated automatically. This parameter is used if the Hopping Mode is either SFH
(Synthesised Frequency Hopping) or BBH (Base Band Hopping).
Lock HSN: When this check box is selected, the subcells currently assigned HSN is kept when a new AFP
session is started.
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The Lock HSN status can also be managed via the Network explorer from the context menu
of an individual transmitter or group of transmitters. For more information, see "AFP
Resource Status Management" on page 286.
Accepted Interference Percentage: The maximum level of interference allowable during automatic frequency
planning. The interference is defined as a percentage of area or traffic, as defined during the calculation of the
interference matrices.
Preferred Frequency Group: When the Group Constrained allocation strategy is selected, in any hopping
mode (including non-hopping), the AFP tries to assign frequencies from the preferred group during automatic
allocation. The preferred frequency group is a soft constraint used by the AFP to assign frequencies to TRXs.
When the AFP is unable to assign a frequency from the preferred group, and allocates a frequency from
outside the group, a corresponding cost is taken into account. The preferred group can also be the result of
allocation if the AFP model is able to allocate patterns based on the azimuth.
AFP Weight: Enter an AFP weight. The AFP weight is used to increase or decrease the importance of a subcell
during automatic frequency planning. The value must be a real number. The higher the AFP weight is, the
higher the constraint on the TRX type. The AFP weight artificially multiplies the cost which has to be minimised
by the AFP.
Lock Required TRXs: This option can be used by an AFP model which has the capability to optimise (i.e.,
increase or decrease) the number of required TRXs where the only goal is maximising the amount of correctly
served traffic. In other words, you might have fewer TRXs than required if they are not subject to any interfer-
ence and the amount of correctly served traffic will be larger. When you select this option, the number of
required TRXs is blocked for that subcell.
If some subcell fields are empty (e.g., HSN domain, frequency domain, C/I Threshold), Atoll
uses the default values of the selected Cell type. For more information, see "Creating a Cell
Type" on page 490.
Traffic Data: The information displayed describes the traffic of the cell. Because subcells share the traffic of the
transmitter, in most cases, the traffic data for all TRXs is displayed together. All fields can be modified with the
exception of the TRX Type, Effective Rate of Traffic Overflow, and Traffic Load.
TRX Type: The type can be one of the default TRX types available in the GSM/GPRS/EDGE project template:
- BCCH: The broadcast control channel (BCCH) carrier
- TCH: The default traffic (TCH) carrier
- TCH_EGPRS: The EDGE traffic (TCH_EGPRS) carrier
- TCH_INNER: The inner traffic (TCH_INNER) carrier
Circuit Demand (Erlangs): The circuit demand indicates the amount of Erlangs necessary to absorb the circuit-
switched demand. This value can be either user-defined or the result of a traffic capture, in which case it will
be the same value for all subcells covering the same area (e.g., BCCH and TCH).
Packet Average Demand (TS): The packet demand indicates the amount of timeslots necessary to absorb the
packet-switched demand. This value can be either user-defined or the result of a traffic capture, in which case
it will be the same value for all subcells covering the same area (e.g., BCCH and TCH).
Circuit and packet demands can be imported into this table from a real network. These value will then be taken
into account for dimensioning or KPI calculation if these calculations are not based on the default traffic cap-
ture.
Half-Rate Traffic Ratio (%): The percentage of half-rate voice traffic in the subcell. This value is used to calcu-
late the number of timeslots required to respond to the voice traffic demand. This value can be user-defined
or the result of Monte Carlo simulations.
Target Rate of Traffic Overflow (%): The target rate of traffic overflow is used during traffic analysis to distrib-
ute the traffic between subcells and layers. The traffic located in the inner zone or in the service zone of a high
priority cell (see the figures below) contributes to the traffic demand of the inner subcell or the high priority
cell respectively. If the target rate of traffic overflow is greater than 0, a part of this traffic is re-injected, so
that it also contributes to the demand of outer zone (or to the low priority cell respectively). The key perfor-
mance indicators calculation (and dimensioning process) transforms the traffic demand into a served demand
on one hand and an effective overflow on the other hand. If effective overflow rates are higher than target
overflow rates, it means there is a capacity reserve. If it is the other way around, it means that more TRXs are
needed. If rates are equal, the network is correctly optimised.
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The target rate of traffic overflow and the half-rate traffic ratio must be the same for
BCCH and TCH subcells. If the values are different for BCCH and TCH subcells, Atoll will
use the values for the target rate of traffic overflow and the half-rate traffic ratio from
the BCCH subcell.
Effective Rate of Traffic Overflow (%): The percentage of traffic overflowing from a subcell. The effective rate
of traffic overview is a result of the calculation of key performance indicators.
DL Traffic Load: The DL usage rate of TRXs within a same subcell pool; its value must be from 0 to 1. The value
in the DL Traffic Load column can be either user-defined, obtained from Monte Carlo simulations, or the result
of network dimensioning, in which case it will be the same value for all subcells covering the same area (e.g.
BCCH and TCH). The traffic load is used to calculate DL interference and in automatic frequency planning.
UL Traffic Load: The UL usage rate of TRXs; its value must be from 0 to 1. The value in the UL Traffic Load
column can be either user-defined or obtained from Monte Carlo simulations. The traffic load is used to calcu-
late UL interference.
Final Blocking Probability (%): Key performance indicator (KPI) calculated using a traffic capture and the AFP
module. This KPI is also part of a simplified traffic model used by the AFP module.
AFP Indicators: The information displayed comes from the results of an AFP model; it is displayed for informa-
tional purposes only and cannot be edited.
TRX Type: The type can be one of the default TRX types available in the GSM/GPRS/EDGE project template:
- BCCH: The broadcast control channel
- TCH: The default traffic channel
- TCH_EGPRS: The EDGE traffic channel
- TCH_INNER: The inner traffic channel
Total Cost: The total cost is the combination of the AFP Separation Cost, the Additional Cost, and the AFP Con-
gestion cost.
AFP Separation Cost: The separation cost is the cost to the system when separation rules are not respected
between subcell pools. If separation constraints are violated, this has a direct effect on the interference level.
Additional Cost (Interference, Modification, Group): The additional cost is combination of other costs such as
interference, the cost of carrying modifications, and not respecting the preferred TRX group.
AFP Blocking Cost: The AFP blocking cost is the part of the cost where traffic is considered as blocked due to
a lack of resources.
Soft Blocking (Total Cost - Blocking): Total cost minus the AFP blocking cost.
AFP Congestion: The AFP congestion is the soft blocking cost, an estimation of the level of congestion for a
pool of subcells (e.g., BCCH and TCH are considered as a pool of subcells since they are managed together). In
other words, a highly congested pool of subcells will be a source of a high level of interference.
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The subcells of the entire GSM/GPRS/EDGE document are found in the Subcells
Table: Standard Data. You can open the Subcells Table: Standard Data by right-
clicking the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and then selecting
Subcells > Subcells Table: Standard Data from the context menu. In addition, you
can access specific views of the subcell table. The table containing the information
regarding traffic data, or the AFP indicators, can be accessed by right-clicking the
Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and then selecting Subcells > Subcells
Table: Traffic data (or AFP Indicators) from the context menu.
You can run a subcell audit to verify the consistency of data between the Subcell
and Transmitter tables. As well, this audit can correct unrealistic subcell values
(see "Checking Consistency in Subcells" on page 463 for more information).
The TRXs of the entire GSM/GPRS/EDGE document are found in the TRXs Table. You can
access the TRXs Table by right-clicking the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer
and then selecting Subcells > TRXs Table from the context menu.
Only the TRX types defined for the corresponding Cell type are available.
Channels: The channels allocated to the TRX. You must specify 1 channel per TRX if the hopping mode for the TRX
type is "Non Hopping" or "Base Band Hopping," and more than one channel per TRX if the hopping mode for the
TRX type is "Synthesised Hopping." You can enter channels directly (separating them with a comma, a semi-colon,
or a space) or you can enter a range of channels separating the first and last channel with a hyphen (for example,
entering "1-5" corresponds to "1 2 3 4 5"). You can also select a channel from the list which offers you channels
from the frequency domain assigned to the TRX type that this TRX is based on.
MAIO: The MAIO (Mobile Allocation Index Offset) is used in frequency hopping (BBH or SFH) to avoid intra-site
collisions caused by two sites using the same or adjacent channels. This value is an integer ranging from 0 and N-1
(where "N" is the number of channels used in the hopping sequence). You can enter the MAIO or it can be allo-
cated automatically using the AFP.
Lock Channels and MAIO: When this check box is selected, the TRXs currently assigned channels and MAIO are
kept when a new AFP session is started.
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The Lock Channels and MAIO status can also be managed via the Network explorer from
the context menu of an individual transmitter or group of transmitters. For more informa-
tion, see "AFP Resource Status Management" on page 286.
TRX Configuration: The selected TRX Configuration defines the highest possible coding scheme index number in
GPRS and in EDGE. For the TRX configuration to be used fully, the terminal must be capable of using a coding index
number that is as high as that of the TRX configuration. Otherwise, capacity will be limited by the highest index
number supported by the terminal.
EDGE Power Backoff (dB): The average power reduction for EDGE transmitters due to 8PSK, 16QAM and 32QAM
modulations in EDGE. This has an impact on the EDGE service zone which can be seen in traffic analyses and EDGE
predictions.
TRX Rank: The TRX rank is determined by the AFP. It indicates the quality of that TRX. The higher the TRX rank, the
higher the cost, in terms of the risk of interference. In other words, when you are trying to improve the solution
proposed by the AFP tool, you must concentrate on the TRXs with the highest TRX rank first.
Additional DL Noise Rise (dB): This noise rise represents the interference created by the mobiles of an external
network on the mobiles served by this TRX on the downlink. This noise rise will be taken into account in all inter-
ference-based calculations involving this TRX. For more information on inter-technology interference, see "Mod-
elling Inter-technology Interference" on page 509.
Intra-technology UL Noise Rise (dB): This noise rise represents the interference created by the mobiles of the cur-
rent network over this TRX on the uplink. The value can be either user-defined or obtained from Monte Carlo sim-
ulations. This noise rise is used to calculate UL interference.
The lock/unlock statuses of AFP resources can be managed from the relevant tables by editing the properties of each trans-
mitter, subcell, or TRX.
Subcells Table
Transmitters Table TRXs Table
(Standard Data)
Lock BSIC - -
Lock and Unlock command groups are available from the context menus of the following items:
Individual transmitters
Transmitters folder > Frequency Plan
Transmitters sub-folder > Frequency Plan
The following commands are available from each Lock and Unlock command group folder:
Transmitters
Neighbours
Donor Transmitters
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When one of these commands is invoked, the corresponding dialog box appears:
Lock > Transmitters and Unlock > Transmitters commands apply to all the transmitters in the selected folder or sub-
folder (or to the selected transmitter).
Lock > Neighbours and Unlock > Neighbours commands apply to all the GSM neighbours of all the transmitters in the
selected folder or sub-folder (or to the GSM neighbours of the selected transmitter).
Lock > Donor Transmitters and Unlock > Donor Transmitters commands apply to all the transmitters in the selected
folder or sub-folder which are donor transmitters of repeaters (or to the selected transmitter if it is a donor trans-
mitter of a repeater).
Alternatively, you can create a new site by entering its coordinates and properties as
described in "Site Properties" on page 277, by right-clicking the Sites folder and selecting
New from the context menu.
If you are creating several sites at the same time, or modifying several existing sites, you
can do it quickly by editing or pasting the data directly in the Sites table. You can open
the Sites table by right-clicking the Sites folder in the Network explorer and selecting
Open Table from the context menu. For information on copying and pasting data, see
"Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
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5. Click OK. When you create a new transmitter, Atoll automatically assigns a cell type based on the default station tem-
plate. For information on modifying the properties inherited from a cell type, see "Applying a New Cell Type" on
page 288.
To modify the properties of an existing transmitter:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Transmitters folder.
3. Right-click the transmitter you want to modify. The context menu appears.
4. Select Properties from the context menu. The transmitters Properties dialog box appears.
5. Modify the parameters described in "Transmitter Properties" on page 278.
6. Click OK.
If you are creating several transmitters at the same time, or modifying several
existing transmitters, you can do it more quickly by editing or pasting the data
directly in the Transmitters table. You can open the Transmitters table by right-
clicking the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and selecting Open Table
from the context menu. For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying
and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
If you want to add a transmitter to an existing site on the map, you can add the
transmitter by right-clicking the site and selecting New Transmitter from the con-
text menu.
If you are applying a new cell type to several transmitters at the same time, or modifying
several existing transmitters, you can do it more quickly by editing or pasting the data
directly in the Transmitters table. You can open the Transmitters table by right-clicking
the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and selecting Open Table from the
context menu. For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in
Tables" on page 82.
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If you are creating several subcells at the same time, or modifying several existing
subcells, you can do it more quickly by editing or pasting the data directly in the Subcells
table. You can open the Subcells table by right-clicking the Transmitters folder in the
Network explorer and selecting Subcells > Subcells Table: Standard Data from the
context menu. For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in
Tables" on page 82.
If you are creating several TRXs at the same time, or modifying several existing TRXs, you
can do it more quickly by editing or pasting the data directly in the TRXs table. You can
open the TRXs table by right-clicking the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer
and selecting Subcells > TRXs Table from the context menu. For information on copying
and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
To place the station more accurately, you can zoom in on the map before you click
the New Station button. For information on using the zooming tools, see "Changing
the Map Scale" on page 60.
If you let the pointer rest over the station you have placed, Atoll displays its tip text
with its exact coordinates, allowing you to verify that the location is correct.
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When you place a new station using a station template as explained in "Placing a New Station Using a Station Template" on
page 289, the site is created at the same time as the station. However, you can also place a new station on an existing site.
To place a station on an existing site:
1. In the Network explorer, clear the display check box beside the Hexagonal Design folder.
2. In the Radio Planning toolbar, select a template from the list.
General Tab
The Additional electrical downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
Under Main antenna, you can select the main antenna Model, under Smart antenna, you can select the smart
antenna Equipment used by the transmitter, and under Number of antenna ports, you can enter the number of
antennas used for Transmission and for Reception for MIMO.
Under Path loss matrices, you can modify the following: the Main propagation model, the Main radius, and the Main
resolution, and the Extended propagation model, the Extended radius, and the Extended resolution. For information
on propagation models, see Chapter 4: Radio Calculations and Models.
Under Comments, you can add additional information. The information you enter will be the default information in
the Comments field of any transmitter created using this station template.
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Transmitter Tab
If you want transmitters created with this station template to be active by default, select the Active check box.
Configurations Tab
On this tab, you select the configuration used for GSM and GPRS/EDGE stations.
GPRS/EDGE Properties: Select the GPRS/EDGE Transmitter option if the transmitters are going to be packet-switched
capable transmitters, select a Coding Scheme Configuration from the list. For information on creating a coding
scheme configuration, see "Coding Scheme Configuration" on page 497.
When you model EDGE Evolution on the transmitter side Atoll has to consider:
The support of high order modulations and the use of turbo codes in specific
coding schemes which can be found in the selected GPRS/EDGE Configuration.
In addition, EDGE Evolution can be modelled on the terminal side through:
The support of dual antenna terminals (Mobile Station Receive Diversity) and
enhanced single antenna terminals (Single Antenna Interference Cancellation).
Atoll offers a statistical modelling of these through the use of an EDGE evolution
configuration, with the effect of SAIC or diversity already included both in the
coding scheme admission thresholds and on the throughput versus C (or CI)
graphs.
The support of multi-carriers which can be set up on the terminal side.
For more information, see "Modelling Terminals" on page 249.
For all transmitters, select a codec configuration from the list. For information on creating a coding scheme configu-
ration, see "Codec Configuration" on page 494.
Neighbours tab
Max number of neighbours: Set the maximum numbers of Intra-technology and Inter-technology neighbours. For informa-
tion on defining neighbours, see "Neighbour Planning" on page 223.
Other Properties
The Other Properties tab will only appear if you have defined additional fields in the Sites table, or if you have defined an
additional field in the Station Template Properties dialog box.
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where you place the duplicated base station, Atoll will create a new site with the same parameters as the site of the original
base station. Duplicating a base station allows you to:
Quickly create a new base station with the same settings as the original base station in order to study the effect of a
new base station on the coverage and capacity of the network, and
Quickly create a homogeneous network with stations that have the same characteristics.
To duplicate an existing base station:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Sites folder.
3. Right-click the site you want to duplicate. The context menu appears.
4. From the context menu, select one of the following:
Select Duplicate > Without Neighbours from the context menu, if you want to duplicate the base station without
the intra- and inter-technology neighbours of its transmitters.
Select Duplicate > With Neighbours from the context menu, if you want to duplicate the base station along with
the lists of intra- and inter-technology neighbours of its transmitters.
5. Place the new base station on the map using the mouse:
Creating a duplicate base station and site: In the map window, move the pointer over the map to where you
would like to place the duplicate. The exact coordinates of the pointers current location are visible in the Status
bar.
Placing the duplicate base station on an existing site: In the map window, move the pointer over the existing site
where you would like to place the duplicate. When the pointer is over the site, the site is automatically selected.
The exact coordinates of the pointers current location are visible in the Status bar.
To place the base station more accurately, you can zoom in on the map before you
select Duplicate from the context menu. For information on using the zooming
tools, see "Changing the Map Scale" on page 60.
If you let the pointer rest over the station you have placed, Atoll displays tip text
with its exact coordinates, allowing you to verify that the location is correct.
Any duplicated remote antennas and repeaters will retain the same donor transmitter as
the original. If you want the duplicated remote antenna or repeater to use a transmitter
on the duplicated base station, you must change the donor transmitter manually.
You can also place a series of duplicate base stations by pressing and holding Ctrl in step 6. and clicking to place each
duplicate base station.
For more information on the site, transmitter, subcell, and TRX properties, see "Definition of a Base Station" on page 277.
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2. Click the Point Analysis Tool ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The Point Analysis Tool window appears and the
5. In the Profile view toolbar, click the Geographic Profile button ( ) to view the geographic profile between the trans-
mitter and the receiver.
In the Profile view window, the altitude is reported on the vertical axis and the receiver-transmitter distance on the
horizontal axis. Atoll displays the profile between the transmitter and the receiver with clutter heights. An ellipsoid
indicating the Fresnel zone is also displayed. The distance between the transmitter and the receiver is displayed at the
top of the Profile view.
6. In the Profile view toolbar, click the Geographic Profile button ( ) again to view the radio signal path between the
transmitter and the receiver.
In the Profile view window, the altitude is reported on the vertical axis and the receiver-transmitter distance on the
horizontal axis. A blue ellipsoid indicates the Fresnel zone between the transmitter and the receiver, with a green line
indicating the line of sight (LOS). Atoll displays the angle of the LOS read from the vertical antenna pattern. Along the
profile, if the signal meets an obstacle, the obstacle causes attenuation with diffraction displayed by a red vertical line
(if the used propagation model is able to calculate diffraction). The main diffraction edge is the one that intersects the
Fresnel ellipsoid the most. Propagation models that use a 3 knife-edge Deygout diffraction method may also display
two additional diffraction edges. The total attenuation is displayed above the main diffraction edge.
The results of the analysis are displayed at the top of the Profile view:
The received signal strength from the selected transmitter for the cell with the highest reference signal power
The propagation model used
The shadowing margin and the indoor loss (if selected)
The distance between the transmitter and the receiver.
You can change the following options at the top of the Profile view:
Transmitter: Select the transmitter from the list. You can click the Properties button ( ) to open the transmitter
properties dialog box.
Subcell: Select the subcell to be analysed.
Options: Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculation Options dialog box. In this dialog box, you can:
Change the X and Y coordinates to change the current position of the receiver.
Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability. For more
information, see "Modelling Shadowing" on page 508.
Select Signal level, Path loss, or Total losses from the Result type list.
You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency
per clutter class.
Link Budget: Click the Link Budget button ( ) to display a dialog box with the link budget.
Detailed Report: Click the Detailed Report button ( ) to display a text document with details on the displayed
profile analysis. The detailed report is only available for the Standard Propagation Model.
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7. To end the point analysis, click the Point Analysis button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar again.
When you import data into your current Atoll document, the coordinate system of the
imported data must be the same as the display coordinate system used in the document.
If you cannot change the coordinate system of your source data, you can temporarily
change the display coordinate system of the Atoll document to match the source data. For
information on changing the coordinate system, see "Setting a Coordinate System" on
page 41.
The table you copy data from must have the same column layout as the table you are
pasting data into.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
Importing data: If you have data in text or comma-separated value (CSV) format, you can import it into the tables in
the current document. If the data is in another Atoll document, you can first export it in text or CSV format and then
import it into the tables of your current Atoll document. When you are importing, Atoll allows you to select what
values you import into which columns of the table.
When you create a group of base stations by importing data, you must import site data in the Sites table, transmitter
data in the Transmitters table, and subcell data in the Subcells table, in that order.
For information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 85. For infor-
mation on importing table data, see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 86.
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You can quickly create a series of base stations for study purposes using the Hexagonal
Design tool ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar. For information, see "Placing a New
Station Using a Station Template" on page 289.
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Broad-band repeaters are not modelled. Atoll assumes that all carriers from the 3G donor
transmitter are amplified.
f. If desired, enter an Internal Delay and Comments. These fields are for information only and are not used in calcu-
lations.
To modify repeater equipment:
1. Select the Parameters explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Radio Network Equipment folder.
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3. In the Radio Network Equipment folder, right-click Repeater Equipment. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Repeater Equipment table appears.
5. Change the parameters in the row containing the repeater equipment you want to modify.
2. Click the arrow next to New Repeater or Remote Antenna button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
3. Select Repeater from the menu.
4. Click the map to place the repeater. The repeater is placed on the map, represented by a symbol ( ) in the same
colour as the donor transmitter, repeater, or remote antenna. If the repeater is inactive, it is displayed by an empty
icon. By default, the repeater has the same azimuth as the donor. Its tip text and label display the same information
as displayed for the donor. As well, its tip text identifies the repeater and the donor. In the explorer window, the
repeater is found in the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer under its donor transmitter, repeater, or remote
antenna.
For information on defining the properties of the new repeater, see "Defining the Properties of a Repeater" on
page 298.
When the donor is a transmitter, you can see to which base station the repeater is
connected by clicking it; Atoll displays a link to the donor transmitter. You can hide
the link by clicking it again.
When the donor is a repeater or a remote antenna, Atoll displays a spider-type link
showing the entire chain down to the donor transmitter. The same spider-type link
is displayed when you click any of the items belonging to the chain is clicked (i.e.,
donor transmitter, any repeater, or any remote antenna).
The table you copy data from must have the same column layout as the table you are
pasting data into.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
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You can change the Donor by selecting it from the Donor list. The Donor can be a transmitter, a remote antenna,
or another repeater. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties dialog box of the selected donor.
You can change the Site on which the repeater is located. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties dialog
box of the selected site.
You can enter a value in the Shared Antenna (coverage side) field for the repeater. This field is used to identify the
transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas that are located on the same site or on sites with the same position
and that share an antenna. The entry in the field must be the same for all such transmitters, repeaters, and remote
antennas. When changes are made to the position offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth, antenna height, or mechanical tilt of
one antenna, Atoll automatically synchronises the same changes to all other transmitters, repeaters, and remote
antennas defined as having a shared antenna.
This field is also used for multi-band transmitters to synchronise antenna parameters for
different frequency bands. For more information, see "Advanced Modelling of Multi-Band
Transmitters" on page 502.
Under Antenna Position, you can define the position of the repeater, if it is not located on the site itself:
Relative to Site: Select Relative to Site, if you want to define the position of the repeater relative to the site
itself and then enter the XY offsets.
Coordinates: Select Coordinates, if you want to define the position of the repeater by its XY coordinates.
You can select equipment from the Equipment list. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties dialog box of
the equipment.
You can change the Amplification Gain. The amplification gain is used in the link budget to evaluate the repeater
total gain.
4. Click the Donor Side tab. You can modify the following parameters:
Under Donor-Repeater Link, select a Link Type.
If you select Microwave Link, enter the Link Losses and proceed to step 5.
If you select Air, select a Propagation Model and enter the Propagation Losses or click Calculate to determine
the actual propagation losses between the donor and the repeater. If you do not select a propagation model,
the propagation losses between the donor transmitter and the repeater are calculated using the ITU 526-5
propagation model.
When you create an off-air repeater, it is assumed that the link between the donor transmitter and the repeat-
er has the same frequency as the network.
If you want to create a remote antenna, you must select Optical Fibre Link.
If you selected Air under Donor-Repeater Link, enter the following information under Antenna:
Model: The type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse button to access the proper-
ties of the antenna.
Click the Select button to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match
the currently selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the
operating frequency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on
page 158
Height/Ground: The Height/Ground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to
the altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the repeater is situated on a building, the height entered must
include the height of building.
Mechanical Azimuth and Mechanical Downtilt display additional antenna parameters.
You can click the Calculate button to update the mechanical azimuth and mechanical
downtilt values after changing the repeater donor side antenna height or the repeater
location. If you choose another site or change site coordinates in the General tab, click
Apply before clicking the Calculate button.
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If you selected Air under Donor-Repeater Link, enter the following information under Feeders:
i. Select a Type of feeder from the list. You can click the Browse button to access the properties of the feeder.
ii. Enter the Length of the feeder cable at Transmission and at Reception.
5. Click the Coverage Side tab. You can modify the following parameters:
Select the Active check box. Only active repeaters (displayed in red in the Transmitters folder in the Network
explorer) are calculated.
Under Transmission, enter the a value for EIRP (Effective Isotropically Radiated Power) or click Calculate to deter-
mine the actual gains. Atoll calculates the EIRP with the following formula:
EIRP = Power + Gain - Losses
Even if the EIRP is a DL parameter, Atoll can extract the corresponding gain from the
knowledge of the various transmission gains and losses. This gain is then re-used to evalu-
ate UL power used in any UL calculation.
The Additional electrical downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
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You can prevent Atoll from updating the EIRP of selected repeaters by creating a custom
Boolean field named "FreezeTotalGain" in the Repeaters table and setting the value of the
field to "True." Afterwards, when you select Repeaters > Calculate EIRP from the Trans-
mitters context menu, Atoll will only update the EIRP for repeaters with the custom field
"FreezeTotalGain" set to "False."
You can update the propagation losses of all off-air repeaters by selecting Repeaters > Calculate Donor Side Propa-
gation Losses from the Transmitters context menu.
You can select a repeater on the map and change its azimuth (see "Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using the
Mouse" on page 57) or its position relative to the site (see "Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site Using
the Mouse" on page 58).
Ensure that the remote antennas donor transmitter does not have any antennas.
2. Click the arrow next to New Repeater or Remote Antenna button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
3. Select Remote Antenna from the menu.
4. Click the map to place the remote antenna. The remote antenna is placed on the map, represented by a symbol ( )
in the same colour as the donor transmitter. If the remote antenna is inactive, it is displayed by an empty icon. By
default, the remote antenna has the same azimuth as the donor transmitter. Its tip text and label display the same
information as displayed for the donor transmitter. As well, its tip text identifies the remote antenna and the donor
transmitter.
For information on defining the properties of the new remote antenna, see "Defining the Properties of a Remote
Antenna" on page 302.
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When the donor is a transmitter, you can see to which base station the repeater is
connected by clicking it; Atoll displays a link to the donor transmitter. You can hide
the link by clicking it again.
When the donor is a repeater or a remote antenna, Atoll displays a spider-type link
showing the entire chain down to the donor transmitter. The same spider-type link
is displayed when you click any of the items belonging to the chain is clicked (i.e.,
donor transmitter, any repeater, or any remote antenna).
The table you copy data from must have the same column layout as the table you are
pasting data into.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
You can change the Donor by selecting it from the Donor list. The Donor can be a transmitter, another remote
antenna or a repeater. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties dialog box of the selected donor.
You can change the Site on which the remote antenna is located. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties
dialog box of the selected site.
You can enter a value in the Shared Antenna (coverage side) field for the remote antenna. This field is used to
identify the transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas located on the same site or on sites with the same posi-
tion. The entry in the field must be the same for all such transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas. Shared
antennas are located on the same site or on sites with the same position. When changes are made to the position
offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth, antenna height, or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically synchronises the
same changes to all other transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas defined as having a shared antenna.
Under Antenna Position, you can define the position of the remote antenna, if it is not located on the site itself:
Relative to Site: Select Relative to Site, if you want to define the position of the remote antenna relative to
the site itself and then enter the XY offsets.
Coordinates: Select Coordinates, if you want to define the position of the remote antenna by its XY coordi-
nates.
4. Click the Donor Side tab. You can modify the following parameters:
Under Donor-Repeater Link, select Optical Fibre Link and enter the Fibre Losses.
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5. Click the Coverage Side tab. You can modify the following parameters:
Select the Active check box. Only active remote antennas (displayed in red in the Transmitters folder in the Net-
work explorer) are calculated.
Under Transmission, enter the a value for EIRP (Effective Isotropically Radiated Power) or click Calculate to deter-
mine the actual gains. Atoll calculates the EIRP with the following formula:
EIRP = Power + Gain - Losses
Even if the EIRP is a DL parameter, Atoll can extract the corresponding gain from the
knowledge of the various transmission gains and losses. This gain is then re-used to evalu-
ate UL power used in any UL calculation.
The Additional Electrical Downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
You can prevent Atoll from updating the EIRP of selected remote antennas by creating a
custom Boolean field named "FreezeTotalGain" in the Remote Antennas table and setting
the value of the field to "True." Afterwards, when you select Remote Antennas > Calculate
EIRP from the Transmitters context menu, Atoll will only update the EIRP for remote
antennas with the custom field "FreezeTotalGain" set to "False."
You can select a remote antenna on the map and change its azimuth (see "Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using
the Mouse" on page 57) or its position relative to the site (see "Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site
Using the Mouse" on page 58).
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The General tab allows you to specify the following settings for the prediction:
Name: Specify the assigned Name of the coverage prediction.
Resolution: Specify the display resolution. To improve memory consumption and optimise the calculation times, you
should set the display resolutions of coverage predictions according to the precision required. The following table lists
the levels of precision that are usually sufficient:
City Centre 5m
City 20 m
County 50 m
State 100 m
The resolution specified here is only for display purposes. The calculated resolution is independently specified in the
propagation settings. For more information, see "Assigning Propagation Parameters" on page 187.
A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the <GUID> and </GUID> tags in the following files:
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion was saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
"<prediction_name>.XML" files (one per prediction) created in the following folder
if coverage predictions were calculated with Display type = "Value intervals":
C:\<path_to_doc>\<doc_name>.studies\{<Unique_ID>}
Receiver height: This displays the height of the receiver defined in the Calculation Parameters tab of the Network
Settings Properties dialog box
Comments: Specify an optional description of comment for the prediction.
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on
filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98. The Group By and Sort buttons are not available when making a so-called
"global" coverage prediction (e.g., signal level coverage prediction).
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The Group By and Sort buttons are not available when making a so-called "global" cover-
age prediction (e.g., signal level coverage prediction).
The coverage prediction parameters on the Conditions tab allow you to define the signals that will be considered for each
pixel.
At the top of the Conditions tab, you can set the range of signal level to be considered for the current prediction. You
can click the down arrow button and select Subcell C Threshold to use the reception threshold specified for each sub-
cell (including the defined power reduction) as the lower end of the signal level range or Global C Threshold to enter
a threshold to be used for all subcells as the lower end of the signal level range.
Server: Select either All, Best Signal Level or Second Best Signal Level:
Select All to consider all servers.
Select Best Signal Level or Second Best Signal Level to also specify an Overlap margin.
Selecting All or Best Signal Level will give you the same results because Atoll displays the results of the best server
in either case. Selecting Best Signal Level requires a longer calculation time.
Shadowing taken into account: Select this option to consider shadowing in the prediction. For more information, see
"Modelling Shadowing" on page 508. If you select this option, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability. For
more information, see "Modelling Shadowing" on page 508.
Indoor coverage: Select this option to consider indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter class.
Reception from Subcells: Select the TRX type to consider from the list.
The contents of this tab depends on the type of prediction. For more information, see "Signal Level Coverage Predictions" on
page 305.
On the Display tab, you can modify how the results of the coverage prediction will be displayed.
Under Display Type, select "Value Intervals."
Under Field, select "Best Signal Level." "Best Signal Level." Selecting "All" or "Best Signal Level" on the Condi-
tions tab will give you the same results because Atoll displays the results of the best server in either case.
Selecting "Best Signal Level" necessitates, however, the longest time for calculation.
You can change the value intervals and their displayed colour. For information on changing display properties,
see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
You can create tip text with information about the coverage prediction by clicking the Browse button next to
the Tip Text box and selecting the fields you want to display in the tip text.
You can select the Add to Legend check box to add the displayed value intervals to the legend.
If you change the display properties of a coverage prediction after you have calculated it,
you can make the coverage prediction invalid. You will then have to recalculate the cover-
age prediction to obtain valid results.
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You can use the same procedure to study the DL signal level coverage of several sites by
grouping the transmitters. For information on grouping transmitters, see "Basic Grouping
of Data Objects" on page 94.
If you want to study only sites by their status, at this step you could group them by
status.
2. Specify the propagation parameters as explained in "Assigning Propagation Parameters" on page 187.
3. In the GSM Transmitters folder, right-click the group of transmitters that you want to study and select Calculations >
Create a New Prediction from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialog box appears.
The Prediction Types dialog box lists the coverage prediction types available. They are divided into Standard Predic-
tions, supplied with Atoll, and Customised Prediction. Unless you have already created some customised predictions,
the Customised Prediction list will be empty.
4. Select Coverage by Signal Level (DL) and click OK. The Coverage by Signal Level (DL) Properties dialog box appears.
5. Configure the parameters in the Properties dialog box as described in "GSM Prediction Properties" on page 304.
The coverage prediction parameters on the Conditions tab allow you to define the signals that will be considered for
each pixel.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window. The signal level
coverage prediction can be found in the Predictions folder in the Network explorer. Atoll automatically locks the results of a
coverage prediction as soon as it is calculated, as indicated by the icon ( ) beside the coverage prediction in the Predictions
folder. When you click the Calculate button ( ), Atoll only calculates unlocked coverage predictions ( ).
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If you choose to display the results by best signal level, the coverage prediction results will be in the form of thresh-
olds. If you choose to display the results by signal level, the coverage prediction results will be arranged according to
transmitter. For information on adjusting the display, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
5. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
You can also display the best idle mode reselection criterion (C2) by selecting "Best C2" on
the Display tab. This allows you to compare the coverage in idle mode with the coverage
in dedicated mode. For more information on coverage predictions in idle mode, See
"Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter Based on the Best Idle Mode Reselection
Criterion (C2)" on page 311.
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You can also base the transmitter service areas on the best idle mode reselection criterion
(C2) by selecting "Best C2" on the Display tab. This allows you to compare the coverage in
idle mode with the coverage in dedicated mode. For more information on coverage predic-
tions in idle mode, See "Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter Based on the Best
Idle Mode Reselection Criterion (C2)" on page 311.
When you base a coverage prediction by transmitter on the best signal level, Atoll will consider the best signal level on each
pixel. A coverage prediction by transmitter based on the best signal level is more suitable for a network that does not have
HCS layers. If the network has HCS layers, a coverage prediction by transmitter based on the best signal level can give mislead-
ing results as the best signal on any pixel will usually be on a macro layer, although not all users will necessarily connect to it.
To make a coverage prediction by transmitter based on the best signal level:
1. In the Network explorer, right-click the Predictions folder and select New Prediction from the context menu. The
Prediction Types dialog box appears.
2. Select Coverage by Transmitter (DL) and click OK.
3. Configure the parameters in the Properties dialog box as described in "GSM Prediction Properties" on page 304.
The coverage prediction parameters on the Conditions tab allow you to define the signals that will be considered for
each pixel. On the Conditions tab, define the signals that will be considered for each pixel:
At the top of the Conditions tab, set the range of signal level to be considered. You can select one of the following
thresholds:
Subcell C Threshold: to use the reception threshold specified for each subcell (including the defined power
reduction) as the lower end of the signal level range.
Global C Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the lower end of the signal level range.
Under Server, select "Best Signal Level" to take the best signal level from all servers on all layers into consideration
(for more information, see "Comparing Service Areas in Calculations" on page 486).
Enter an Overlap margin. The default value is "4 dB."
You can select which TRX type to consider by selecting it from the Reception from Subcells list.
4. Click the Display tab.
For a coverage prediction by transmitter, the Display Type "Discrete Values" based on the Field "Transmitter" is
selected by default. Each coverage zone will then be displayed with the same colour as that defined for each transmit-
ter. For information on defining transmitter colours, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
When creating a coverage prediction by discrete values, you can not export the values per
pixel.
5. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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You can also predict which server is second best server on each pixel by selecting "Second
Best Signal Level" on the Conditions tab and selecting "Discrete Values" as the Display
Type and "Transmitter" as the Field on the Display tab.
Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter Based on the Best Signal Level by HCS Layer
When you base a coverage prediction by transmitter on the best signal level by HCS layer, Atoll will consider the best signal
level by HCS layer on each pixel. Grouping the results by HCS layer will allow you to quickly select which HCS layer is displayed.
To make a coverage prediction by transmitter based on the best signal level per HCS layer:
1. In the Network explorer, right-click the Predictions folder and select New Prediction from the context menu. The
Prediction Types dialog box appears.
2. Select Coverage by Transmitter (DL) and click OK.
3. Configure the parameters in the Properties dialog box as described in "GSM Prediction Properties" on page 304.
4. On the General tab, group the transmitters by HCS layer:
a. Click the Group By button. The Group dialog box appears.
b. Select "HCS Layers" in the Available Fields list and click to move it to the Group these fields in this order list.
c. Click OK to close the Group dialog box.
5. On the Conditions tab, specify the signals that will be considered for each pixel.
At the top of the Conditions tab, set the range of signal level to be considered. You can select one of the following
thresholds:
Subcell C Threshold: to use the reception threshold specified for each subcell (including the defined power
reduction) as the lower end of the signal level range.
Global C Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the lower end of the signal level range.
Under Server, select "Best Signal Level per HCS Layer" to take the best signal level from all servers on each HCS
layer into consideration (for more information, see "Comparing Service Areas in Calculations" on page 486).
Enter an Overlap margin. The default value is "4 dB."
You can select which TRX type to consider by selecting it from the Reception from Subcells list.
6. Click the Display tab.
For a coverage prediction by transmitter, the Display Type "Discrete Values" based on the Field "Transmitter" is
selected by default. Each coverage zone will then be displayed with the same colour as that defined for each transmit-
ter. For information on defining transmitter colours, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
When creating a coverage prediction by discrete values, you can not export the values per
pixel.
7. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window. You can select which
HCS layer to display by clicking the Expand button ( ) to expand the coverage prediction in the Predictions folder and the
selecting only the visibility check box of the HCS layer you want to display.
You can also predict which server is second best server per HCS layer on each pixel by
selecting "Second Best Signal Level per HCS Layer" on the Conditions tab and selecting
"Discrete Values" as the Display Type and "Transmitter" as the Field on the Display tab.
When you base a coverage prediction by transmitter on HCS servers, Atoll will consider the best signal level by HCS layer on
each pixel, assuming the cell edge of each layer is defined by the HCS threshold.
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When creating a coverage prediction by discrete values, you can not export the values per
pixel.
5. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
When you base a coverage prediction by transmitter for highest priority HCS servers, Atoll will consider the best signal level
of the highest priority on each pixel, assuming priority is a combination of the priority field and the minimum threshold per
HCS layer.
To make a coverage prediction by transmitter for highest priority HCS servers:
1. In the Network explorer, right-click the Predictions folder and select New Prediction from the context menu. The
Prediction Types dialog box appears.
2. Select Coverage by Transmitter (DL) and click OK. The prediction Properties dialog box appears.
3. Configure the parameters in the Properties dialog box as described in "GSM Prediction Properties" on page 304.
4. On the Conditions tab, specify the signals that will be considered for each pixel.
At the top of the Conditions tab, you can set the range of signal level to be considered. You can click the down
arrow button and select one of the following thresholds:
Subcell C Threshold: to use the reception threshold specified for each subcell (including the defined power
reduction) as the lower end of the signal level range.
Global C Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the lower end of the signal level range.
Under Server, select "Highest priority HCS server" to take the best signal level of all the severs on the highest pri-
ority HCS layer into consideration, assuming the priority of the layer is defined by its priority field and its signal
level exceeds the minimum HCS threshold defined either at the HCS layer level or specifically for each transmitter
(for more information, see "Comparing Service Areas in Calculations" on page 486).
Enter an Overlap margin. The default value is "4 dB."
You can select which TRX type to consider by selecting it from the Reception from Subcells list.
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When creating a coverage prediction by discrete values, you can not export the values per
pixel.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter Based on the Best Idle Mode Reselection Criterion (C2)
When you base a coverage prediction by transmitter on the best C2, Atoll will consider the best signal level in idle mode. Such
type of coverage can be used:
to compare idle and dedicated mode best servers for voice traffic
to display the GPRS/EDGE best server (based on the GSM idle mode)
The path loss criterion C1 used for cell selection and reselection is defined by:
C1 = BCCH Reception level - BCCH Reception Threshold
The path loss criterion (GSM03.22) is satisfied if C1>0. The reselection criterion C2 is used for cell reselection only and is
defined by:
C2= C1+ Cell Reselect Offset
To make a coverage prediction by transmitter based on the best signal level:
1. In the Network explorer, right-click the Predictions folder and select New Prediction from the context menu. The
Prediction Types dialog box appears.
2. Select Coverage by Transmitter (DL) and click OK. The prediction Properties dialog box appears.
3. Configure the parameters in the Properties dialog box as described in "GSM Prediction Properties" on page 304.
On the Conditions tab, specify the signals that will be considered for each pixel.
At the top of the Conditions tab, you can set the range of signal level to be considered. You can click the down
arrow button and select one of the following thresholds:
Subcell C Threshold: to use the reception threshold specified for each subcell (including the defined power
reduction) as the lower end of the signal level range.
Global C Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all BCCH subcells as the lower end of the signal level
range.
Under Server, select "Best Idle Mode Reselection Criterion (C2)" to consider the best C2 from all servers.
If you select the Shadowing Taken into Account check box, you can change the Cell Edge Coverage Probability.
For more information, see "Modelling Shadowing" on page 508.
You can select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
4. Click the Display tab.
For a coverage prediction by transmitter, the Display Type "Discrete Values" based on the Field "Transmitter" is
selected by default. Each coverage zone will be displayed with the same colour as that defined for each transmitter.
For information on defining transmitter colours, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
When creating a coverage prediction by discrete values, you can not export the values per
pixel.
5. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately
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OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
By changing the parameters selected on the Conditions tab and by selecting different
results to be displayed on the Display tab, you can calculate and display information other
than that which has been explained in the preceding sections.
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1. Click the Point Analysis Tool ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The Point Analysis Tool window appears and the
2. Select Reception ( ) from the list at the top of the Point Analysis window. (see Figure 7.10).
The predicted signal level from different transmitters is reported in the Reception view in the form of a bar chart, from
the highest predicted signal level on the top to the lowest one on the bottom. Each bar is displayed in the colour of
the transmitter it represents. In the map window, arrows from the pointer to each transmitter are displayed in the
colour of the transmitters they represent. The best server of the pointer is the transmitter from which the pointer
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receives the highest signal level. If you let the pointer rest, the signal level received from the corresponding transmit-
ter at the pointer location is displayed in the tip text.
At the top of the Reception view, you can select the Subcell and the HCS Layer to be analysed. If you select nothing
from the HCS Layer list, the signals from all HCS layers will be studied.
3. At the top of the Reception view, you can click one of the following buttons:
Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculations Options dialog box. You can change the following:
Change the X and Y coordinates to change the present position of the receiver.
Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell Edge Coverage Probability. For more
information, see "Modelling Shadowing" on page 508.
You can select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency
per clutter class.
Click the Copy button ( ) to copy the Reception view. You can then paste the contents of the Reception view
as a graphic into a graphic editing or word-processing programme.
Click the Print button ( ) to print the Reception view.
You can also select the Details view ( ) to get more information. The Details view displays the current position and height
of the receiver, the clutter class it is situated on, and for each transmitter its BCCH signal level, the BCCH C/I, the most inter-
fered mobile station allocation (TRX, MAL or MAL-MAIO depending on the hopping mode) and its corresponding C/I.
You can display a point analysis that uses the settings from an existing prediction by
right-clicking the prediction in the Network explorer and selecting Point Analysis from
the context menu.
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If you have an area in a network that is poorly covered by current transmitters, you have several options for increasing cover-
age. In this example, you can verify if a newly added base station improves coverage.
A signal level coverage prediction of the current network is made as described in "Making a Coverage Prediction by DL Signal
Level" on page 306. The results are displayed in Figure 7.11. An area with poor coverage is visible on the right side of the figure.
A new base station is added, either by creating the site and adding the transmitters, as explained in "Creating a GSM/GPRS/
EDGE Base Station" on page 277, or by placing a station template, as explained in "Placing a New Station Using a Station
Template" on page 289. Once the new site base station been added, the original coverage prediction can be recalculated, but
then it will be impossible to compare the two predictions. Instead, the original signal level coverage prediction can be copied
by selecting Duplicate from its context menu. The copy is then calculated to show the effect of the new site (see Figure 7.12).
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Figure 7.12: Signal level coverage prediction of network with new base station
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If you have an area in a network that is poorly covered by current transmitters, you have several options for increasing cover-
age. In this example, you can see how modifying transmitter tilt can improve coverage.
A coverage prediction by transmitter of the current network is made as described in "Making a Coverage Prediction by Trans-
mitter" on page 308. The results are displayed in Figure 7.14. The coverage prediction shows that one transmitter is covering
its area poorly. The area is indicated by a red oval in Figure 7.14.
You can try modifying the tilt on the transmitter to improve the coverage. The properties of the transmitter can be accessed
by right-clicking the transmitter in the map window and selecting Properties from the context menu. The mechanical and elec-
trical tilt of the antenna are defined on the Transmitter tab of the Properties dialog box.
Once the tilt of the antenna has been modified, the original coverage prediction can be recalculated, but then it will be impos-
sible to compare the two predictions. Instead, the original coverage prediction by can be copied by selecting Duplicate from
its context menu. The copy is then calculated to show how modifying the antenna tilt has affected coverage (see Figure 7.15).
As you can see, modifying the antenna tilt increased the coverage of the transmitter. However, to see exactly the change in
propagation, you can compare the two predictions.
To compare two predictions:
1. Right-click one of the two predictions. The context menu appears.
2. From the context menu, select Compare with and, from the menu that opens, select the coverage prediction you want
to compare with the first. The Comparison Properties dialog box appears.
3. Click the General tab. You can change the Name of the comparison and add Comments.
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The General tab contains information about the coverage predictions being compared, including their name and reso-
lution.
4. Click the Display tab. On the Display tab, you can choose how you want the results of the comparison to be displayed.
You can choose among:
Intersection
Merge
Union
Difference
In order to see what changes modifying the antenna tilt made, you can choose Union. This will display all pixels
covered by both predictions in one colour and all pixels covered by only one predictions in another colour. The
increase in coverage, seen in only the second coverage prediction, will be immediately clear.
5. Click OK to create the comparison. The comparison in Figure 7.16, shows clearly the increase in coverage due to the
change in antenna tilt.
The General tab allows you to specify the following settings for the multi-point analysis:
Name: Specify the assigned Name of the coverage prediction.
Comments: Specify an optional description of comment for the prediction.
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The load condition parameters on the Conditions tab allow you to define the signals that will be considered for each pixel.
Load conditions: Select "(Cells table)" to calculate the multi-point analysis using the load conditions defined in the
cells table. Select a simulation or a group of simulations to calculate the multi-point analysis using the load conditions
calculated by Monte Carlo simulations.
HCS Layer: Select the HCS layer for which you want to run the analysis.
Interference: Select the source of interference to be taken into account in the calculations, "Co-channel", "Adjacent",
or both.
Based on: Select "C/I" or "C/I+N".
Shadowing taken into account: Select this option to consider shadowing in the prediction. For more information, see
"Modelling Shadowing" on page 508. If you select this option, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability.
Indoor coverage: Select this option to consider indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter class.
The Points tab displays a table containing each point of the point-analysis. You can use this table to import and create points
or to export a list of points.
Position Id: The indexes of the points used for the multi-point analysis.
X and Y: The coordinates of the points used for the multi-point analysis.
Height (m): The height of the points used for the multi-point analysis.
Service: The services assigned to the points used for the multi-point analysis.
Terminal: The terminals assigned to the points used for the multi-point analysis.
Mobility: The mobility types assigned to the points used for the multi-point analysis.
On the Display tab, you can modify how the results of the coverage prediction will be displayed. For information on changing
display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
If you change the display properties of a multi-point analysis after you have calculated it,
you can make the analysis invalid. You will then have to recalculate the multi-point analysis
to obtain valid results.
The list of points must have the same coordinate system as the display coordinate system
used in the Atoll document. For more information on coordinate systems, see "Setting a
Coordinate System" on page 41.
Create points in the list by editing the table. You can add new points by clicking the New Row icon ( ) and
entering X and Y coordinates as well as a service, a terminal, and a mobility.
4. On the Display tab, specify how to display multi-point analysis results on the map according to any input or calculated
parameter. For more information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on
page 51.
5. Once you have defined the multi-point analysis parameters, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and
calculate it later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the multi-point analysis and calculate it immediately.
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OK: Click OK to save the multi-point analysis without calculating it. You can calculate it later by opening the multi-
point analysis properties and clicking the Calculate button.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the multi-point analysis, the results are displayed in the map window. You can also access
the analysis results in a table format. For more information, see "Accessing Multi-point Analysis Results" on page 325.
You can also organise multi-point analyses in folders under the Multi-point Analysis folder. For more information, see "Organ-
ising Multi-point Analyses in Folders" on page 321.
You can also export the list of point from a multi-point analysis to ASCII text files (TXT and
CSV formats) and MS Excel XML Spreadsheet files (XML format) by selecting Actions >
Export Table. For more information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text
Files and Spreadsheets" on page 85.
2. Move the mouse over the map window and click once to create each point you want to add.
3. Press ESC or click the Pointer button ( ) in the Map toolbar to finish adding points.
To place points more accurately, before clicking the map, you can zoom in on the map. For
information on using the zooming tools, see "Changing the Map Scale" on page 60.
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You can also export the multi-point analysis results table to ASCII text files (TXT and CSV
formats) and MS Excel XML Spreadsheet files (XML format) by selecting Actions > Export.
For more information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and
Spreadsheets" on page 85.
3. Click Close.
Figure 7.17: GSM handover area between a reference cell and a potential neighbour
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Figure 7.18: GSM coverage conditions for automatic intra-technology neighbour allocation
Resolution: Enter the resolution to be used to calculate cells coverage areas during automatic neighbour alloca-
tion.
Global reception threshold: Enter the minimum signal level which must be provided by reference cell A and
potential neighbour cell B.
Handover start (HO margin): Enter the signal level which indicates the beginning of the handover margin. The
handover start must be outside of the best server area of the reference cell.
Handover end: Enter the signal level indicating the end of the handover margin. The handover end must exceed
the value entered for the Handover start. The higher the value entered for the Handover end, the longer the list
of potential neighbours. The area between the Handover start and the Handover end constitutes the area in
which Atoll will search for neighbours.
Shadowing Taken into Account: If selected, enter a Cell edge coverage probability. For more information, see
"Modelling Shadowing" on page 508.
Indoor Coverage: Select this check box to take indoor losses into acccount in calculations. Indoor losses are
defined per frequency per clutter class.
The neighbour relation fulfils the defined coverage Use coverage conditions is selected
Coverage
conditions and nothing is selected under Force
The neighbour is located on the same site as the Use coverage conditions is selected
Co-Site
reference cell and Co-site transmitters as neighbours is selected
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Figure 7.19: GSM coverage conditions for automatic inter-technology neighbour allocation
Resolution: Enter the resolution to be used to calculate cells coverage areas during automatic neighbour alloca-
tion.
Global reception threshold: Enter the minimum signal level which must be provided by reference cell A and
potential neighbour cell B.
Margin: Enter a handover margin.
Shadowing Taken into Account: If selected, enter a Cell edge coverage probability. For more information, see
"Modelling Shadowing" on page 508.
Indoor Coverage: Select this check box to take indoor losses into acccount in calculations. Indoor losses are
defined per frequency per clutter class.
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The neighbour relation fulfils the defined coverage Use coverage conditions is selected
Coverage
conditions and nothing is selected under Force
The neighbour is located on the same site as the Use coverage conditions is selected
Co-Site
reference cell and Co-site neighbours is selected
When you base an analysis on simulations, you would select the simulations from the Load
Conditions list.
HCS Layer: Select the HCS layer for which you want the analysis to be carried out.
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Interference: Select the type of interference for which you want the analysis to be carried out, "Co-channel",
"Adjacent", or both.
Based on: Select "C/I" or "C/I+N".
Shadowing taken into account: Select this check box if you want to consider shadowing and enter a Cell Edge Cov-
erage Probability. For more information, see "Modelling Shadowing" on page 508.
Indoor coverage: Select this check box if you want to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency
per clutter class
6. Click the Points tab. Here you can create the list of points on which the multi-point analysis will be made. Each point
in the list is defined by its X and Y coordinates, a Height (m), a Service, a Terminal, and a Mobility. You can:
Import a list of points. See "Importing a List of Points in a Multi-point Analysis" on page 326.
Copy and paste an existing list of points.
Create points in the list by editing the table: in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), create each point
by entering its X and Y coordinates and assigning it a service, a terminal, and a mobility.
You can also create points using the mouse. For more information, See "Adding Points to a Multi-point Analysis
Using the Mouse" on page 325.
The coordinates must be in the format used by the display coordinate system of the docu-
ment. For information on changing the coordinate system, see "Setting a Coordinate
System" on page 41.
7. Click the Display tab and define the display properties of multi-point analysis results. For information on changing dis-
play characteristics, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
8. You can either run the new multi-point analysis immediately or you can create it and run it later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to run the analysis immediately. Once calculation is complete, a new Analysis N folder
appears under Multi-point Analysis in the Network explorer. For information on how to access the analysis
results, see "Accessing Multi-point Analysis Results" on page 325.
OK: Click OK to create the analysis without running it. Anew Analysis N folder appears under Multi-point Analysis
in the Network explorer.
To hide one or more columns in the Analysis N Properties dialog box, click the Actions
button and select Displayed Columns. In the Columns to be Displayed dialog box, clear the
check boxes corresponding to the columns you want to hide.
6. Click Close.
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4. Select Add Points from the context menu. The pointer changes to point addition mode ( ).
5. Move the mouse over the map window and click once to create each point you want to add.
6. Press ESC or click the New point button ( ) in the Vector Editor toolbar to finish adding points.
To place points more accurately, before clicking the map, you can zoom in on the map.
For information on using the zooming tools, see "Changing the Map Scale" on page 60.
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You can change the name of the folder to give it a more descriptive name.
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7.3.1 Importing OMC Traffic Data into the Subcells Table: Traffic
Data
As explained in "Subcell Properties" on page 280, subcell data is displayed in three subcell tables: Standard Data, Traffic Data,
and AFP Data. The data in the Subcells Table: Traffic Data can be used for a variety of different purposes in Atoll:
For dimensioning purposes
To calculate quality indicators
For the AFP
To evaluate and allocate neighbours
In interference predictions.
You can use OMC traffic data as a source of accurate traffic data and import it into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data. The first
step in using OMC traffic data is ensuring that the data is available in a form usable by Atoll. Normally, OMC traffic data is
measured in kbits instead of timeslots.
The major drawback of this method is the fact that, in many cases, the packet-switched OMC traffic demand is available in
kbits instead of timeslot units. In order to correctly translate Kbits into timeslots, you must create traffic maps as described in
the sections below. The traffic capture will analyse the radio conditions at each point, defining the coding schemes, modula-
tion, and bit rates, in order to calculate how many timeslots are required for a given demands of kbits.
It is very common to use traffic maps based on OMC data per transmitter for the purpose
of retrieving interference matrices based on traffic. The best method of working with an
AFP is to use the OMC data of the subcells table and to generate interference matrices
based on clutter weighting as explained in "Calculating an Interference Matrix Based on
Clutter Weighting" on page 357.
Once the data has been converted into timeslots, you can import it into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data.
To import OMC traffic data into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Subcells > Subcells Table: Traffic Data from the context menu. The Subcells Table: Traffic Data opens.
After modifying the available OMC data to change it from served traffic to traffic demand, you can import the following data
into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data:
Voice demand in Erlangs
Packet-switched demand in timeslots
Half-rate traffic ratio.
For more information on working with data tables in Atoll, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
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Mobility types: In GSM/GPRS/EDGE, information about receiver mobility is important to efficiently manage connec-
tions: a mobile used by a driver moving quickly or a pedestrian will not necessarily be connected to the same HCS layer.
For information on creating a mobility type, see "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 247.
Terminals: In GSM/GPRS/EDGE, a terminal is the user equipment that is used in the network, for example, a mobile
phone, a PDA, or a cars on-board navigation device. It is defined to ensure compliancy between transmitter equip-
ment and supported frequency bands and GPRS/EDGE parameters. For information on creating a terminal, see "Mod-
elling Terminals" on page 249.
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The global scaling factor enables you to increase user density without changing traffic parameters or traffic maps.
For example, setting the global scaling factor to 2 is the same as doubling the initial number of subscribers (for
environment and user profile traffic maps) or the throughputs/users (for sector traffic maps). For information on
using the global scaling factor, see "Creating Simulations" on page 265.
Select Traffic Maps to Be Used: Each available traffic map in the project can be used for the current traffic capture
by assigning its traffic to all HCS layers (default mode) or by restricting its spread to a specific HCS layer. In order
to make the traffic capture, you must select at least one traffic map and assign its traffic to a single HCS layer or
to all.
Assigning traffic to all HCS layers means that for a given traffic map, its traffic will overflow from lowest to highest
priority layers as explained in "Subcell Properties" on page 280 and in Figure 7.5 on page 284. If the traffic of a map
is assigned to a specific layer, its traffic is only captured on that layer and the traffic only overflows within concen-
tric cells.
You can select traffic maps of any type. However, if you have several different types of traffic maps and want to
make a traffic capture on a specific type of traffic map, you must ensure that you select only traffic maps of the
same type. For information on the types of traffic maps, see "Working with Traffic Maps" on page 256.
6. Click the Conditions tab. The parameters on the Conditions tab define how the service zone for each transmitter and
the number of timeslots for circuit and packet services will be calculated.
7. Under Coverage Conditions, set the following parameters to define how the service area of each transmitter will be
calculated:
Under Server, select "HCS servers" to take the best signal level by HCS layer on each pixel into consideration,
assuming this signal level on each layer exceeds the minimum HCS threshold defined either at the HCS layer level
or specifically for each transmitter (for more information, see "Comparing Service Areas in Calculations" on
page 486).
Enter an Overlap margin. The default value is "4 dB."
If you select the Shadowing Taken into Account check box, you can change the Cell Edge Coverage Probability.
Shadowing margins (depending on the entered cell edge coverage probability and the model standard deviation
per clutter class) are applied to the values for C. For more information, see "Modelling Shadowing" on page 508.
You can select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
If shadowing is taken into account, the CI standard deviation per clutter class is used to
estimate the shadowing losses on the calculated CI values.
8. Under GPRS/EDGE, you can set the parameters to define how the number of timeslots for circuit and packet services
will be calculated. Select one of the following to define how the calculations in the traffic capture are going to be
made:
Select Calculations Based on C if you want to base the traffic capture on CN. Continue to step 14.
Select Calculations Based on CI and continue with the following step.
9. Select the DTX taken into account check box and enter the percentage of time during which a user is talking in the
Voice Activity Factor text box, if you want discontinuous transmission mode for TRXs which support it taken into
account.
10. From the Interference Sources list, select whether the interference should be calculated from adjacent channels, co-
channels, or from both. The adjacent channel effect on the victim channel, i.e., the interference, is decreased by the
adjacent channel protection level.
Inter-technology interference is taken into account by default. For more information, see
"Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 626. By adding an option in the Atoll.ini
file, you can add an Inter-technology check box which will allow you to consider or not
inter-technology interference.
11. Select the Traffic Load that will be used to calculate interference:
100%: The maximum traffic load (subcells entirely loaded).
From subcell table: The subcell traffic load as user-defined or as calculated during dimensioning.
12. Select the Ideal Link Adaptation check box if you want the coding scheme that offers the highest throughput for a
given C or CI to be selected. Otherwise, Atoll will choose the coding scheme by considering only the coding scheme
admission threshold in terms of C and/or CI.
13. Select the Thermal Noise Taken into Account check box if you want Atoll to consider thermal noise.
14. Click Calculate.
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After the traffic capture has been completed, two new tabs appear on the traffic capture Properties dialog box with
the results. For a detailed explanation of the results, see "GSM/GPRS/EDGE Traffic Capture Results" on page 331.
The traffic capture results provide traffic per transmitter. You can retrieve the amount of
traffic (Erlangs for circuit services, Kbps for max bit rate packet services) defined in the
input traffic map in output as follows:
1. Create a sector traffic map per HCS layer (see "Creating a Sector Traffic Map" on
page 257) based on a best server coverage prediction (HCS server option with
0 dB overlap margin). As a result, you will have as many sector traffic maps as the
number of HCS layers.
2. Create a traffic capture (HCS server option with 0 dB overlap margin) where the
traffic of each map is assigned to its respective layer (see "Creating a Traffic Cap-
ture" on page 329).
As a result, each transmitter will have the same amount of traffic (Erlangs for circuit
services, Kbps for max bit rate packet services) as the transmitter in the selected traffic
maps used for input. Constant bit rate services cannot be treated in the same way since
their input traffic is stated in Erlangs whereas the corresponding demand is evaluated in
Kbps as with any other packet-switched service.
For more information on how the results are calculated and on the formulas used, see the Technical Reference Guide.
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e. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box appears.
3. Click the General tab. You can set the following parameters:
Name: Atoll assigns a Name to the dimensioning model. You can change the default name, if desired.
Max. Number of TRXs per Transmitter: Enter the maximum number of TRXs that a transmitter can have. During
dimensioning, this value is used for transmitters for which this value is not defined on the TRXs tab of the Proper-
ties dialog box (see "Subcell Properties" on page 280).
Under Circuit:
Queuing Model: Enter the queuing model for GSM voice calls (Erlang B or Erlang C).
Under Packet:
Min. number of packet-dedicated timeslots per transmitter: Enter the minimum number of dedicated packet-
switched timeslots that must be reserved for each transmitter.
Max. number of additional TRXs for packet services: Enter the maximum number of TRXs that can be added for
the subcell to satisfy the demand for packet-switched services after Atoll has dimensioned the circuit-switched
services.
KPIs to Take into Account: Select the key performance indicators you want taken into account during dimen-
sioning. The values of the key performance indicators are defined by the quality graphs on the Quality Graphs tab
of the dimensioning model Properties dialog box.
Min. Throughput: Select the Min. Throughput check box if you want to take minimum required throughput
(or the guaranteed bit rate for constant bit rate packet-switched services) into account when performing di-
mensioning.
From the point of view of a GPRS/EDGE user, throughput is the average maximum throughput experienced by
the mobile terminal during a data call. If there is more than one user multiplexed on the same timeslot, which
occurs when the system accommodates many users, each multiplexed user will experience a reduction in
throughput. This reduction in throughput is described by the reduction factor defined in the reduction factor
graph. A reduction factor of 1, or almost 1, means that each user has the maximum throughput that a timeslot
can offer in a given environment (the maximum throughput per timeslot, in turn, depends on the carrier pow-
er and/or CI ratio at a given location). As the system load increases, the reduction factor starts decreasing,
corresponding to the decrease in throughput per user.
Max. Blocking Rate: Select the Max. Blocking Rate check box if you want to take blocking probability into
account when performing dimensioning.
The blocking probability and the delay in the GPRS/EDGE system are closely related. A user starts to experi-
ence more delay in service when the system is near saturation and the incoming packets are placed in a wait-
ing queue as there are no resources available for immediate transfer. This buffering of packets is related to
the load of the system. The blocking probability is the probability that an incoming packet be placed in a
queue. The delay is the average delay the packet will undergo due to blocking as it waits its turn to be trans-
mitted when resources are available.
In GPRS and EDGE, the term "system load" refers to the ratio of the number of used packet
timeslots to the number of packet switching (shared and dedicated) timeslots available in
the system.
Max. Delay: Select the Max. Delay check box if you want to take delay into account when performing dimen-
sioning.
The delay is the average delay the packet will undergo due to blocking as it waits its turn to be transmitted
when resources are available.
The delay can be restricted to an allowed maximum in the properties of the service.
If the dimensioning model takes into account all three KPIs, the following conditions are
satisfied when the number of TRXs to add for packet service is calculated:
The throughput must be greater than the minimum throughput (or the guaranteed
bit rate for constant bit rate packet-switched services) even if a reduction factor is
applied to the throughput.
The delay and the blocking rate must be lower than the maximum delay and max-
imum blocking rate, respectively.
4. Click the Quality Charts tab. The Quality Charts tab displays the throughput reduction factor, delay, and blocking
probability graphs used for dimensioning packet switched traffic. The graphs are calculated as a function of the system
load, which is defined as the ratio of the number of used packet timeslots to the number of packet switching (shared
and dedicated) timeslots available in the system.
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You can modify or replace the quality graphs with graphs generating using a third-party simulator.
If the quality graphs are modified incorrectly, the dimensioning and quality analysis
results that are based on the quality graphs will also be incorrect.
For the moment, Atoll does not provide a default delay graph; if desired, you can
enter your own values.
The blocking rate graph is based on a user multiplexing factor of 8. The user multi-
plexing factor corresponds to the number of timeslots on a GSM/GPRS/EDGE
frame.
5. Click OK.
If you have modified the traffic map, traffic parameters, or transmitter properties (e.g.,
calculation area, coding scheme configuration, etc.), since creating the traffic capture, you
must recalculate the traffic capture before dimensioning.
A dimensioning model (for information on creating a or modifying a dimensioning model, see "Defining a GSM/GPRS/
EDGE Dimensioning Model" on page 332).
To dimension a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Traffic > Dimensioning from the context menu. The Dimensioning/KPIs dialog box appears (see Figure 7.20).
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4. Under Dimensioning parameters, select the dimensioning model from the Model list.
5. Under Traffic (circuit and packet demand), select whether the dimensioning is to be based on the traffic demand com-
puted in the default traffic capture of from the current values (circuit and packet demands) in the subcells table.
If you selected "From subcell table," you will define the following additional parameters:
Specify the minimum throughput reduction factor that can be accepted in the network. When calculating a
traffic capture, this parameter is evaluated (but not displayed) during the calculation. The minimum through-
put reduction factor models the fact that at the user level, the user throughput can be reduced due to how
much it will be multiplexed with other users. In other words, this parameter will be affected by the traffic load
which is a consequence of the dimensioning.
Under Terminals (%), enter the percentage of each type of terminal used in the map. The total percentages
must equal 100.
Under Circuit Services (%), enter the percentage of each type of circuit service used in the map. The total
percentages must equal 100.
Under Packet Services (%), enter the percentage of each type of packet service used in the map (assuming the
packet services consist of max bit rate and constant bit rate packet services). The total percentages must equal
100.
6. Click Calculate to dimension the network.
The output of the dimensioning appears in the Dimensioning dialog box, under Results. Some columns are hidden by
default. You can select which columns to display by clicking the Displayed Columns button and selecting or clearing
the check box of the columns. The following results are given for each transmitter in the Transmitter column:
TRX Type: For each transmitter, the results are given by TRX type (e.g., BCCH, TCH, TCH_EGPRS and TCH_INNER).
Together, the Transmitter and TRX Type columns identify the subcell.
Initial required number of TRXs: This is the required number of TRXs before dimensioning. For example, this value
might come from the actual number of TRXs or it might be the result of an estimate the number of required TRXs.
Required Number of TRXs: The number of TRXs required to satisfy both the subcell's circuit-switched and packet-
switched traffic, while taking into account the quality of service criterion assigned for each.
The required number of TRXs is the most important result of the dimensioning process. If the number of required
TRXs exceeds the maximum number of TRXs per transmitter, Atoll displays the results for the subcell in red.
Required TRXs to add: The required TRXs to add is the difference between the obtained required number of TRXs
(before the dimensioning process) and the initial required number of TRXs. If the value is positive, it means that
the current dimensioning process has evaluated than more TRXs than the initial estimated value are needed to
absorb the traffic.
Load (%): The average demand in timeslots (packet and circuit), divided by the total number of timeslots available.
It represents the average occupancy of the TRXs. This parameter is one of the principal results of dimensioning
along with the number of TRXs. It is assigned to subcell pools when committing the results of dimensioning.
Multiplexing Factor: The user or Temporary Block Flow (TBF) multiplexing factor. The multiplexing factor is an
input of the dimensioning process. It corresponds to the number of packet switched service users that can be mul-
tiplexed onto the same timeslot in GPRS and EDGE.
Maximum Number of TRXs per Transmitter: The maximum number of TRXs that a transmitter can support is an
input of the dimensioning process. This parameter is provided by the equipment manufacturer. The value can be
set for each transmitter or taken from the dimensioning model for transmitters where this value is not set.
Target Rate of Traffic Overflow (%): This input parameter defines the percentage of traffic that is allowed to over-
flow from one subcell to another in case the traffic assigned to this subcell is greater than the maximum traffic
that it can accommodate. It can be considered an anticipation of the percentage of traffic that will be rejected
from higher priority subcells or layers to lower ones. The value is specified for each subcell.
Half-rate Traffic Ratio (%): This input parameter is defined per subcell and indicates the percentage of subcell
traffic that uses half-rate access.
If the values are different for BCCH and TCH subcells, Atoll will use the values for the target rate of traffic overflow
and the half-rate traffic ratio from the BCCH subcell.
Packet demand (Kbps): The Packet Traffic Demand is the total traffic demand in kilobits per second generated by
packet switched service users within the coverage area of the transmitter. This parameter comes from the traffic
capture or from the Subcells table, depending on the source you chose for the traffic demand. It is assigned to
subcell pools when committing the results of dimensioning.
Packet average demand (Timeslots): The number of timeslots needed to satisfy the packet traffic demand
depends on the maximum throughput that a packet timeslot can support.
Circuit Demand (Erlangs): The Circuit Traffic Demand is the total traffic demand in Erlangs generated by circuit-
switched-service users within the coverage area of the transmitter. This parameter comes from the traffic capture
or from the subcells table, depending on the user selection for the traffic demand source. It is assigned to subcell
pools when committing the results of dimensioning.
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Circuit average demand (Timeslots): The Average Demand in Circuit Timeslots is calculated taking into account
the effect of half-rate circuit-switched traffic: two half-rate users are equivalent to one full-rate user.
Served Circuit Traffic (Erlangs): The Served Circuit Traffic is the circuit-switched traffic in Erlangs that the subcell
can potentially serve, if the dimensioning results are applied. The served circuit-switched traffic is circuit traffic
demand less the effective overflowed circuit traffic.
Served Packet Traffic (Kbps): The Served Packet Traffic is the packet-switched traffic in kilobits per second that
the subcell can potentially serve, if the dimensioning results are applied. The served packet-switched traffic is
packet traffic demand less the effective overflowed packet traffic.
Effective Rate of Traffic Overflow (%): The Effective Rate of Traffic Overflow is the actual rate of traffic that is
rejected by the subcell because of a lack of packet timeslots. In a GSM network, the value is the same as the
blocking probability. In a more complex network, this value includes the traffic overflow from all services.
For Erlang B, the effective rate of traffic overflow corresponds to the effective blocking rate. This value is calculat-
ed from the required number of circuit timeslots (both shared and circuit timeslots) and the circuit traffic demand
in Erlang B tables.
For Erlang C, the effective rate of traffic overflow is zero except if the maximum number of TRXs is exceeded. The
effective blocking rate is inferred from the required number of circuit timeslots (both shared and circuit timeslots)
and the circuit traffic demand in Erlang C tables.
Circuit Blocking Rate (/Delay) (%): The Circuit Blocking Rate is the grade of service (GoS) indicator for circuit-
switched traffic. It can be either the rate at which calls are blocked (Erlang B) or delayed (Erlang C), depending on
which queuing model the dimensioning model uses.
Minimum Throughput Reduction Factor (%): The Minimum Throughput Reduction Factor is the lowest
throughput reduction factor that can still guarantee service availability. The Minimum Throughput Reduction
Factor is one of the criteria for packet-switched traffic dimensioning. It is calculated using the parameters defined
for the services: the minimum service throughput (or the guaranteed bit rate for constant bit rate packet-switched
services); the maximum number of timeslots per connection; the required availability; and the per pixel timeslot
capacity of the subcell coverage area. This parameter is calculated when making the traffic capture or is user-
defined, depending on the source of traffic demand on which the dimensioning is based.
Throughput Reduction Factor (%): The Throughput Reduction Factor is calculated from the quality charts using
the packet load and available connections for each subcell. This reduction factor must be greater than the min-
imum throughput reduction factor for packet-switched services for these services to be satisfactorily available in
the subcell.
Maximum Delay (s): The Maximum Delay is the defined delay in seconds that must not be exceeded for the ser-
vice quality to be considered satisfactory.
Delay (s): The Delay is a key performance indicator (KPI) calculated using the quality graphs, the load, and the
number of connections available. This dimensioning output must not exceed the maximum delay defined for the
service for service availability to be considered satisfactory.
Maximum Packet Blocking Rate (/Delay) (%): The Maximum Packet Blocking Rate is defined for each packet ser-
vice and is the highest probability that the service will be blocked that is acceptable in terms of service availability.
Packet Blocking Rate (Delay) (%): The Packet Blocking Rate is a dimensioning output and must not exceed the
Maximum Packet Blocking Rate defined for the service for service availability to be considered satisfactory.
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This section explains the specific mechanisms that are used to calculate GSM/GPRS/EDGE traffic simulations. For information
on working with traffic simulations in Atoll, see "Simulations" on page 264
Examples:
2 54 * (54,*)
For BBH, if you assume TRXs belong to the same TRX type, you have:
2 54 * ([53,54,55],1)
3 55 * ([53,54,55],2)
2 53 54 55 56 3 ([53,54,55,56],3)
Therefore, from the point of view of a mobile station, BBH and SFH work in the same way. An MSA will be attached to each
mobile considered during the simulation and the level of interference will be evaluated on this MSA.
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For each simulation, the simulation process performs the following actions:
1. It sets initial values for the following parameters:
a. Mobile transmission power is set to the maximum mobile power.
b. Cell traffic loads for each MSA and transmitter are set to their average current value in the Transmitters table (one
traffic load value per subcell).
For each iteration k, the simulation process does the following:
2. For each circuit-switched mobile, the simulation:
a. Determines the server and the MSA to which the circuit-switched mobile is attached (which is the same in uplink
and downlink).
b. Determines the downlink and uplink C/(I+N) for each of these mobiles.
c. Determines MSA codec modes in downlink and uplink and performs the corresponding target power controls.
3. For each packet-switched mobile, the simulation:
a. Determines the server and the MSA to which the packet-switched mobile is attached (which is the same in uplink
and downlink).
b. Determines the downlink and uplink C/(I+N) for each of these mobiles.
c. Determines MSA coding scheme in downlink and uplink, evaluates the numbers of necessary timeslots to reach
the minimum downlink and uplink throughput demands (defined in the requested service) of the users randomly
ranked and performs the corresponding target power controls. The number of timeslots in DL and UL are obviously
not linked.
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4. It equally shares the remaining resources to packet-switched users who did not reach their maximum throughput
demands. Resources and throughputs are finally assigned to each packet-switched user.
5. It updates the DL traffic loads, power control gains, DTX gains, and half-rate traffic ratios of all the subcells according
to the resources in use and the total resources.
6. It updates the UL traffic loads of all the subcells and the UL noise rises of all the TRXs according to the resources in use
and the total resources.
7. It performs a convergence test to see whether the differences between the current and the new loads and noise rises
are within the convergence thresholds.
8. Repeats the previous steps (from step 2. to step 7.) for the iteration k+1 using the new calculated load conditions as
the current load and noise rise.
At the end of the simulations, active users can be connected in the direction corresponding to their activity status if:
They have a serving cell assigned
For a circuit-switched (or packet-switched) service, he has a codec mode (or coding scheme) corresponding to his
activity status
He is not rejected due to resource saturation.
If users are rejected during server determination, the cause of rejection is "No Coverage". If users are rejected because quality
is too low to obtain any codec mode or coding scheme, the cause of rejection is "No Service". If users are rejected because
they cannot be allocated a sufficient number of resources to obtain the codec mode or coding scheme, the cause of rejection
is "Resource Saturation," i.e., all of the cells resources were used up by other users.
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The Subcells tab: The Cells tab contains the following information, per transmitter and TRX Type:
Frequency Domain: The frequency domain assigned to the subcell.
DL Power Reduction (dB): The power reduction applied to the considered subcell compared to the BCCH power.
DL Traffic Load: The obtain DL traffic load which represents the average occupancy of the subcell timeslots in DL.
UL Traffic Load: The obtain UL traffic load which represents the average occupancy of the subcell timeslots in UL.
Mean Power Control Gain (dB): The average gain due to the DL power control in order to reduce interference.
DL DTX Gain (dB): The gain due to DTX users inactivity.
Half-Rate Traffic Ratio (%): The percentage of half-rate voice traffic in the subcell.
DTX supported: The ability of subcell to support DTX mode. For BCCH subcells, this box should remain cleared. If
this box is selected, a DL DTX gain can be obtained.
The TRXs tab: The TRXs tab contains the following information:
Hopping Mode: The hopping mode of the subcell to which the TRX belongs
Channels: The channel list to which the TRX is part of. In case of non hopping, it corresponds to a unique channel.
In case of any hopping mode, it corresponds to a MAL.
MAIO: The MAIO defined at this TRX in case of SFH only
TRX Rank: The rank assigned to the TRX during an automatic frequency allocation
Intra-technology UL Noise Rise (dB): the resulting noise rise caused by the surrounding UL traffic at the TRX. This
result is the output which can be committed to the TRXs table.
The Mobiles tab: The Mobiles tab contains the following information:
X and Y: The coordinates of users who attempt to connect (the geographic position is determined by the second
random trial).
Service: The service assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distribution.
Terminal: The assigned terminal. Atoll uses the assigned service and activity status to determine the terminal and
the user profile.
User Profile: The assigned user profile. Atoll uses the assigned service and activity status to determine the ter-
minal and the user profile.
Mobility: The mobility type assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distribution.
Activity Status: The activity status assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distri-
bution.
Connection Status: The connection status indicates whether the user is connected or rejected at the end of the
simulation. If connected, the connection status corresponds to the activity status. If rejected, the rejection cause
is given.
Server: The transmitter serving the mobile on its MSA.
HCS Layer: The HCS Layer of the serving cell
Best Server Signal Level (dBm): The received signal strength of the serving cell.
Frequency Band: The frequency band used by the transmitter-mobile link.
TRX Type: The TRX type of the subcell to which the mobile is attached.
DL Requested Throughput (kbps): The DL max throughput demand defined in the service.
DL Obtained Throughput (kbps): The DL obtained throughput depending on the resources allocated to the user.
This value must be between the minimum and the maximum throughput demands.
UL Requested Throughput (kbps): The UL max throughput demand defined in the service.
UL Obtained Throughput (kbps): The UL obtained throughput depending on the resources allocated to the user.
This value must be between the minimum and the maximum throughput demands.
Timeslots (DL): the number of DL timeslots used. It should be 0 if it is not connected. Then for circuit-switched
services, depending on the served codec mode, it can be 0,5 or 1, but has to be the same as for UL. For packet-
switched services, this is the number of timeslots corresponding to the DL total obtained throughput.
Timeslots (UL): the number of UL timeslots used. It should be 0 if it is not connected. Then for circuit-switched
services, depending on the served codec mode, it can be 0,5 or 1, but has to be the same as for DL. For packet-
switched services, this is the number of timeslots corresponding to the UL total obtained throughput.
Initial C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The C/(I+N) of the served MSA at the user location in the downlink before power control.
Final C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The C/(I+N) of the served MSA at the user location in the downlink after power control.
Target Threshold (DL) (dB): The DL C/(I+N) to get the coding (coding scheme of codec mode) at the current loca-
tion.
Initial C/(I+N) (UL) (dB): The C/(I+N) of the served MSA at the serving cell in the uplink before power control.
Final C/(I+N) (UL) (dB): The C/(I+N) of the served MSA at the serving cell in the uplink after power control.
Target Threshold (UL) (dB): The UL C/(I+N) to get the coding (coding scheme of codec mode) at the serving cell.
Mobile Total Power (dBm): The mobile total power corresponds to the total power transmitted by the terminal.
Channels: The channel or list of channels allocated to the mobile station during the simulation. It has to be 1
channel in case of "Non Hopping" and a list of channel in case of frequency hopping.
MAIO: The Mobile Allocation Index Offset assigned in case of frequency hopping (BBH or SFH) to avoid intra-site
collisions caused by two sites using the same or adjacent channels. This value has to be an integer ranging from 0
and N-1 (where "N" is the number of channels used in the hopping sequence)
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Codec or Coding scheme (DL): According to the capability of both the base station and the terminal, this value is
either the codec mode (for a circuit-switched service) or the coding scheme (for a packet-switched service) served
at the terminal.
Codec or Coding scheme (UL): According to the capability of both the base station and the terminal, this value is
either the codec mode (for a circuit-switched service) or the coding scheme (for a packet-switched service) served
at the cell.
The Initial Conditions tab: The Initial Conditions tab contains the following information:
The input parameters specified when creating the simulation:
The generator initialisation value
The global scaling factor
The maximum number of iterations
The DL traffic load convergence threshold
The UL traffic load convergence threshold
The DL power control convergence threshold
The UL noise rise convergence threshold
The name of the traffic maps used.
The parameters related to the clutter classes, including the default values.
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For more information on the optional Atoll AFP module, see "Automatic Frequency Planning" on page 393.
This section covers the following topics:
"Defining Resource Ranges" on page 343
"Allocating Frequencies and BSICs Manually" on page 347
"AFP Prerequisites (IM, Separations, Traffic, etc.)" on page 352
"Automatic Resource Allocation Using an AFP Module" on page 373.
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You can also modify the properties of a frequency band using its Properties dialog box. You
can open the frequency band Properties dialog box by double-clicking the left margin of
the row with the frequency band. The frequency band Properties dialog box has a General
tab which allows you to modify the properties described above, a Frequency Domains tab
which indicates the frequency domains that belong to the frequency band, and, if user-
defined fields have been added to the Frequency Bands table, an Other Properties tab.
The absolute radio frequency channel numbers are determined in Atoll with the following equation:
ARFCN of X = First Channel Number + (Channel Frequency of X - First Channel Frequency)/200 kHz
7. Select the row containing the frequency domain and click the Properties button ( ) in the Table toolbar. The fre-
quency domains Properties dialog box appears.
In the frequency domains Properties dialog box, you can modify the properties of the frequency domain and create
frequency groups.
8. Under Groups, in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter the following parameters to define a frequency
group (for information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75):
Name: Enter a name for the frequency group, for example, "GSM 1900 domain Group1." This name will appear in
other dialog boxes when you select a frequency group.
Min.: Enter the number of the first channel in this frequency group.
Max.: Enter the number of the last channel in this frequency group.
Step: Enter the value interval between channels in this frequency group.
Excluded: Enter the channels that you do not want to use in this frequency group. You can enter or paste a list of
channels; the values must be separated with either a comma, or a semi-colon, or a space. You can also enter a
range of channels to be excluded from this group, by entering the first and last channel of the range separated by
a hyphen. For example, entering 520-525 corresponds to entering 520 521 522 523 524 525.
Extra: Enter the additional channels, outside the first and last channels of the group, that you want to use in this
frequency group. You can enter or paste a list of channels; the values must be separated with either a comma, or
a semi-colon, or a space. You can also enter a range of channels to be excluded from this group, by entering the
first and last channel of the range separated by a hyphen. For example, entering 520-525 corresponds to entering
520 521 522 523 524 525.
9. Click OK to close the frequency domains Properties dialog box.
10. Click the Close button ( ) to close the Frequency Domains table.
You can associate frequency groups to frequency domains using the Frequency Groups
table. You can open the Frequency Groups table by expanding the GSM Network Settings
folder in the Parameters explorer, expanding the Frequencies folder, right-clicking Groups
and selecting Open Table from the context menu.
Although each group name in a single frequency domain must be unique, you can use the
same group name in different frequency domains.
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When you import drive test data, you must ensure that the defined BSIC format is the
same as that of the drive test data before you import the data.
7. Select the row containing the BSIC domain and click the Properties button ( ) in the Table toolbar. The BSIC
domains Properties dialog box appears.
In the BSIC domains Properties dialog box, you can modify the properties of the BSIC domain and create BSIC groups.
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8. Under Groups, in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter the following parameters to define a BSIC group
(for information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75):
When defining the BSIC group, ensure that the entered values are consistent with the
defined BSIC format (see "Defining the BSIC Format" on page 345).
Name: Enter a name for the BSIC group. This name will appear in other dialog boxes when you select a BSIC group.
Min.: Enter the first BSIC in this BSIC group.
Max.: Enter the last BSIC in this BSIC group.
Step: Enter the value interval between BSICs in this BSIC group.
Excluded: Enter the BSICs that you do not want to use in this BSIC group. You can enter or paste a list of BSICs; the
values must be separated with either a comma, or a semi-colon, or a space. You can also enter a range of BSICs to
be excluded from this group, by entering the first and last BSIC of the range separated by a hyphen. For example,
entering 0-5 corresponds to entering 0 1 2 3 4 5.
Extra: Enter the additional BSICs, outside the first and last BSICs of the group, that you want to use in this BSIC
group. You can enter or paste a list of BSICs; the values must be separated with either a comma, or a semi-colon,
or a space. You can also enter a range of BSICs to be excluded from this group, by entering the first and last BSIC
of the range separated by a hyphen. For example, entering 0-5 corresponds to entering 0 1 2 3 4 5.
9. Click OK to close the BSIC domains Properties dialog box.
10. Click the Close button ( ) to close the BSIC Domains table.
You can associate BSIC groups to BSIC domains using the BSIC Groups table. You can open
the BSIC Groups table by expanding the GSM Network Settings folder in the Parameters
explorer, expanding the BSICs folder, right-clicking Groups and selecting Open Table from
the context menu.
Although each group name in a single BSIC domain must be unique, you can use the same
group name in different BSIC domains.
7. Select the row containing the HSN domain and click the Properties button ( ) in the Table toolbar. The HSN
domains Properties dialog box appears.
In the HSN domains Properties dialog box, you can modify the properties of the HSN domain and create HSN groups.
8. Under Groups, in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter the following parameters to define a HSN group
(for information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75):
Name: Enter a name for the HSN group. This name will appear in other dialog boxes when you select a HSN group.
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You can associate HSN groups to HSN domains using the HSN Groups table. You can open
the HSN Groups table by expanding the GSM Network Settings folder in the Parameters
explorer, expanding the HSNs folder, right-clicking Groups and selecting Open Table from
the context menu.
Although each group name in a single HSN domain must be unique, you can use the same
group name in different HSN domains.
You can also access a transmitters Properties dialog box by right-clicking the transmitter
in the map window and selecting Properties from the context menu.
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You can also access a transmitters Properties dialog box by right-clicking the transmitter
in the map window and selecting Properties from the context menu.
You can enter a value in the BSIC field, however, it must be a BSIC that is part of the
selected BSIC Domain and in the correct BSIC format (for information on the BSIC format,
see "Defining the BSIC Format" on page 345). As well, you can enter a BSIC in the format
of a NCC-BCC. When you click OK or Apply, Atoll will convert it into the single-digit BSIC
format.
You can also access a transmitters Properties dialog box by right-clicking the transmitter
in the map window and selecting Properties from the context menu.
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7. Select a Frequency Domain from the list. Only channels belonging to this frequency domain will be allocated to TRXs
of this group during automatic or manual frequency planning.
The frequency domains assigned to the BCCH subcell and to the TCH subcell must refer-
ence the same frequency band. If the transmitter has more than one subcell with the TRX
type TCH, only one must reference the same frequency band as the BCCH subcell.
8. If desired, add Excluded Channels. The defined frequency domain can have, as part of its definition, a list of excluded
channels. Addition excluded channels for this subcell can be added in the Excluded Channels column.
9. Click OK.
If you are defining frequency domains for several transmitters, you can group them by
frequency band (for information on grouping transmitters, see "Grouping Data Objects" on
page 93) and then open the Transmitters table for the selected transmitters and assign the
frequency domain to all transmitters at the same time. For information on working with
data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
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If you want to import the BSIC at the same time, you can also import the frequency list into
the Transmitters table, which you can open by right-clicking the Transmitters folder and
selecting Open Table from the context menu.
If you are modifying the frequency list of a single transmitter, it is easier to modify the
information directly on the TRXs tab of the transmitters Properties dialog box. For more
information, see "Subcell Properties" on page 280.
You can also select the transmitter in the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer.
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2. Click the arrow ( ) next to the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The menu
appears.
3. Select Neighbours from the context menu.
If you display the coverage areas of the neighbours, you can see not only the neighbours
on the map but their coverage as well. This will enable you to see more clearly where
frequencies used by the neighbours could cause interference. You can display the neigh-
bours coverage areas by clicking the arrow ( ) next to the Edit Relations on the Map
button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar and selecting Display Options from the menu.
In the Neighbour Display dialog box that appears, you can select the Display Coverage
Areas option.
4. Select Tools > Find on Map. The Find on Map window appears.
5. From the Find list, select "GSM Channel."
6. In the Channel list, enter a channel that you would like to allocate.
7. Select the check boxes to define where you want Atoll to search for the selected channel:
Used as BCCH
Used as TCH
8. Select the Adjacent channels check box if you want Atoll to display adjacent channels as well as the selected channel.
9. Click the Search button. The map window displays the coverage areas with the selected channel along with coverage
areas using adjacent channels, if you selected the Adjacent channels check box.
By repeating the search with other channels you can find a frequency with few adjacent channels close by that you
can allocate to the selected transmitter.
In the following example, channel 11 would not be a good choice because it is used by a neighbour. Channels 10 and 12 are
adjacent channels that are also used by neighbours of the selected transmitter.
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On the other hand, channel 14 would be a good choice and could be allocated. Neither channel 14 nor either of the adjacent
channels (13 and 15) are allocated to neighbours of the selected transmitter.
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When you assign frequencies manually, you do not need an interference matrix, traffic, or separation rules; you will be using
your knowledge of the network. On the other hand, when you assign frequencies automatically (or interactively) you need to
supply the additional information to the AFP.
In this section, the AFP input records are explained. As well, both a quick and a longer, more accurate process of finding the
necessary information for each record is explained. The quality of the results given by the AFP depends on the quality of the
input, therefore it is very important that you understand and prepare the input before running the AFP. This will enable you
to choose the level of complexity that corresponds to the desired accuracy of the results.
The following AFP input records are explained in this section:
"Interference Matrices" on page 353
"Channel Separations" on page 364
"Modelling Traffic" on page 369
"AFP-Related Parameters in the Subcells Table" on page 370
"Modelling Layers and Subcells" on page 372.
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Reliability Recommendations
Occasionally, the constraints you have set for the AFP are not strong enough. If the constraints are not strong enough:
The unlocked part of the AFP cost will be 0 and, because of this, the AFP will stops.
Frequencies will be reused in too close proximity to each other in the resulting frequency plan.
The distribution of frequency use will not be even and some frequencies will seldom be used.
To correct an unacceptable distribution of frequencies, you will have to create a more reliable interference matrix, thereby
putting more constraints on the AFP.
The best way to create a more reliable interference matrix is to increase the cell edge coverage probability and recalculate
the interference matrices. When the reliability requirement is raised, the part of the standard deviation is reduced from the
signal ("C") when calculating the C/I distribution for each IM entry. This gives a lower C/I for each given "reuse" and therefore
a lower probability of meeting the required C/I target and, consequently, more interference. Raising the interference in the
interference matrix increases the constraints placed on the AFP.
You should also verify that the standard deviation's default value is properly defined and that it is properly defined in all clutter
classes. This step is particularly important for Atoll documents converted from older versions or connected to a database.
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Mean power control gains are not taken into account when calculating interfer-
ence matrices. They are only applied when the interference matrices are used in
calculations (IFP, AFP, etc.). The same is the case with the power offset.
When you calculate an interference matrix, you would expect to have full interfer-
ence for all transmitters over which the AFP will perform a cost calculation. The
interference matrix scope is therefore defined by the AFP scope which is described
in "The Scope of the AFP and the Scope of the Interference Matrix" on page 374.
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If you have multiband transmitters, keep in mind that the multiband path loss option (see
"Advanced Modelling of Multi-Band Transmitters" on page 502) creates a lot of overhead
when the interference matrix is calculated. For more information, see the Administrator
Guide. For more information on reducing resource consumption, see "Performance and
Memory Issues in Big Projects" in the Administrator Guide.
If you have more than 20,000 transmitters in your network, you might need to calculate several smaller interference matrices.
Under most circumstances, including 1,000 to 2,000 transmitters in each interference matrix is the most efficient.
To calculate interference matrices for a large network:
1. Create a computation zone that covers part of the network. For information on creating a computation zone, see
"Computation Zone" on page 66. In Figure 7.26, the computation zone is indicated by the red outline.
2. Calculate an interference matrix for the area covered by the computation zone as explained in "Calculating a Simple
Interference Matrix" on page 354.
3. Create a new computation zone that partly overlaps the area covered by the first computation zone. In Figure 7.27,
the area covered by the first computation zone is indicated by the black outline.
4. Calculate an interference matrix for the area covered by the computation zone.
5. Repeat step 1. to step 4. until have created interference matrices for the entire network, as shown in the following
figures.
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The computation zones do not need to overlap because the AFP scope extends beyond the
computation zone. For more information, see "The Scope of the AFP and the Scope of the
Interference Matrix" on page 374.
ii. Click the Draw Polygon button ( ) and draw the polygon encompassing the computation zone. This raster
map now appears in the Traffic folder.
iii. Name the map "Temporary IM map."
For information on creating a user profile traffic map, see "Creating a User Profile Environment-based Traffic Map" on
page 260.
2. Create a traffic capture using the temporary traffic map.
Set this traffic capture to be the default traffic capture.
For information on creating a traffic capture, see "Calculating and Displaying a Traffic Capture" on page 329.
3. Calculate the interference matrix.
When calculating the interference matrix, select the option Traffic spreading based on the maps used in the
default traffic capture in the IM calculation dialog box.
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OMC IMs can be based on reselection mobile measurements or upon HO mobile measurements. In most cases, the HO mobile
measurements are used to create the interference matrix. The main weakness of this approach is that HO mobile measure-
ments are limited to the list of neighbours, and that this list is limited in size.
To overcome this considerable limitation, the OMC can temporarily apply neighbours. However, when this is done, the statis-
tical analysis must take into account the partial time over which each temporary neighbour is tested.
An other limitation which applies to all OMC statistic-based interference matrices is the fact that the BSIC-BCCH pair is the
means used to identify a transmitter. The BSIC-BCCH pairs are sufficient for identifying a server or a potential strong neighbour
for HO candidate, but they are not sufficient to identify an interferer.
The final limitation is the simple fact that the BCCH plan has an effect on the IM when the IM is calculated: if two transmitters
interfere but have the same BCCH, their interference will not be present in the OMC interference matrix.
This limitation can be avoided by adding the BCCH plan to the IM scope. This allows the Atoll AFP to ensure that certain inter-
ference entries, (or more precisely no interference entries) have 0 likelihood, and will supplement the information with prop-
agation interference information.
Atoll supports IM0, IM1, IM2, and CLC interference matrix files. Atoll also supports a simplified format that gives the inter-
fered subcell, the interfering subcell, the co-channel interference probability, and the adjacent channel probability. For more
information on the simplified format, see the Technical Reference Guide.
When you import several interference matrices that describe the same interfered-interferer pairs, Atoll only takes the first
description of the pair. When descriptions of the same interfered-interferer pair are found in subsequent files, the description
is ignored.
Atoll does not perform a validity check on the imported interference file; you must therefore ensure that the imported infor-
mation is consistent with the current configuration. Furthermore, Atoll only imports interference matrices for active trans-
mitters.
To import interference matrices:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the GSM Interference Matrices folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Import from the context menu. The Open dialog box appears.
4. Select the file type from the Files of Type list.
5. Select the file to import.
If you are importing a CLC file, Atoll looks for the associated DCT file in the same directory. When this file is unavaila-
ble, Atoll assumes that the transmitter identifiers in the CLC file are the same as the transmitter names.
6. Click Open. A message appears asking whether Atoll should merge the imported interference matrix into the GSM/
GPRS/EDGE document:
Click Yes to save the imported interference matrix in the GSM/GPRS/EDGE document.
When you save an imported interference matrix in the GSM/GPRS/EDGE document, you can still choose to save
it to an external file linked to the GSM/GPRS/EDGE document. For information, see "Storing Interference Matrices
Externally" on page 359.
Click No to store the interference matrix externally, but linked to the GSM/GPRS/EDGE document.
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7. The interference matrices are imported into the current Atoll document and appear as new items in the GSM Inter-
ference Matrices folder.
You can also extract interference matrices from real network data. Using drive test data
paths in which the signal strengths of several transmitters have been measured at each
point, Atoll can generate interference matrix files containing probabilities of CI per trans-
mitter-subcell pair (see "Generating Interference Matrices from a Drive Test Data Path" on
page 485).
You can save interference matrices to external files that are linked to the GSM/GPRS/EDGE document. Linking interference
matrices to the GSM/GPRS/EDGE document can reduce file size when the Atoll document is extremely large.
Because the interference matrices are stored externally in ASCI format, reading and writing to file can be time consuming.
When Atoll reads an externally stored IM, it remains in memory. Therefore, to improve AFP performance, it is recommended
to embed interference matrices. You should only save interference matrices externally when the project file is getting large
(for example, when the project file exceeds 2 Gb). To store an interference matrix externally:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the GSM Interference Matrices folder.
3. Right-click the interference matrix you want to store externally. The context menu appears.
4. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box appears.
5. On the General tab, under Interference Matrices Storage, click the Externalise button. A confirmation message
appears.
6. Click Yes to confirm. The Save As dialog box appears.
7. Select the file type from the Save as Type list.
8. Enter the File name and click Save. The interference matrix is stored externally but remains linked to the GSM/GPRS/
EDGE document.
Atoll supports IM0, IM1, IM2, and CLC interference matrix files.
To export interference matrices:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the GSM Interference Matrices folder.
3. Right-click the interference matrix you want to export. The context menu appears.
4. Select Export from the context menu. The Save As dialog box appears.
5. Select the file type from the Save as Type list.
6. Enter the File name and click Save. The interference matrix is exported.
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bour information. Another reason for low reliability is that interference information is collected from handover
regions only, instead of from the service area.
4. Interference matrices based on RXLEV statistics from the OMC (neighbours as well as temporary neighbours)
They can be a very good source of interference information if they are statistically stable because they are not sensi-
tive to data errors. On the other hand, they have many disadvantages, such as:
Transmitters with the same BSIC and BCCH can not be differentiated.
Transmitters having the same BCCH will never have an interference entry.
Information is lost when more than 6 interferers exist at any location.
If many interferers share the same BCCH, they increase each others interference levels.
HCS layers can cause problems because there are more servers at any point, macro layer servers are stronger, or
a correction margin might be introduced for some equipment, etc.
This type of interference matrix can be created using an extended neighbours list.
5. Interference matrices based on drive test data
Reliability can be low because usually the drive test data sampling zone and the traffic model are not related.
Secondly, the measurements are carried out for existing neighbours.
6. Interference matrices based on CW measurements
Their reliability can be low because the measurements usually do not reflect the traffic model. However, this source
of information can be very reliable for a subset of transmitters that were properly scanned. Carrying out CW meas-
urements is expensive which means that the collected information is often partial or out of date.
7. Interference matrices based on scan data drive tests
They are highly reliable and an excellent source of information, but are not useful in a radio planning tool because no
information is available to map transmitters to the received signals at any pixel.
8. Upper bound interference matrix
The source of this type of interference matrix is not defined. It can be based on user experience. The information
contained in this interference matrix is used as an upper limit, i.e., if this interference matrix indicates a certain level
of interference, it should not be exceeded because other interference matrices show higher interference. If an upper
bound interference matrix does not contain information about an entry, it is ignored.
9. Lower bound interference matrix
The source of this type of interference matrix is not defined. It can be based on user experience. The information
contained in this interference matrix is used as a lower limit. This type of interference matrix can be very useful
because you can edit entries in this interference matrix, and be certain that the interference will be at least as high as
the value you entered. This approach can be used when user experience shows a certain level of interference which
the radio network planning tool is unable to calculate.
To define the interference matrix type:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the GSM Interference Matrices folder.
3. Right-click the interference matrix for which you want to define the type. The context menu appears.
4. Select Properties from the context menu. The Interference Matrix Properties dialog box appears.
5. On the Advanced tab, select the Interference Matrix Type from the list.
Depending on the matrix type, the quality indicators available in the Advanced tab include:
For matrices based on path loss (propagation data) matrices:
The standard deviation
The resolution
Whether the interference information (probabilities) correspond to traffic or surface area.
Matrices based on propagation can store additional information, such as server selection
or the overlap margin value, if shadowing has been taken into account for their calculation
and, if so, the cell edge coverage probability. This information can then be used by the AFP
for some calculations. For more information, see "The Cost Tab" on page 402 and "The
Advanced Tab" on page 411.
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You can also select a transmitter by clicking its symbol in the map window.
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Intra-Technology Neighbours: For information on the options, see "Studying GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network Capacity"
on page 327.
7. Click Calculate. The interference probability values are displayed in the right-most column of the Interference Matrix
Analysis tab.
The tool calculates and displays interference probabilities using the active interference matrices available in the GSM
Interference Matrices folder in the Network explorer. If the interference matrices in the GSM Interference Matrices
folder are inactive or if interference matrices are not available, the analysis tool only calculates and displays the inter-
ference from a transmitter and its TRXs on itself.
In the map window, arrows from the studied transmitter to each interfered or interfering transmitter are displayed.
The colour of the arrow is the same as the colour of the studied transmitter. The probabilities of interference are
displayed as captions for the arrows. The thickness of the arrows are indicate the interference probability.
8. Select the interference information to display in the rightmost column:
Under the Status column, you can display the interference matrix information with the studied transmitter as the
Victim or the Interferer.
Under the Frequency Reuse column, you can display Co-channel or Adjacent Channel interference information
for the studied transmitter.
Under the Filtering column, you can display the Strongly Interfered, All Interfered, or the Neighbour Violations
of the studied transmitter. You can choose more than one of these options by pressing and holding Ctrl and
clicking each option.
The following figures illustrate the display of interference information.
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In order to generate a report on all the interference matrices in the GSM Interference Matrices folder:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the GSM Interference Matrices folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Generate Report from the context menu. The Interference Matrix Scope dialog box appears with the report
details:
A table with the number of times the listed transmitter has been interfered
The total number of entries in the selected interference matrices
The number of transmitters covered by the interference matrices
The average number of interferers per interfered subcell in the interference matrices.
When you have several active interference matrices in a project, only those intersecting
the AFP scope will be loaded in order to avoid consuming more memory than necessary
during the AFP process. The "RAM Consumption" field in the interference matrix proper-
ties dialog box indicates how much memory the interference matrix will take. For embed-
ded matrices, the AFP loads them only during the AFP process, so the "RAM Consumption"
field will always be zero. For external matrices, the AFP reads them to check their scope
and then decides whether they are to be loaded into memory or not, so, the "RAM
Consumption" field will always be a non-zero value (after running the AFP). As a result, it
is recommended to embed interference matrices as long as the document file size is not
excessively large.
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You can also define exceptional pairs from the AFP results. Subcells which do not respect
separation constraints can be defined as exceptional pairs in order to force the AFP to
modify its allocation priority and to avoid this violation. See "AFP Results" on page 379 for
more information.
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4. Select the Transmitter 1 TRX Type and the Transmitter 2 TRX Type to display.
When you select "All" as either Transmitter 1 TRX Type or Transmitter 2 TRX Type, Atoll
does not display all TRX types. Rather it displays only exceptional frequency separations for
which the TRX type constraint is defined as "All."
5. Click the arrow ( ) next to the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The menu
appears.
6. Select Exceptional Pairs (AFP) from the context menu.
7. Click the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar.
8. Click a transmitter on the map to display the exceptional frequency separations. If the selected transmitter has
defined exceptional frequency separations that fit the display options, Atoll displays the following information (see
Figure 7.29):
The exceptional frequency separations of the selected transmitter are indicated by a heavy line in the same
colour as the other transmitter in the defined pair.
The defined minimum channel separation is indicated beside the line linking the two transmitters.
9. In order to restore colours and cancel the neighbour display, click the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) again.
You can define exceptional pairs directly on the map. For information, see "Adding or
Removing Exceptional Frequency Separations Using the Mouse" on page 366.
5. Click the arrow ( ) next to the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The menu
appears.
6. Select Exceptional Pairs (AFP) from the context menu.
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9. In order to restore colours and cancel the neighbour display, click the Edit Relations on the Map button ( ) again.
You can display the coverage areas of exceptional pairs in much the same way as you
would display the coverage of a transmitters neighbours, with the exception that you
select Exceptional Pairs (AFP) when you click the arrow ( ) next to the Edit Relations on
the Map button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. For more information, see "Editing
Neighbours on the Map" on page 229.
Review the neighbour allocation before running the AFP. Often poorly defined neighbour
relations are the cause of a poorly defined frequency plan.
You can calculate neighbour importance by automatically allocating neighbours as explained in "Automatically Allocating
Neighbours to Multiple Cells" on page 226. Atolls default values when automatically allocating neighbours are:
Coverage Factor: 1% to 30%
Adjacency Factor: 30% to 60%
Co-site Factor: 60% to 100%
If you are running an automatic neighbour allocation so that Atoll can use the calculated neighbour calculation in the AFP, you
should change the values:
Coverage Factor: 1% to 81%
Adjacency Factor: 20% to 90%
Co-site Factor: 70% to 100%
Changing the default values changes the priority definitions of the neighbour allocation
algorithm. For more information, see the Technical Reference Guide.
After you have run the automatic neighbour allocation and the latter has calculated the neighbour importance, you can
commit the results and run the AFP.
There are several possible external sources of neighbour importance. For example:
OMC HO statistics
Test mobile data measurements (providing the measurements ignore interference between non-neighbours).
As with any source of information, it is up to the user to prepare and import this external data. Neighbour importance is meas-
ured in terms of probabilities.
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After adding new sites, or in order to resolve handover problems, you might need to run a new automatic neighbour alloca-
tion. However, when you run an automatic neighbour allocation, Atoll recalculates all existing neighbour relations and over-
writes existing neighbour importance values. If the changes to the network were only minimal, you can assume that the
existing neighbour relations and weights were accurate. You can also assume that the newly calculated neighbour relations
and importance values are less important, because they are only minor modifications to a working system.
You can preserve the existing neighbour relations and importance values while at the same time creating neighbour relations
for the new sites by first exporting the existing neighbour relations, running an automatic neighbour allocation to create
neighbour relations along with their weights, and then re-importing the original neighbour relations and weights. Atoll will
then replace the newly calculated neighbour relations and weights with the original values where they exist.
To extend an neighbour allocation while preserving existing neighbour relations:
1. Export the current intra-technology neighbour relations once to a file called AllCurrentNei.txt using the Export
command on the Neighbours table's context menu. For information on exporting a table, see "Exporting Tables to
Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 85.
2. Export the intra-technology neighbour relations a second time to a file called AllCurrentNei_Importance.txt, this time
selecting the neighbour relations with a reliable neighbour importance.
3. Import the AllCurrentNei.txt file into the Exceptional Pairs of Intra-technology Neighbours table. This will set all
existing neighbour relations to forced, which is a pre-requisite to extending an existing neighbour allocation. For infor-
mation on importing the contents of a text file into a table, see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 86.
4. Set the importance weighting in the Neighbour Importance Weighting dialog box in order to keep the values assigned
for importance below a certain value. For example, if you want all importance values to be under 50%, you can set the
Max Importance values as indicated in Figure 7.30. For information on setting the importance weighting, see "Config-
uring Neighbour Importance Factors" on page 231.
5. Run an automatic neighbour allocation to allocate neighbours to new sites and assign importance to neighbour rela-
tions that do not already have an importance assigned. For information on defining and running an automatic neigh-
bour allocation, see "Automatically Allocating Neighbours to Multiple Cells" on page 226.
As you can see in Figure 7.30, the importance assigned to all new neighbour relations will be weak.
6. Commit the allocation.
7. Import the AllCurrentNei.txt file into the Neighbours table. When Atoll prompts you to delete existing neighbours,
click No.
In Figure 7.31, you can see that neighbour relations now include old neighbour relations with a higher importance and new
neighbour relations with a lower importance automatically calculated by Atoll.
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You can import partial sources of neighbour importance. The data, in the form of a probability from 0 to 1, are imported into
the Importance column of the Neighbours.
If your network statistics do not provide you with the importance of neighbours, you can calculate neighbour importance
using other statistics. You can then import this calculated importance into Atoll where it can be used by the AFP.
For example, if you have statistics on the number of handovers between two sectors, you can calculate the importance of the
different neighbours of each cell using these statistics. For example, if you have two sectors, A and B, and you use X to repre-
sent the "Average Activity of a Relationship" in the network, i.e., the sum of all handovers for all sectors divided by the number
of neighbour relationships. If the number of handovers from sector B (neighbour of sector A) is Y, the importance of sector B
for sector A can be calculated using the following equation:
1ifY X
Impor tan ce = Y
---- IfY X
X
This way, when a relationship has an above-average number of handovers, its importance will be the highest possible in Atoll,
i.e., 100%. Otherwise, its importance will be below average.
When all traffic loads are set to "1," the amount of traffic is determined exclusively by the number of required TRXs. As a
result, all TRXs are considered equally. This method has to be used whenever the only information you have is the number of
required TRXs.
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In this method of providing traffic information to the AFP, the AFP traffic is determined by the manually entered traffic load
values, and by the manually entered number of required TRXs. The disadvantage of this method is that this information must
usually be calculated and entered manually; it is not easy to obtain automatically. If you have access to this information, you
can use this method.
This method is recommended for use with the Atoll AFP, however, it is not supported by all external AFP suppliers. Using this
method, the AFP considers the number of required TRXs as a recommendation only. The actual traffic demand is taken from
the Subcells table, where the data has been updated using traffic demands supplied by the OMC (see "Importing OMC Traffic
Data into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data" on page 328).
To use the traffic information in the Subcells Table: Traffic Data:
1. On the Cost tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box, select the option Based on the traffic demand (from
subcell table or default traffic capture). For more information on the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box, see
"Automatic Frequency Planning" on page 393.
2. On the Global Parameters tab of the AFP wizard dialog box, select the option From subcell table under Traffic (Subcell
load, demand and target rate of traffic overload). For more information on the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog
box, see "Automatic Frequency Planning" on page 393.
3. On the AFP Model and Allocations tab of the first AFP dialog box, select the option Optimisation of the number of
TRXs under Strategies. For more information on the AFP Module Properties dialog box, see "Automatic Frequency
Planning" on page 393.
In this method, you use traffic maps, but you rely on external dimensioning to determine the number of required TRXs.
This method also requires you to create a traffic capture before launching the AFP. The traffic capture will provide an analysis
of traffic at the transmitter level, thereby transforming the traffic maps into the load estimates that are required for the AFP.
The traffic model is a map and gives probabilistic traffic estimates per pixel. The AFP needs either traffic demands or loads. In
both case, it needs this information at the subcell or cell level. The traffic capture is responsible for this conversion.
Using a traffic model is an enhanced use of Atoll. You must be sure that your traffic modelling is correct and compatible with
the service zone modelling. You must also be aware of mobility compatibilities, service compatibilities, mobile compatibilities,
and layer definitions.
The inherent complexities of working with a traffic model discourage many users from working with a traffic model, even
though theoretically this is the best way of planning a GSM network.
It is even possible to restrict the use of a certain map (or set of maps) to a certain HCS layer. We highly recommend the usage
of this feature since it reduces this complexity (see "Creating a Traffic Capture" on page 329).
In order to use this option, you must do the following:
On the Global Parameters tab of the AFP dialog box, select Based on default traffic capture results under Traffic.
With this method you use a traffic model along with dimensioning (see "Dimensioning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on
page 334).
Usually the number of required TRXs is an input. The number of required TRXs can be strict or lightly modified. If you decide
to use Atoll's dimensioning model to determine the number of required TRXs:
Thoroughly test your traffic model and network.
Carry out the dimensioning, verify the results, and commit it.
By committing the required number of TRXs you have already committed the load and the demand information to the cells
or subcells. You are now ready to use the AFP.
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number of TRXs needed per subcell, see "Dimensioning a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on page 332. For information on adding
TRXs manually, see "Creating or Modifying a TRX" on page 289.
When you dimension the network, Atoll also calculates the required number of shared, circuit, and packet timeslots required
for all TRXs of the subcell.
The other AFP-relevant parameters in the network concern the subcells and related TRXs. In Atoll, a subcell refers to the char-
acteristics of a group of TRXs on a transmitter sharing the same radio characteristics, the same quality (C/I) requirements, and
other settings.
The following subcell settings can be modified globally by modifying the cell type or for a specific transmitter by modifying the
parameters under Subcells on the TRXs tab of the transmitters Properties dialog box. The parameters are displayed in three
different tables under Subcells: Standard Data, for the standard information defining a subcell, Traffic Data, for information
describing the traffic in the cell, and AFP indicators, for information resulting from running an AFP model. For information on
modifying cell types, see "Cell Types" on page 490. For information on modifying transmitter properties, see "Creating or
Modifying a Transmitter" on page 287.
The following are the most important AFP-relevant parameters under Subcells on the TRXs tab of the transmitters Properties
dialog box:
Traffic Load: The Traffic Load indicates the usage rate of TRXs; its value must be from 0 to 1. The value in the Traffic
Load column can be either user-defined or the result of network dimensioning, in which case it will be the same value
for all subcells covering the same area (e.g., BCCH and TCH). The traffic load is used to calculate interference and in
automatic frequency planning.
Total Circuit Demand: The circuit demand indicates the amount of Erlangs necessary to absorb the circuit-switched
demand. This value can be either user-defined or the result of a traffic capture, in which case it will be the same value
for all subcells covering the same area (e.g., BCCH and TCH). This value can be used by an advanced AFP model to opti-
mise the number of TRXs and maximise the amount of correctly served traffic. The Total Circuit Demand is found in
the Traffic Data table.
Total Packet Demand: The packet demand indicates the amount of timeslots necessary to absorb the packet-switched
demand. This value can be either user-defined or the result of a traffic capture, in which case it will be the same value
for all subcells covering the same area (e.g. BCCH and TCH). This value can be used by an advanced AFP model to opti-
mise the number of TRXs and maximise the amount of correctly served traffic. The Total Packet Demand is found in
the Traffic Data table.
C/I Threshold (dB): The minimum signal quality for the TRX Type, under which the subcell interface is taken into con-
sideration. The C/I Threshold is found in the Standard table.
Reception Threshold (dBm): The minimum received signal for the TRX Type. The Reception Threshold is found in the
Standard table.
Frequency Domain: (including excluded channels), from which the AFP tool can choose frequencies. The Frequency
Domain is found in the Standard table. The Relevant Frequency Band used by the model when assigning cell types to
transmitters is also visible on the TRXs tab, but is a parameter of the cell type and can not be changed here.
The other AFP-relevant parameters under Subcells on the TRXs tab of the transmitters Properties dialog box are:
Allocation Strategy: The allocation strategy used during manual or automatic frequency planning. The Allocation
Strategy is found in the Standard table. There are two available allocation strategies:
Free: Any of the channels belonging to the frequency domain can be assigned to TRXs.
Group Constrained: Only channels belonging to the same frequency group in the frequency domain can be
assigned. You can use the Preferred Frequency Group to define the preferred group of frequencies when using
the AFP.
Preferred Frequency Group: When the Group Constrained allocation strategy is selected, in any hopping mode
(including non-hopping), the AFP tries to assign frequencies from the preferred group during automatic allocation. The
preferred frequency group is a soft constraint used by the AFP to assign frequencies to TRXs. When the AFP is unable
to assign a frequency from the preferred group and allocates a frequency from outside the group, a corresponding
cost is taken into account. The preferred group can also be the result of allocation if the AFP model is able to allocate
patterns based on azimuth. The Preferred Frequency Group is found in the Standard table.
Max. MAL Length: The maximum length of the mobile allocation list (MAL), in other words, the maximum number of
channels allocated to the TRXs of the subcell during automatic frequency planning if the Hopping Mode is either SFH
(Synthesised Frequency Hopping) or BBH (Base Band Hopping) and if the Allocation Strategy is Free. The Max. MAL
Length is found in the Standard table.
Hopping Mode: The frequency hopping mode supported by the selected TRX type. The hopping mode can be either
"Base Band Hopping mode (BBH)" or "Synthesised Hopping mode (SFH)." If frequency hopping is not supported, select
"Non Hopping." The Hopping Mode is found in the Standard table.
If SFH is the frequency hopping mode, the settings in the AFP module must match the
settings in the subcell. For information on configuring the optional Atoll AFP module, see
"Automatic Frequency Planning" on page 393.
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Synchronisation: The Synchronisation is used during frequency hopping; frequency hopping is synchronised among
all TRXs of subcells with the same string of characters in the Synchronisation column. By default, the name of the site
is used as the value in the Synchronisation column, synchronising frequency hopping for all TRXs on the same site.
The Synchronisation is found in the Standard table.
DTX Supported: The DTX Supported check box is selected if the subcell supports DTX (Discontinuous Transmission)
mode. Subcells supporting DTX can reduce interference they produce according to the defined voice activity factor.
DTX does not apply to the BCCH since it is assumed that the BCCH is always on air. The DTX Supported check box is
found in the Standard table.
Lock required TRXs: This option can be used by an AFP model which has the capability to optimise (i.e., increase or
decrease) the number of required TRXs where the only goal is maximising the amount of correctly served traffic. In
other words, you might have fewer TRXs than required if they are not subject to any interference and the amount of
correctly served traffic will be larger. When you select this option, the number of required TRXs is blocked for that
subcell. The Lock required TRXs option is found in the Standard table.
Although you can manually set the values of the following required timeslot numbers, these values are calculated during the
dimensioning process. On the AFP tab of a transmitters Properties dialog box, under Parameters related to automatic plan-
ning, you can set the weight and reuse distance to be used for the selected transmitter during the AFP:
Weight: Enter the AFP weight. The AFP weight is used to increase or decrease the importance of a subcell during auto-
matic frequency planning. The value must be a real number. The higher the AFP weight is, the higher the constraint
on the TRX type. The AFP weight artificially multiplies the cost function which has to be minimised by the AFP. The
Weight is found in the Standard table.
Reuse distance: Enter a reuse distance. The reuse distance is taken into consideration when assigning frequencies or
BSIC. Using a minimum reuse distance can help compensate for inaccuracies in the interference matrices or other
input data.
If certain resources have already been allocated, on the AFP tab of a transmitters Properties dialog box you can choose to
lock the resources that have already been allocated to the selected transmitter. During automatic frequency planning, these
resources, which can be allocated as part of the process, will not be changed.
Lock Channels and MAIO: When selected, the transmitters currently assigned channels and MAIO are kept when a
new AFP session is started. On the TRXs tab, under TRXs, you can lock the channels and MAIO for individual TRXs
assigned to the transmitter.
Lock HSN: When selected, the transmitters currently assigned HSN is kept when a new AFP session is started. On the
TRXs tab, under Subcells, you can lock the HSN for individual subcells assigned to the transmitter.
Lock BSIC: When selected, the transmitters currently assigned BSIC is kept when a new AFP session is started.
The Lock BSIC status can also be managed via the Network explorer from the context
menu of an individual transmitter or group of transmitters. For more information, see "AFP
Resource Status Management" on page 286.
On the AFP tab, under Exceptional separation constraints with other transmitters, you can enter exceptional separation
constraints with other transmitters. Exceptional separation constraints you enter here also appear in the Exceptional Sepa-
ration Constraints table. For information on creating exceptional separation constraints, see "Defining Exceptional Frequency
Separations" on page 365.
By adding two options in the Atoll.ini file, you can force the Atoll AFP model to restrict
channel allocation to a limited spectrum for each transmitter in the same way that it is
implemented on some equipment. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
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HO margins, more HSC layers mean more overlapping in the network. As the overlapping increases, the constraint level in the
interference matrix and the amount of interference in an interference prediction also increase.
When using this method, you must study the priority mechanism in your network, both in the re-selection process and in the
handover process. Define the corresponding HCS layers once you know its working. When using a traffic map, you must ensure
that there are enough mobility types to model high speed and low speed mobilities.
Method 3: With this method, you study the settings of the TCH TRXs and how they manage radio resources. There might be
differences between the TRXs on at least one of the following items:
Whether transmission power is maximum or average
Whether reception is managed by reception level or by distance
Scheduling priority
Whether the subcell handles packet-switched or circuit-switched traffic
Quality requirement for high bit-rate coding schemes.
Spectral restrictions (often present with the GSM extended frequencies)
Frequent use of high bit rate modulations
Whether the BCCH is multi-band or single BCCH.
A customised definition of multi-subcell transmitters can permit the AFP to exploit these differences. This is often called the
underlay overlay layout, (or intelligent underlay overlay). For detailed information on the technical aspects of cell type defi-
nition, see "Cell Types" on page 490.
With this method, there is more than one way to improve the accuracy of the network model. The common point is the fact
that they all require multi-subcell transmitters. Theoretically, these combined methods should provide over 40% additional
spectrum efficiency (40% in the case of voice, for packet-switched services it can be much higher). However, you can assume
that the gains are lower when the HCS layers are intelligently defined. In other words, if you improve the efficient use of spec-
trum by accurately defining the HCS layers, you can not get an equivalent amount through the accurate definition of concen-
tric cells.
Concentric cells are necessary whenever some TRXs have a bigger interference area than others, or when some TRXs serve
traffic which is more widely spread than others, or when some TRXs are used for more robust services than others, (i.e., for
services which do not need as high a quality as others).
Each of these refinements, alone or combined, can reduce the constraint level, leading to a much better frequency plan.
Method 4: With this method, youll have to check the network as described in this section before starting the AFP:
1. Create a traffic map based on environments, using an appropriate clutter weighting. For information on creating an
environment-based traffic map, see "Creating a User Profile Environment-based Traffic Map" on page 260.
2. Import the current frequency plan into your Atoll document. For information on importing a frequency plan into an
Atoll document, see "Importing a Frequency List" on page 349.
3. Create a traffic capture and calculate it. For information on creating a traffic capture, see "Calculating and Displaying
a Traffic Capture" on page 329.
4. Perform a KPI calculation and commit it. For information on KPI calculation, see "Calculating Key Performance Indica-
tors of a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Network" on page 467.
5. Adjust the traffic coefficient in the traffic capture so that the average level of traffic loads is correct.
6. Study the cases where traffic loads are either too low or too high. This can easily be managed by colouring transmitters
according to their traffic load. The reasons for this can be the following:
A high priority cell is taking all the traffic from another cell. This means that the HCS parameters in Atoll do not
reflect reality.
There exist a cell that is no longer used and, in fact, has been removed from the OMC but still exists in the Atoll.
This cell is absorbing the traffic and reduces to 0 the load of another cell.
Other parameters are not correct: Height, power, tilt, etc.
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evaluate possible frequency plans and to find the frequency plan with the lowest costs. The cost function can be different from
one AFP to another. The cost function of the Atoll AFP module is described in "Automatic Frequency Planning" on page 393.
The quality of the final resource allocation depends on the level of preparation you make for the AFP. An advanced level
requires an understanding of the cost function, the algorithm, and the parameters specific to that module. Therefore, in this
section, only basic preparation is explained since it is common to all AFP modules that work with Atoll. Advanced use of the
Atoll AFP is explained in "Automatic Frequency Planning" on page 393.
Before using the AFP for automatic resource allocation, you should understand the following:
The scope of the AFP (i.e., in other words, the area and parameters that will be affected by the AFP). For more infor-
mation, see "The Scope of the AFP and the Scope of the Interference Matrix" on page 374.
The network validation process that takes place before the AFP starts. For more information, see "The Network Vali-
dation Process" on page 375.
An understanding of the AFP dialog box. For more information, see "Running an Automatic Frequency Allocation" on
page 376
The AFP results. Understanding the displayed AFP results enables you to assess the proposed frequency plan before
committing the frequency plan. For more information, see "AFP Results" on page 379.
7.4.4.1 The Scope of the AFP and the Scope of the Interference Matrix
In this section, the following are explained:
"The Scope of the AFP" on page 374
"The Scope of the Interference Matrix" on page 374.
In Atoll's AFP, locked TRXs are reported as locked during cost calculation, however the AFP
can still modify the cost of locked TRXs under the following circumstances: if the locked
TRX has a bad neighbour relation (in terms of cost) with another TRX which is not locked,
Atoll's AFP reports to the user which part of the cost can be modified and which part can
not.
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matrices in the folder. For more information on the definition of the interference matrix, see "Interference Matrices" on
page 353.
In terms of the AFP, the scope of the interference matrix is the same as that of the AFP, as described in "The Scope of the AFP"
on page 374. In other words, the scope of the interference matrix during an automatic resource allocation includes the trans-
mitters that are active and filtered and within the focus zone and the computation zone, as well the transmitters which will
be taken into consideration by the AFP but will not be affected.
Including the transmitters that are not affected by the AFP (but that affect other transmitters during the allocation of
resources) can be quite demanding on computer resources. By drawing a filtering zone around all of the transmitters to which
resources are to be allocated (the Selected group in the example given in "The Scope of the AFP" on page 374), you can cause
the AFP to ignore transmitters outside of the group of affected transmitters in the interference matrix zone.
You can view the entire message by double-clicking it in the Events viewer, Atoll then displays the message in a separate
dialog box (see Figure 7.33).
The following table contains a few examples of the range checks performed by the AFP:
Default value for AFP weight 1 Used if the AFP weight is out of domain
Default value for min C/I 12 Used if the parameter is out of range
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Default value for reception threshold -102 Used if the parameter is out of range
Atoll will not create TRXs without channels. Therefore, if you do not allocate MAL and
MAIO, all the SFH subcells are considered locked and no TRXs will be created for them. By
the same token, if you allocate only MAL and MAIO, all NH and BBH subcells will be consid-
ered locked and no TRXs will be created.
c. Under Strategies, select the check boxes corresponding to the allocation strategies you want the AFP to use.
Optimisation of the number of TRXs: When subcells have low traffic loads and are located in a zone of heavy
spectral congestion, reducing the number of TRXs to be assigned can present an advantage. On the other
hand, when some subcells have a high traffic demand, the AFP may increase the number of TRXs compared to
what is required to reduce the amount of blocked traffic.
Azimuth-oriented allocation (Pattern 1/X): The azimuth-oriented allocation strategy consists of allocating
preferred frequency groups to group-constrained subcells according to the azimuth of the subcell. If the fre-
quency groups are correctly configured (i.e., if X comparably sized frequency groups for X azimuths), then the
pattern of allocation will be 1/X. If the geometry of the network is incompatible with an azimuth-oriented al-
location, the AFP will not attempt to allocate preferred frequency groups.
d. Under Indicators to allocate, select the check boxes corresponding to the indicators you want the Atoll AFP to
allocate.
TRX Rank: The AFP can calculate the TRX rank of each TRX. The higher the TRX rank, the higher the cost, in
terms of the risk of interference..
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Subcell Indicators: AFP cost, congestion, blocking and separation cost can be estimated by the AFP module
per pool of subcells (e.g., a BCCH pool or a TCH pool). These indicators are a way of precisely estimating the
allocation quality at the subcell level and provide some directions to improve the plan, if necessary.
e. Select the Load all interferers propagating in the focus zone check box if you want the AFP scope to be extended
to include all potential interferers. For more information on the AFP scope, see "The Scope of the AFP and the
Scope of the Interference Matrix" on page 374.
4. Click Next. The second page of the AFP dialog box appears with the Separations tab. On this page, you can modify the
network's default separation requirements as well the exceptional pairs. For more information on the separation
requirements, see "Defining Exceptional Frequency Separations" on page 365. For more information on the excep-
tional pairs, see "Exceptional Pairs" on page 223.
5. Click Next. The third page of the AFP dialog box appears with the Global Parameters tab.
6. Under Allocation of subcells of type, select the check boxes corresponding to the subcells for which resources will be
allocated to TRXs.
Missing TRXs will not be created for any subcell not selected under Allocation of subcells
of type.
7. Under Locking of existing TRXs of type, select the check boxes corresponding to the subcells for which you want the
existing TRXs to be locked during allocation. The existing TRXs will not be affected.
You can lock the resources allocated to individual TRXs in either the Transmitters table, the
Standard Data Subcells table, the TRXs table, or the Properties dialog box of each trans-
mitter.
8. Under Traffic (Subcell load, demand and target rate of traffic overflow), select the source of the traffic information:
From Subcells table: The traffic information in the Subcells table can come from one of three sources:
The information could have been entered manually
The information could have come from dimensioning
The information could have come from a KPI calculation.
If the traffic information in the Subcells table is the result of a KPI calculation you must be
aware that, during a KPI calculation, Atoll divides the captured traffic by the timeslot
capacity of the existing number of TRXs, whereas the AFP requires the traffic to be divided
by the timeslot capacity of the required number of TRXs.
You can enter a reuse distance for each transmitter in the Reuse Distance column of the
Transmitters table.
11. Click OK. The AFP verifies the parameters you have defined. The AFP dialog box that appears (see Figure 7.35) gives a
summary of the verification process as well as the messages displayed in the Events viewer.
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12. Under Convergence, adjust the slider to define whether you want AFP to provide quicker results (High speed), at the
expense of quality, or more accurate results (High quality), at the expense of speed. You can also position the slider
on an intermediate setting or enter a percentage in the field to the right of the slider.
In Atoll, convergence is one of the last parameters you set before running the AFP. In theory, an exhaustive explora-
tion of all cost-reduction possibilities by the AFP could last indefinitely; therefore, when you run the AFP, you must
define a convergence criterion. When convergence time has expired (or even before if you are satisfied with the cost
reduction at that point), you can stop the AFP. The quality of the final results is determined by the speed-to-quality
ratio you specified with the Convergence slider and by the size of the network.
13. If desired, enter a Random Generator Initialisation. If you set the random generator initialisation to "0", the calcula-
tions will be random. If you set the generator initialisation to any other value, the results will be deterministic, i.e.,
using the same value again will result in the same results with the same document.
All AFP calculations are deterministic at the start, even if the random generator initialisa-
tion is set to "0." The effect of the random seed can only be observed after a certain time.
If you want the automatic allocation process to show the effect of random allocation, you
must let the AFP calculate until computation time has elapsed.
14. Click Calculate. The AFP Progress dialog box appears (see Figure 7.35).
Read the messages in the Events viewer carefully before clicking Calculate. There might
be issues that you need to address before you can successfully run an AFP.
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For information on the AFP Progress dialog box and on the process of allocating frequencies and resources, see "AFP Progress
Dialog Box" on page 379.
CPU time is based on one calculation thread. Since the AFP uses more than one thread in
most multi-core computers, the CPU time is actually about 2.5 times faster than real time.
Quality Indicators: On the Quality Indicators tab, you will find a summary of the current Modifiable cost, Total cost,
and Total traffic, with details for each frequency plan currently retained by the AFP given in the form of a table. You
can select what information is displayed in the table by clicking the Display Options button. The following options are
available for each component of the cost (total, separation, intermodulation, blocking, additional, taxes, spectrum
modification, etc.):
Summed Costs
Modifiable Costs
Locked Costs
Histogram: On the Histogram tab, you can display histograms of the frequency cost and usage distribution for both
the initial plan and best plan. The histogram represents the channels as a function of the frequency of their use.
Moving the pointer over the histogram displays the cost or frequency of use of each channel. The results are high-
lighted simultaneously in the Zoom on selected values list. You can zoom in on values by clicking and dragging in the
Zoom on selected values list. Atoll will zoom in on the selected values.
You can pause or stop the AFP process at any time by clicking the Pause/Stop button. When you click the Pause/Stop button,
the Details dialog box appears. For information on the Details dialog box, see "AFP Results" on page 379.
You can continue the AFP process, if you want, by clicking the Resume button in the Details dialog box.
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ters located within the focus zone are listed in the Details dialog box. If the focus zone is not available, the results are displayed
for all the transmitters within the computation zone.
The Details dialog box is composed of four tabs: Summary, Allocation, Subcells, and Histogram.
AFP cost units are traffic units. In the Initial plan and Best plan frames, the Traffic correctly served is the total traffic minus
the Total Cost.
In Figure 7.36, the Traffic correctly served for the best plan is 7095.7, which corresponds to 7192.3 minus 96.6.
By adding some options in the Atoll.ini file, you can set the threshold above which the
important separation constraint violations will be displayed in red.
Else:
Black: The resource has been not been modified.
Light blue: The resource is locked and has not been modified.
Green: The resource has been modified according to the defined separation constraints.
Brown: The resource has not been modified but there is a separation constraint violation.
Blue: The resource has been created according to the defined separation constraints.
By default, AFP results are displayed in basic view (see Figure 7.37).
A more detailed view can be displayed using Display Options > Display Detailed Constraint Violations (see Figure 7.37).
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In basic view, a grid shows all the sectors and their newly allocated frequencies, with various resources from different levels:
transmitter, subcell, and TRX levels. In case of SFH, the HSN synchronisation, the MALs, and the MAIOs are highly
interconnected; it is therefore important to see them all at the same time.
As said earlier, the quality of a new frequency plan is visible at first glance. It is reflected by the colour of each TRX. Important
violations ("Red" TRXs) can be displayed separately using Display Options > Display Important Violations Only.
Figure 7.38: AFP Results > Allocation tab (displaying important violations only)
Also, if the AFP has removed resources such as TRXs to obtain the lowest blocking cost, the initial resource value is displayed
but the corresponding line is dithered. The resources are actually deleted from the TRXs table.
When hovering the mouse pointer over a resource in the table, the corresponding tip text displays the reason for the status
indicated by the colour.
Under Display, for each combination of transmitter (Transmitter column), subcell (TRX Type column), and TRX (Index
column), Atoll will display one of the following columns according to the selected resources:
BSIC
HSN
Channels
The TRX Rank column indicates the quality of the TRX in that subcell. The higher the TRX rank, the higher the cost, in terms of
risk of interference. In other words, when you are trying to improve the solution proposed by the AFP, you must concentrate
on the TRXs with the highest TRX ranks. You can hide the TRX Rank column by clicking the Display Options button and dese-
lecting Display AFP Indicators.
Separation constraint violations, if any, are listed in the Separations violations column.
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To display the details of a separation constraint violation (in basic view only):
1. Click the violation in the Separations violations column. A message box appears with details on the violation.
You can resolve all important separation constraint violations at once. When you do that, Atoll deletes all the TRXs which
cause important separation constraint violations.
To display important constraint violations only:
1. Click the Display Options button. The context menu appears.
2. Select Display Important Violations Only from the context menu. As a result, only important violations are displayed.
See Figure 7.38 on page 381.
To resolve all important separation constraint violations at once:
1. Click the Actions button. The context menu appears.
2. Select Resolve Important Constraint Violations from the context menu.
In the Channel Assignment column, each TRX is assigned one of two values: "Initial Value" or "New Value". A third option is
available to "Delete the TRX", particularly when you want to resolve a separation a constraint violation manually.
When you select one of the options in the Channel Assignment column, Atoll updates not only the affected TRX, but also the
separation constraint violations of all other TRXs affected by the change.
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As you modify the current frequency allocation plan, you can display the AFP plan as it appeared before modifications, or
before the initial frequency plan, if any.
To change the displayed plan, click the Display Options button than select one of the following:
Display the Plan to be Committed: When this option is selected, Atoll displays the frequency plan as it now stands,
that is the post-AFP frequency plan with the modifications you made after running the AFP. You can only modify the
entries in the Channel Assignment column in the current plan.
Display the Final AFP Plan: When this option is selected, Atoll displays the post-AFP frequency plan as it stood before
you began making modifications.
Display the Initial Plan: When this option is selected, Atoll displays the frequency plan before the AFP session.
You can also cancel all the modifications you have made to the current AFP plan using Actions > Reset Channel Allocation.
When you resolve separation constraint violations automatically, Atoll deletes the TRXs that respond to set criteria and that
are involved in the violations.
To resolve separation constraint violations automatically:
1. Click the Actions button. The context menu appears.
2. Select Resolve Constraint Violations. The Constraint Violations Resolution dialog box appears.
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You can sort the contents of the table on the Allocation tab by using the context menu or by selecting an option displayed by
clicking the Display Options button.
By default, the contents of the table under Display are sorted by the content of the Transmitters column. If desired, you can
sort the content of the table by any other column, such as, for example, the BSIC column.
To sort the contents of the table:
1. Right-click the name of the column by which you want to sort the contents of the table. The context menu appears.
2. Select Sort Ascending or Sort Descending from the context menu.
Atoll enables you to filter the contents of the table to display only a selection of data.
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You can Display Important Violations Only. This option can prove very useful when too many low importance viola-
tions are displayed on the Allocation tab. In this mode, you can choose to delete the faulty TRXs individually (see
"Resolving Separation Constraint Violations Manually" on page 382) or all at once (see "Resolving Important Separa-
tion Constraint Violations" on page 382).
By adding options in the Atoll.ini file, you can specify the thresholds above which impor-
tant violations will be highlighted.
You can select one of the following plans to appear in the table:
Co-transmitter Violations: Select this option to show/hide co-transmitter separation constraint violations.
Co-site Violations: Select this option to show/hide co-site separation constraint violations.
Neighbour Violations: Select this option to show/hide neighbour separation constraint violations.
Exceptional Pair Violations: Select this option to show/hide exceptional pair separation constraint violations.
In case of large numbers of transmitters, it is recommended to use the Detailed Report feature. The other advantage of
detailed reports is that individual costs are displayed for each separation violation.
To display a detailed report:
1. Click the Detailed Report button. The Detailed Report table appears:
Figure 7.44: AFP Results > Allocation tab > Detailed AFP Report
Site, Transmitter, TRX Type, Index, Channels (or MAL), MAIO, HSN
Type of Violation
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Figure 7.45: Automatic assignment of the best obtained plan to the document
The full content of the detailed report is split into 5 files that will be saved in the ATL document directory.
File Name
File Content
(generated at 11:35 on 03/09/2015)
All records for which:
FP_AutoCommit__11h35_21_10_2015__exPairViolations.txt
Violation type = "Exceptional pair violation"
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If you are not satisfied with the current frequency plan, you can click the Resume button
to restart the AFP process from the last proposed solution in order to try to improve it.
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Figure 7.48: Selected TRX in Non Hopping mode (cost components and indicators for channel 565)
In Figure 7.49, candidate channel 545 is better than channel 565 even if interfered by TRXs of BRU002_G4 and BRU038_G5.
The Replace button becomes active for replacement.
Figure 7.49: Selected TRX in Non Hopping mode (candidate channel 545 for replacement of channel 565)
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7. Click Calculate. The IFP calculates and displays the cost of the current channel allocation for the selected transmitter.
The tool calculates and displays interference probabilities using the active interference matrices available in the GSM
Interference Matrices folder in the Network explorer. If the interference matrices in the GSM Interference Matrices
folder are not active or if interference matrices are not available, the analysis tool only calculates and displays the
interference from a transmitter and its TRXs on itself.
In the map window, arrows are displayed from the selected transmitter to each interfered or interfering transmitter.
The colour of the arrow is the same as the colour of the studied transmitter. The probabilities of interference are
displayed as captions on the arrows. The thickness of the lines indicates the interference probability.
Different information and options are available depending on the hopping mode of the selected transmitters TRXs:
Non Hopping mode
1st column: The header indicates the number of "existing TRXs" and "TRXs required" for the transmitter under
study, according to the TRX type currently selected beside Subcell. The "existing TRXs" are listed with the channel
and MAL assigned to each, and the allocation cost. "New TRX" appears at the beginning of the list after calculation
for TCH.
2nd column: The header indicates the number of "candidate(s)" and "channels in domain". The candidate chan-
nels are listed with the corresponding costs if allocated to the selected transmitter.
3rd column: In this column, you can select the information that should appear in the 4th column and on the map.
All the information below is selected by default. To filter it, press the Ctrl key and select the information you want:
penalties due to Major separation violations, Separation violations, Interference and Neighbour relations
KPIs and other components
4th column: The last column displays information on the way the allocation cost has been evaluated (traffic load,
cost components). In addition, it displays the interference probabilities between the selected TRX and interfering
TRXs according to the options selected in the Filtering column.
When only this filter is selected, only the penalties due to important
Major separation violations
separation violations appear in the 4th column and on the map.
When only this filter is selected, all the penalties due separation violations
Separation violations
appear in the 4th column and on the map.
When only this filter is selected, only the penalties due to interference appear
in the 4th column and on the map.
Interference (IM and distance)
When Separation violations is also selected, the penalty displayed on the map
is the sum of the penalties due to interference and separation violations.
When only this filter is selected, only the penalties due to the neighbours
Neighbour relations
currently in the Neighbours table appear in the 4th column and on the map.
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Figure 7.50: Selected TRX in SFH mode (cost components and indicators for channel 565)
2nd column: The MAIO and allocation cost appear for the TRX selected in the first column.
Unlike in "Non Hopping" and "Base Band Hopping" modes, there are no candidate chan-
nels in "Synthesised Hopping" mode since a channel should be assigned to several TRXs; in
addition, a candidate MAIO should also be proposed. The only usage of IFP in "Synthesised
Frequency Hopping" mode is to analyse the cost.
3rd column: In this column, you can select the information that should appear in the 4th column and on the map.
All the information below is selected by default. To filter it, press the Ctrl key and select the information you want:
penalties due to Major separation violations, Separation violations, Interference and Neighbour relations
KPIs and other components
4th column: The last column displays information on the way the allocation cost has been evaluated (traffic load,
cost components). In addition, it displays the interference probabilities between the selected TRX and interfering
TRXs according to the options selected in the Filtering column. For more details, see table in No Hopping mode.
You can double-click any item in any column to display additional information on this item. For example, the following dialog
box appears when you double-click a candidate channel in the 2nd column:
After calculating the cost of the current channel allocation for the selected transmitter, you can use the IFP to:
Create a new TRX and assign a channel to it
Delete an existing TRX
Replace the channel currently assigned to an existing TRX
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Figure 7.52: The Cost tab of the AFP Module Properties dialog box
7. Select the Modified TRX check box to restrict the number of modifications to the existing plan.
8. Select the Intermodulation Tax check box in order to try avoiding these products.
9. Click OK to save your changes to the AFP module and close the AFP Module Properties dialog box.
All the other AFP settings should be left with their default values.
To run a simple AFP process:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
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3. Select Frequency Plan > Automatic Allocation from the context menu. The AFP dialog box appears with the AFP
Model and Allocations tab displayed.
4. On the AFP Model and Allocations tab, click Next without modifying any of the options. The Separations tab appears.
5. On the Separations tab, click Next without modifying any of the separation rules and without defining any exceptional
pairs. The Global Parameters tab appears.
6. On the Global Parameters tab, select From subcells table under Traffic (load and demand). In the third page of the
AFP wizard, extract the traffic data from the subcells table.
7. Clear all the check boxes under Locking of existing TRXs of type and clear the DTX check box.
8. Click OK. The final AFP dialog box appears.
9. Set the Convergence to a relatively short period, i.e. move the corresponding slider closer to Speed than Quality.
For more information on running an automatic frequency allocation, see "Automatic Resource Allocation Using an AFP
Module" on page 373.
7.5.2.1.1 The Cost Function as a Combination of Separation Violation and Interference Probabilities
The cost function of the Atoll AFP has two main components: the cost for violations of separation constraints and the cost of
creating interference.
The Atoll AFP gives each separation violation the cost equivalent to a certain amount of interference, making it possible to
add both costs and minimise their total. For example, you can decide that a separation violation of 1 costs the same as x% of
interfered traffic. This is weighted by the type of violation (for example, co-transmitter separation violations have a higher
impact than neighbour separation violations). By defining equivalence between these dissimilar measurements, you can add
separation violation and interference costs using their common unit, i.e., the percentage of interfered traffic.
Following this principle, all other cost components are calculated in the same way:
The cost component due to allocation changes
The cost component of allocating TRXs that belong (or not) to a preferred frequency group (if such a group is defined)
The cost component of missing or extra TRXs compared to the number of required TRXs
The cost component of corrupted TRXs
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The cost component of assigned frequencies that are not in the assigned domain
The cost component of blocked traffic (calculated only when you set the AFP to optimise the number of required TRXs)
The cost component of intermodulation.
Case 1 Case 2
F1 is used 4 times; F2 and F3 are used F1, F2, and F3 are used two times
one time each. each.
This example shows the particularity of the node-oriented cost approach. AtollAFP is node oriented by default. You can set
Atoll's AFP to be edge oriented; these parameters are explained in "XREF" on page start here XREF. The three main advantages
of the node-oriented approach are:
The cost function has units which are easy to understand: interfered traffic.
It has a greater capacity to optimise the number of TRXs.
It has the ability to respect a TRX-based quality target, i.e., to disregard interference at a TRX below a certain value
(for more information, see start here XREF).
The node-oriented approach provides a better correspondence between the AFP cost and the network quality.
The AFP cost is the cost of the entire loaded network, not only the cost of the selected or
non-locked TRXs. In many cases, the AFP is authorised to change only a part of the
network. Therefore, the part of the cost corresponding to the non-locked part of the
network and the part of the cost corresponding to the locked part of the network are indi-
cated.
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, the separation constraint is not satisfied. A separation constraint violation can be strong or weak. For exam-
ple, the pair of frequencies 1 and 2 violates a separation requirement of 3. The pair of frequencies 1 and 3 violate this require-
ment as well but is still a better solution than 1 and 2 and, therefore, should have a lower cost.
Frequencies that are part of a MAL with a low fractional load and that violate a separation constraint should not be weighted
the same as for non-hopping separation violations. In fact, the separation component is weighted by the burst collision prob-
ability, which is the multiplication of the victim's fractional load and the interferer's fractional load.
Figure 7.53: The Separation tab of the AFP Module Properties dialog box
In this example, there is a network with two TRXs on the same cell. The first, TRXi, has a MAL referred to as MALi. It is interfered
by TRXk with MALk. TRXi and TRXk have a separation requirement of 2. Their MAL lengths are 5 and 4, respectively. Unfortu-
nately, one of their frequencies is the same (i.e., the separation is 0), while all other frequencies are correct. For a co-channel
violation when the required separation is 2, the cost of the separation violation is 90%, as indicated in Figure 7.53 on page 397.
Because only one channel of each TRX causes interference, and the length of MALi is 5 and the length of MALi is 4, the collision
probability is 1/20. Therefore, the cost to consider is divided by 20: 90/20 or 4.5% for each TRX.
Because this example uses frequency hopping, there is an additional hopping gain which provides a slight cost reduction. The
exact gain is obtained from the Frequency diversity gain table on the Advanced tab of the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog
box. The gain values are given in dB, and because the two TRXs have different MAL lengths, they have different diversity gains:
a gain of 1.4 for a MAL length of 5 and a gain of 1.2 for a MAL length of 4 (assuming the default values were not changed).
1,4
--------
The diversity gain of 1.4 dB is applied to the separation cost using the following equation: 10 . For TRXi, this result-
10 1,38
ing gain is 4.5%1.38, or 3.25%.
1 90
For TRXk, the cost will be ------ ------------------------ = 3,41% . The cost will be a little larger because the gain is smaller.
20 10 1,2 10
In order to calculate the exact contribution to the separation cost component, these values are multiplied by the traffic load
(Erlangs/timeslot) and by the number of traffic carrier timeslots for each TRX. Assuming the traffic load is 1 and that each TRX
has 8 traffic carrier timeslots, the result is (8 x 3.25 + 8 x 3.41), or about 0.5 Erlangs for the two TRXs combined.
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In this example, the AFP weight was assumed to be 1, the traffic loads were assumed to be
1, no DTX was used, no other interference or separation violation was combined with the
given cost, the global separation cost was set to 1, and the co-transmitter separation
weight was set to 1 as well.
Figure 7.54: The interference matrix entry between [TX1, BCCH] and [TX2, BCCH]
You can see that the probability of C/I (BCCH of TX2 affecting the BCCH of TX1) being greater than 0 is 100%. The probability
of having a C/I at least equal to 31 dB is 31.1%. In the Subcells table, the Min C/I field of the TX1's BCCH subcell of is 12. There-
fore, for a C/I level of 12 dB, the probability of interference is 6.5% (because this requirement has a probability of 93.5% of
being fulfilled).
In order to be converted into cost, the probability of interference 6.5% must be multiplied by the number of time slots, their
loads, and the AFP weight.
For more information, see the cost function formula in start here (todo put ref XXXXX)
P1, P2, .Pn are the costs of the probability of a violation of a TRX (one for each of "n" violations).
Pn+1, Pn+2, .Pm are the costs of the probability of interference of a TRX (one for each of "m-n" interferences).
Pm+1 is the changing TRX cost described below:
n
The cost of separation for this TRX is therefore: 1 1 P i
i=1
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m+1 n
The additional cost of this TRX is: 1 1 P i 1
1 P i
i=1 i=1
The interference cost uses the "min C/I" value, defined at the subcell level, for which it might have precise interference infor-
mation. It can apply various gains to this C/I quality target due to frequency hopping and/or DTX.
When you enable the optimisation of the number of TRXs, the costs for missing TRXs and
corrupted TRXs change to a fixed value. For missing TRXs, this value multiplies the absolute
difference between the number of assigned TRXs and the number of required TRXs.
If you do not enable the optimisation of the number of TRXs, the weights for missing and
corrupted TRXs are multiplied by the traffic (time slots, load, and AFP weight).
Each physical frequency used in a site can be subject to an Nth order (2, 3, or 5) or or a VASP (Various Amplification Spreading
Violation) intermodulation separation violation.
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If there are 2 frequencies, X and Y where X < Y, the following table describes the separation constraint:
If there are 3 frequencies, f, f1, and f2, the following table describes the separation constraint:
f=2f1-f2
Third order f, f1 and f2
f=2f2-f1
f=3f1-2f2
Fifth order f, f1 and f2
f=3f2-f1
The preceding tables summarise five types of violations. Each type has a default weight:
Harmonics 0.005
VASP 0.0002
The costs detailed up to this point are added together and weighted with the inter-modulation weight W, the UL/DL compo-
nent weight, and the equipment sharing weight.
In each intermodulation violation there is an interfering frequency (or frequencies) and an interfered frequency. In all the
preceding equations except the VASP, the generator frequency is on the right side of the equations while the interfered
frequency is on the left site. The VASP case corresponds to two violations: in the first, the lower frequency is the generator,
and the higher frequency is the interfered.
It is assumed that the generator frequencies are either all on the uplink or all on the downlink, otherwise, no violation is
considered. The interfered frequency can be a downlink or uplink frequency as well. Therefore, there are 4 cases for which 4
weights will multiply the violation cost.
Generator Interfered
Weight Description
Frequencies Frequencies
The final weight concerns the equipment sharing. This aspect has a crucial effect on the importance of intermodulation. In
Atoll, it is assumed that sharing a site implies sharing a transmitter and that sharing a feeder and antenna implies co-cell
cohabitation.
For co-cell intermodulation (generator frequencies as well as IM belong to the same cell), the intermodulation cost is multi-
plied by 5.
To display the Intermodulation Cost column on the Summary tab of the AFP Details window (see Figure 7.55), you must select
Component Details from the Display Options drop-down menu:
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Figure 7.55: Displaying the Intermodulation Cost column the Summary tab of the AFP Details window
The tax on reuse distance is defined on the Protection tab of the Atoll AFP Properties dialog box. The tax applied on reuse
distance is associated with any additional protection against adjacent channel reuse. The greater the additional protection
against adjacent channel reuse defined on the Protection tab, the greater the distance tax.
The number of relations based on distance taken into consideration for each transmitter is limited for performance reasons.
You can define the maximum number of relations by setting the "GlobalDistanceMatrixDegreeUB" option in the Atoll.ini file.
For information on setting options in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
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4. Right-click the Atoll AFP Module folder. The context menu appears.
5. Select Properties from the context menu. The Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box appears.
The Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box consists of 10 tabs: General, Cost, Separation Weights, Interference Matrices,
HSN, MAL, Execution, Spacing, Protections, and Advanced. The Cost, Separation Weights, Interference Matrices, Protec-
tions, and Advanced tabs include parameters that are taken into account when estimating the cost. The Finalisation tab
provides options on how the AFP runs. The other tabs are used to define the allocation strategies for HSN, MAL, MAIO, and
BSICs assigned by the AFP.
You can make copies of the Atoll AFP module and set different parameters for each copy (for information on copying modules,
see start here XREF). All copies will be available in each AFP session. In other words, you will be able to choose from the list
of all Atoll AFP modules, each with its own defined parameters.
The settings of each Atoll AFP module are saved in the Atoll document but they can also be archived in the database so that
all users connected to the same centralised database can use them. For more information on archiving Atoll AFP module
settings, see the Administrator Manual.
For information on setting the parameters on each of the tabs of the Atoll AFP module, see the following:
"The General Tab" on page 402
"The Cost Tab" on page 402
"The Separations tab" on page 404
"The Interference Matrices Tab" on page 405
"The HSN Tab" on page 406
"The MAL Tab" on page 406
"The Finalisation tab" on page 407
"The Reuse tab" on page 408
"The Protection Tab" on page 409
"The Advanced Tab" on page 411
Cost Effect
For a cost of changing a TRX = 0.3 AFP changed only 129 TRXS
For a cost of changing a TRX = 0.1 AFP changed only 139 TRXS
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Selecting the Summed cost of all TRXs check box makes the AFP take the cost of all TRXs into account, whether or not they
exceed this quality target. If you clear this check box, the AFP will only take into account the costs of TRXs which do not fulfil
the quality thresholds defined in their corresponding subcells. In other words, the AFP dismisses any TRX whose quality is
better than the quality target, enabling it to concentrate the optimisation on the TRXs that really need improvement.
To display the Cost tab of the Atoll AFP module Properties dialog box:
1. Open the Atoll AFP Module Properties dialog box as explained in "Setting the Parameters of the Atoll AFP Module"
on page 401.
2. Click the Cost tab (see Figure 7.56).
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Based on the traffic demand (from the Subcells table or default traffic capture): If you choose to use the traffic
demand, the AFP will use either the traffic demand defined in the Subcells table or the default traffic capture
(depending on what you select when you run the AFP optimisation).
Based on the traffic demand calculated from traffic load, number of required TRXs, blocking probability, and
Erlang B formula: If you choose to use this option, the AFP will calculate the traffic demand from the traffic load,
the number of required TRXs, the blocking probability, and the Erlang B formula.
Under Partial separation constraint violations, you can edit the conditions defining a partial separation constraint.
You can have up to 7 separations.
To edit the separation conditions:
a. Click the Expand button ( ) to the left of the separation.
b. Click the entry in the Value column and enter a percentage corresponding to the amount of traffic.
To remove a separation:
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Click the Remove separation button. Atoll removes the last separation.
To add a separation:
Click the Add separation button. Atoll adds a separation entry to the end of the list under Properties and fills in
default values for each "k" value.
3. If desired, modify the weight for each of the following:
Co-transmitter violations
Co-site violations
Violations between neighbours
Violations between exceptional pairs
Figure 7.58: AFP Module Properties dialog box - Interference Matrices tab
The first component in combining interference matrices is whether a given interference matrix entry is within the
scope of the AFP.
3. Under The type of interference matrix, define the parameters for each section:
Overlapping area based on path loss matrices
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4. Under MAL allocation type, select how the MAL will be allocated for groups of synchronised subcells.
Same MAL for all the subcells of a synchronised set, or
Different MALs within a synchronised set.
5. Under MAL length, set the constraints that the Atoll AFP will follow to define the MAL length:
a. The first constraint concerns group-constrained subcells: the choice of MAL length for group-constrained subcells
is limited. Only the group lengths of each subcell frequency domain can be chosen.
b. Select either Max MAL length or Adjust MAL lengths. If you select Max MAL length, you do not need to set any
other constraints.
If you select Max MAL Length, it is not necessary to set any other constraints.
c. If you selected Adjust MAL lengths, set the following parameters to define how the Atoll AFP will set MAL lengths:
i. Define the value that MAL length/Domain size must not be equal to or greater than.
ii. If you selected Different MALs within a synchronised set as the MAL allocation type in step 7.5.2.2.7, you can
select a Long or Short MAL Strategy (with the option of keeping MAL long enough to allow a certain pattern).
iii. Define a Target fractional load and select the Automatic adjustment check box if you want to give the AFP
the possibility of modifying this value automatically. The fractional load is the ratio of the number of TRXs with
a given MAL over the number of frequencies in the same MAL.
It is recommended that you let the AFP automatically adjust the target fractional load.
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3. Under Target CPU time, select how the AFP uses the computation time corresponding to the Convergence criterion
defined in the AFP dialog box:
Fixed duration: If you select Fixed Duration, the AFP stops when this time has elapsed. If a stable solution has
been found prior to this limit, the allocation stops. Fixed duration corresponds to the minimum amount of time
you reserve for the AFP to find the best solution.
Directive duration: This is the Atoll AFP's default. If you select Directive duration, the Convergence criterion you
set in the AFP dialog box is used by the AFP to estimate the methods which will be used to find the best solution.
If the corresponding CPU time is long enough, the AFP will attempt to modify its internal calibration to better
match the network on which frequencies and resources are being allocated.
If the corresponding CPU time is shorter, the AFP will select a smaller number of methods and will not calibrate
its internal parameters.
If the AFP finds a stable solution before the end of the corresponding CPU time, the AFP will stop. On the other
hand, if convergence has not been reached by the end of the corresponding CPU time, the AFP will continue.
4. Under Result Assignment, select how the AFP assigns the results once the automatic allocation has stopped:
Manual Assignment: You can analyse the best plan before committing it to the document.
Automatic Assignment: The AFP automatically assigns the best plan to the document. This approach is recom-
mended if Auto Backup is enabled.
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3. Under Pattern, define the pattern to be used to assign frequency groups to sectors. The assigned pattern is defined
by "1/n," where "n" is the number of larger frequency groups in the domain. If the frequency domain has fewer than
"n" groups, the pattern is ignored.
4. Under BSIC, define the diversity of BSIC use for frequency hopping:
Min.: The AFP chooses the most compact scheme permitted by the constraints.
Max.: The AFP attempts to distribute the BSICs homogeneously.
5. Under Channels, define the spacing between channels to be used between channels during allocation:
Automatic: The AFP optimises channel spacing to minimise the cost.
Max.: The AFP uses the entire spectrum. This option is recommended with the modelling is not accurate.
Min.: This option is recommended when a part of the spectrum is to be saved for future use.
6. Under MAIO, define the MAIO allocation strategy for frequency hopping:
Staggered: The MAIOs assigned to TRXs of a subcell are evenly spaced.
Free: The AFP module freely assigns MAIOs.
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3. Under Additional protection against adjacent channel reuse, select the level of additional protection you want the
AFP to use against adjacent channel reuse:
None: no additional protection is added.
Weak: 1.5 dB is applied to the initial protection.
Strong: 2.5 dB is applied to the initial protection.
For more information about protection against adjacent channel reuse, see "Adjacency Suppression" on page 410.
4. Under Interference definition with respect to the required quality threshold, set a C/I weighting margin around the
required quality threshold in order for the AFP to consider the traffic having close-to-threshold C/I conditions as nei-
ther 100% satisfactory nor 100% corrupted. For more information, "Interference Cost" on page 398.
Rigid: If you select Rigid, the AFP will evaluate interference only at the defined quality threshold.
Intermediate: If you select Intermediate, the AFP will evaluate interference at 3 reference points: the defined
quality threshold, and at +/- 2 dB of the quality threshold.
Flexible: If you select Flexible, the AFP will evaluate interference at 5 reference points: the defined quality
threshold, at +/- 2 dB of the quality threshold, and at +/- 4 dB of the quality threshold. Selecting Flexible has the
same effect as shadowing.
For interference matrices based on propagation, Atoll can determine whether they have
been calculated with shadowing. If shadowing has not been taken into account, the AFP
can adapt its settings to more realistically model the network. In other words, if you do not
take shadowing into consideration when calculating the interference matrix, Atoll can
automatically change its definition of interference from rigid to intermediate, or even to
flexible.
Adjacency Suppression
Adjacency suppression is defined as the difference between the required C/I and the required C/A (C/A being the "Carrier to
Adjacent Intensity ratio"). By default this is set to 18 dB following the GSM specification. You can change this value in the Prop-
erties dialog box of the Network Settings folder.
When the value of this parameter is used in the AFP (to extract the interference caused by an adjacent channel) you can apply
a small safety margin, temporarily reducing the 18 dB to 16.5, or even to 15.5. This safety margin is applied only in the AFP;
Atoll's predictions continue to apply the full adjacency suppression.
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For interference matrices based on propagation, Atoll can determine whether they have
been calculated with an overlap margin. If the overlap margin has not been used, the AFP
can adapt its settings to more realistically model the network. In other words, if you do not
take the overlap margin into consideration when calculating the interference matrix, Atoll
can automatically change the adjacent channel additional protection from none to weak
or to strong.
The tables in this page enable you to define the Interference and Frequency diversity gains in the case of frequency hopping,
which are supplementary gains.
These gains model the non-linear effects of the C/I diversity on the quality (FER, BLER). Due to fast fading, and channel burst
interleaving.
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When setting non-0 gains in these tables (as by default), both the Interference diversity gain and the frequency diversity gain
are combined in order to reduce the interference probability. On the other hand, when it comes to separation calculation,
only the Interference diversity gains are considered.
The other options in this page were grouped into it because they share only one characteristic: They are all administrator
parameters. If you wish to change something in this page, please read the manual until the end of this chapter.
Currently, the AFP always assigns the same MAL to all TRXs within a subcell.
The "group constrained" assignment mode is applicable for SFH only. In NH and
BBH, the group constrained mode will only concern the respect of the preferred
group. Which is a different issue.
There is no contradiction between proffered group respect and the pre defined
MAL assignment in SFH. When both are relevant, each of the predefined MALs can
be more or less included in the preferred group and therefore more or less "pre-
ferred".
When azimuth oriented pattern allocation is performed at the same time as pre-
defined MAL allocation, only the biggest groups in the domain will be used for the
pattern, while the small ones will be used for MAL assignment.
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The user can control the HSN allocation so that it performs one of the following:
Assigns the same HSN to all subcells of a site
Assigns the same HSN to all subcells of a transmitter
Assigns pair-wise different HSNs if a pair of subcells have mutual interference.
Optimise HSN assignment so that the frequency assignment is better (free HSN).
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averages the cost upon all frame numbers in the synchronised case and upon all collision probabilities in the non-synchronised
case.
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In the preceding definitions, all neighbour relations between transmitters are considered, independently of the direction, as
shown in Figure 7.64 on page 415.
The same applies for the interference relation; i.e., two transmitters are considered to interfere each other whether the first
interferes the second, the second interferes the first, or both interfere mutually.
During the allocation, the AFP counts the number of times it was unable to allocate a BSIC due to a constraint that was not
satisfied.
The AFP respects the BSIC domains defined for transmitters and takes into account the BSIC spacing strategy selected on the
Reuse tab of the AFP properties dialog box:
Min.: The AFP assigns the minimum possible number of BSICs that satisfies the constraints.
Max.: The AFP assigns as many BSICs as possible while keeping them evenly distributed.
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Given the difficulty inherent in combining dimensioning and frequency planning, it is often tempting to do each separately.
However, by combing dimensioning and frequency planning, as done by the Atoll AFP, you can exploit local variations of soft
versus hard blocking measure and thereby better enhance of network capacity. The advantage of adjusting the number of
TRXs while making an automatic frequency allocation is demonstrated in "Example of Combining Dimensioning and Frequency
Planning" on page 418.
The basic advantage of combining the two is that you can avoid the need to manually find a target blocking rate.
When evaluating the resulting frequency plan, it is important to keep in mind how this frequency plan was created: it was
created to maximise the correctly served traffic instead of trying to simply minimise the interfered traffic. For example, if
plan A has more TRXs than plan B, it is possible that an interference prediction for plan A will display more interference, even
if plan A is the best plan. It consists on the positive attitude: trying to maximise the correctly served traffic instead of trying to
minimise the interfered traffic. This is taken into consideration in the method used to evaluate the AFP results (todo XXXX put
ref).
Combining both soft and hard blocking, the AFP optimises the amount of correctly served traffic for each individual transmit-
ter using frequencies available to it. In this example, there is a transmitter with two subcells: TCH and BCCH. The two subcells
absorb the traffic demand together. Let us assume that the traffic demand consists of 25 Erlangs of circuit-switched traffic,
and 5 timeslots of packet-switched traffic. Let us also assume that the required number of TCH TRXs is 2 with 1 BCCH TRX.
The AFP could just assign 3 TRXs in this cell, exactly as required, or it could study a few additional possibilities:
Assign only 2 TRXs, thereby reducing interference.
Assign 4 TRXs (one additional TRX), thereby reducing the blocking rate.
The AFP calculates the best option as follows:
1. It calculates the available number of circuits (depending on the HR half-rate ratio).
2. Then it calculates the blocking rate using the Erlang B equation and the circuit-switched demand.
3. Once the AFP has calculated how much traffic is served, it can calculate the traffic load (from 0 to 1, with "1" corre-
sponding to a full load).
4. With the traffic load calculated, the AFP can calculate the interference cost as well as the hard blocking cost.
The cost representing the interference depends on which frequencies were assigned. The more TRXs there are, the harder it
is to find frequencies that are free from interference.
In this example, the locally available frequencies are as follows:
Only 2 frequencies (f1 and f2) have low interference (i.e., probability of interference = 10%). One frequency (f3) has a medium
level of interference (20%). One frequency (f4) has a high level of interference (30%). All the other available frequencies are
even more heavily interfered.
1. Thomas Toftegaard Nielsen and Jeroen Wigard, Performance Enhancements in a Frequency Hopping GSM
Network(Springer, 2000), 68.
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The best plan depends on the locally available frequencies: if there was less interference, the AFP would have chosen
frequency plan 3. If f3 and f4 where heavily interfered, the AFP would have chosen frequency plan 1. Because the AFP tries to
minimise what is in bold in the table above (i.e., the blocked and interfered traffic), it chooses frequency plan 2 (in which the
figures in bold add up to 3.57 timeslots).
If you choose to use traffic maps, a traffic capture can supply the traffic demand. Then, by performing dimensioning or a KPI
calculation, this information is committed into the Subcells table. Afterwards, when running an automatic frequency alloca-
tion, you can then choose to have the AFP use the traffic information from the default traffic capture or from the Subcells
table.
The traffic demand can come from the OMC and be imported into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data table. For more information
on importing OMC traffic into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data table, see "Importing OMC Traffic Data into the Subcells Table:
Traffic Data" on page 328.
The Subcells Table: Traffic Data table sA specific table is defined in order to absorb OMC traffic readings. To open it:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Subcells > Subcells Table: Traffic Data from the context menu. The Traffic data part of the Subcells table
appears.
By importing Subcells Table: Traffic Data table into the fields for the BCCH and TCH subcells (which share the same field as
they are assumed to share the same traffic management unit) and into the TCH_INNER subcells field, where they exist, you
supply the AFP with your OMC traffic.
The AFP can use traffic loads to calculate the traffic demand (if maintaining compatibility with older documents is a concern).
Previously, the AFP used the field "traffic load" and the number of required TRXs as its traffic source. When the required
number of TRXs is adjusted, the cost function will continue to be the same. When the adjustment is requested, the AFP can
base its demand on the traffic load, in a way that permits the user to maintain compatibility with the old traffic model.
7.5.3.1.3 How to control the optimization so that it allocates more or less TRXs?
There are several mechanisms by which you can set the AFP to allocate more or fewer TRXs: you can modify the traffic demand
to have more or fewer TRXs allocated, you can modify the weights for the interference and separation violation costs, or you
can modify the tax for missing (or superfluous) TRXs.
Increasing the Traffic Demand to Increase TRX Allocation
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The more demand exists, the higher will be the pressure on the AFP to allocate more transmitters. As said above, the demand
can come from the traffic model, from the subcell table, or from the traffic load values. If demand come from the traffic
capture, you can increase demand by recalculating the capture with a higher traffic coefficients. If demand comes from the
OMC, you can boost it by using a spreadsheet. If demand comes from traffic loads you can do the following:
In the AFP property pages, where you indicate that the demand should be regenerated from the traffic loads, you are also
requested to bound the actual blocking rate (actual with respect to the number of required transmitters). This is because of
the following reason:
If your served traffic load is 100%, theoretically, only an infinite circuit demand can generate such a load
The 5% in this screen shot mean that the traffic demand can exceed the served traffic by no more than 5% .
By Increasing this measure we increase the difference between served traffic and traffic demand, yet only in the heavily
loaded transmitters. Because in this case where the served traffic is a constant information source, this means that demand
increases, which implies the need for more transmitters.
You can modify the cost penalty for interference and separation violation. High cost puts pressure on the AFP to allocate less
transmitters.
You can modify the tax for missing (or extra) transmitters. The tax is a simple cost penalty that softly limits the freedom of the
AFP in this new domain. The higher the tax, the more the original "number of required TRXs" is respected.
A dedicated locking flag at the subcell level allows you to shut down the new capacity planning when you already know the
exact number of transmitters that is required.
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Less Interference
The example shows that interference can be greatly reduced. The following graphs show the effect of adjusting the number
of TRXs on the interfered and served traffic, compared to the initial dimensioning.
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The preceding 4 frequency plans were all generated using exactly 50 frequencies. All other network parameters remained the
same.
In the plan "Dim - 76 TRXs" many TRXs were removed by the AFP (76 out of 820). Removing the TRXs reduced interference by
a considerable margin but had no impact on the amount of served traffic because reducing TRXs was only considered if the
transmitter's load was low.
In a real network, it is often necessary to re-adjust the number of TRXs to match evolution of the traffic.
A typical situation is the following snap shot; taken before any adaptation is made.
It is normal that not all transmitters having the same number of TRXs have the same traffic demands, therefore the traffic
loads will often vary from one transmitter to another.
Once the AFP performs its optimisation, the traffic loads become more uniform, as can be observed in the following graph.
A common practice is to split the frequency domains and reserve one frequency domain for BCCH, one for TCH, and one for
EGPRS (when used). As well, frequency bands and domains are reserved for the HCS layer. When the network is dimensioned
during an automatic frequency allocation, the number of TRXs is adapted without modifying the divisions.
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Figure 7.69: Frequency reuse balancing with or without TRX number adjustment
In this example, most TRXs that were removed were removed in the 900 band (In the first half of the graph, the red line is
almost always below the blue line.)
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Depending on the matrix type, the quality indicators available on the Advanced tab include:
For matrices based on path loss (propagation data) matrices:
The standard deviation
The resolution
Whether the interference information (probabilities) correspond to traffic or surface area.
For matrices based on reselection statistics from the OMC:
The statistic duration
Whether the interference information (probabilities) correspond to traffic or surface area.
For matrices based on handover statistics from the OMC:
- The standard deviation, depending on the equipment quality and measurement post-processing
- The average number of measurement points in the handover statistics that correspond to a single matrix calcula-
tion point
- The volume of information
- Whether the interference information (probabilities) correspond to traffic or surface area.
For matrices based on RXLEV statistics from the OMC:
- The statistic duration
- Whether the interference information (probabilities) correspond to traffic or surface area.
For matrices based on test mobile data
- The standard deviation, depending on the equipment quality and measurement post-processing
- The average number of measurement points in the test mobile data that correspond to a single matrix calculation
point.
For matrices based on CW measurements:
- The standard deviation, depending on the equipment quality and measurement post-processing
- The average number of CW measurement points that correspond to a single matrix calculation point
- The volume of information
- Whether the interference information (probabilities) correspond to traffic or surface area.
For matrices based on scan data drive tests:
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- The standard deviation, depending on the equipment quality and measurement post-processing
- The average number of measurement points in the scan data drive test data that correspond to a single matrix
calculation point
- The volume of information
- Whether the interference information (probabilities) correspond to traffic or surface area.
The context of an interference matrix is not systematically included in the interference matrix files. That is why Atoll asks the
user to set up the type and quality indicators of the interference matrix manually.
The most important information of the scope is the percentage of victim coverage and the percentagle of interferer coverage.
In order to understand their significance as well as their use, you should bear in mind that interference matrices must provide
interference information between each pair of subcells in the network. A large amount of memory would be required for a
simple sequential representation of the interference matrix, which would make it impossible to work with such interference
matrices in large networks. Therefore, entries in an interference matrix only exist when there is interference between a given
pair of subcells.
If an entry (i, j) does not exist in the interference matrix, there are two possible explanations:
Either j does not interfere with i (no interference),
Or the interference information is missing in the interference matrix because at least one of the two was out of the
scope of the interference matrix (unknown interference).
In other words, the lack of information can be interpreted as either no interference or as unknown interference.
If there is only one interference matrix (i.e., only one source of interference information) then no interference is the same as
unknown interference.
If there is more than one interference matrix, the information missing in one matrix might be available in another. Therefore,
it becomes very important to distinguish between the two cases in order to intelligently combine different interference matri-
ces.
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For example, if you have three interference matrices and, for a given pair of subcells, you have 60% interference in one,
unknown interference in the second, and unknown interference in the third, the resulting interference when the three matri-
ces are combined will be 60%. However, if for the same pair of subcells, you have 60% interference in one, no interference in
the second, and no interference in the third, the resulting interference when the three matrices are combined will be only
20%.
The ideal method for differentiating between no interference and unknown interference would be to keep a matrix of values
in memory, which would indicate the reliability of each matrix entry, and thereby indicate the entries for which the interfer-
ence is "Unknown" as unreliable entries. Unfortunately, this would be completely impractical because this matrix of values
would be too large to work with.
Therefore, Atoll implements a slightly restricted approach for storing the scope of interference matrices. Interference matri-
ces contain two reliability indicators at transmitter level, i.e., the reliability when a transmitter is the victim, and the reliability
when it is the interferer. This information is stored in the columns % of Victim Coverage and % of Interferer Coverage.
The reliability of an entry (i, j) is calculated as follows:
VictimCoverage(Transmitter(i)) * InterfererCoverage(Transmitter(j))
This implementation is simple and sufficient for the most interference matrices.
The scope of an interference matrix is created by the tool that creates the interference matrix. If the interference matrix is
created by Atoll, the AFP scope will be set to the initial set of victims, corresponding to SEL + RING (see "The Scope of the AFP
and the Scope of the Interference Matrix" on page 374). This means that even when only one transmitter is present inside the
computation zone, many other transmitters might be taken into account. Atoll adds all potential interferers to this set, and
calculates the interference matrix entries between all pairs of this set. This set becomes the scope of the interference matrix,
with 100% at both victim and interferer coverage.
Other software can be used to edit the interference matrix scope using the general API features, or by saving the interference
matrix as a CLC file and editing it. The CLC file format can store all the interference matrix information (see the Technical Refer-
ence Guide for more information).
The scopes of the interference matrices are automatically created when old CLC,
IM0, IM1, or IM2 files are imported. The scope is created using the current BSIC
and BCCH allocation, and finding the set of all victims and the set of all interferers.
The interference matrix scope internally manages the transmitter IDs. When
exchanging information with a CLC file, these ID's are visible to the user. They are
arbitrary numbers used to index the interference matrix entries. Even if an addin
is used to create the interference matrix, the association of transmitter names to
IDs is carried out by Atoll. The addin will associate the interference information to
pairs of transmitter ID's.
The CLC and DCT files have the same mapping of transmitter names to transmitter
IDs. There are no restrictions on transmitter IDs as long as they are unique integers
under 231.
Two possibilities (examples) for editing the interference matrix information could be:
An addin that imports an interference matrix should know its scope. For example, if it is an OMC addin, and the OMC
covers 50 transmitters, the scope will contain 50 transmitters. Their indexes will be supplied by Atoll once added to
the scope. The percentage of victim and interferer coverage should be 100%.
When generating an interference matrix from CW measurements, there might be a few transmitters which were cor-
rectly scanned and others that were not. In this case, the correctly scanned transmitters would have good percentage
of victim and interferer coverage, while the others would not.
The BSIC and BCCH fields in the scope are used for the cases where the BSIC and BCCH allocation, during the period when the
interference matrix information was gathered, was different from the current BSIC and BCCH allocation.
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Instead of updating the interference matrix every time a transmitter is renamed or deleted, Atoll stores the events in memory,
and updates the interference matrix only when it is used. It checks the ADO record ID's and, if they have been changed, the
changes are taken into account.
When an Interference matrix is externalised, Atoll does not always manage to keep it updated as described above.
Calculate your Interference Matrices as often as you calculate your path loss matrices.
75 7,5
Component C = --------------- --------
r + 25
Where is the standard deviation of the propagation model, and r is the calculation resolution. A resolution
of 50 m and a standard deviation of 7.5 dB gives a weight of 1.
ii. Interference matrix based on measurements from the OMC performed during n days:
1+n
Component C = ----------------
-
3
i.The standard deviation , which is assumed to be lower than the one of a propagation model.
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The AFP TRX Rank provides a ranking of the TRXs in a subcell. If a TRX rank is high, it implies that the frequency (channel) corre-
sponding to this TRX has bad usage conditions. TRX ranks indicate the best and worst quality TRXs in each subcell. The best
TRX might be a candidate for extensive GPRS or EDGE usage. The worst TRX will be the TRX that is potentially removable. The
OMC might use rank (or preference) information for better RRM (first charge the good TRXs, only after charge the bad ones ).
As it is during an AFP process that frequencies and MALs/MAIOs for different TRXs of a subcell are chosen, the AFP tool stores
and manipulates the information about TRXs in good and in bad conditions.
If you choose AFP Rank indicator to be allocated when starting an AFP session, each cost improving solution will go through a
TRX rank assignment. If no improving plan is found, TRX rank will be assigned for the initial plan (like BSIC). TRX ranking within
a subcell is performed on the basis of TRX costs.
A TRX will be considered locked for TRX Rank assignment if and only if it is not selected for AFP allocation or if it has been
locked.
TRX rank is Atoll's AFP implementation of "Scheduling", which can help increase performance in certain particular cases.
Example: imagine the case where a cell and its neighbour are not loaded with traffic at the same time (for example, a stadium
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and its parking lot). In such cases, it is possible to decrease call blocking by adding one or two dirty TRXs to the concerned cells.
(assuming clean TRXs do not exist for spectral reasons). What you will need to do is the following:
1. You need an OMC that can be informed about the TRX ranking, and that knows not to use the bad TRXs when load is
normal or low. They get into use only when the load is high.
2. You need to relax the interference matrix entries and the separation relation constraints between the two oppositely
correlated cells.
3. You need to run the AFP with TRX rank.
The spectral efficiency of scheduling can not be fully acquired by real time RRM, since the latest is of a caustic nature. You can
be sure to obtain a bigger gain if the scheduling order is predefined.
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7. Specify a long execution time (1500 to 4000 minutes) and let the AFP work on the core for this entire target time. The
target time should be long enough for the AFP to generate at least 800 solutions. The AFP should be run using a cost
for changing the TRX channel. (we want to minimise the number of changes).
8. Assuming that the long execution on a small area had improved the result, commit the plan.
9. If not, reduce the cost of changing a TRX, or reduce the number of locked transmitters, or both. Repeat the two pre-
vious steps until an improving long execution is achieved.
10. Now you can run the AFP on entire network. Keep the same cost for changing a TRX, so that the basic plan obtained
in the beginning is not too strongly modified.
If step N 10 has provided a good plan then it might be worth while sharing your AFP experience with all the other users:
Duplicate your AFP model.
Give a meaningful name to the duplicated model.
In its execution property page, switch off the experience learning option. (So that this model does not get altered by
other AFP users)
Archive to database the new AFP model, yet not the old one. The new model can be used by the other AFP users. The
old model which you didn't archive is not affected by your modifications.
This figure depicts the case where one co-channel and two adjacent channel interferers are combined to create total interfer-
ence (the gain value (the empty part - 18 dB) shows that they are adjacent). For each of the two adjacent interferers, C/I > 12
dB, while for their combination, the total interference, C/I < 12 dB. This example demonstrates the fact that geographic inter-
ference combination is more accurate than the interference cost of the AFP. Assuming the required quality to be 12 dB, this
specific point would not contribute to the AFP cost, while it would be considered as interfered in the interference coverage
prediction.
In this case, two strong interferences are combined to create an extra strong total interference. C/I is very weak for both inter-
ferers. Therefore, the point under analysis contributes to both IM entries, which are considered in the AFP cost. This example
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demonstrates the fact that geographic interference combination is more accurate than the interference cost of the AFP
because of counting this point only once as an interfered point (and not twice as in the AFP).
7.5.3.4.4 Why Aren't the Traffic Loads Incorporated in the Interference Matrix?
Atoll maintains the traffic load separate from the interference information. Before justifying this choice we must depict the
two alternatives:
The mixed option: The interference information contains the traffic information as well. In this way, each IM entry will
contain the quantity of traffic interfered if a co-channel or adjacent channel reuse exists.
The separated option: The AFP has separate access to traffic load information and to interference probabilities (As in
Atoll).
The main reasons for choosing the second implementation are the following:
Option 2 is a superset that contains option 1. But option 1, being a subset, does not contain option 2 (i.e. once the
information are mixed they cannot be separated).
It does not create any overhead (the size of the additional information is negligible compared to the size of the IM).
It helps keeping the unit definitions simpler.
It facilitates merging IMs with different traffic units.
The traffic information can be used for weighting the separation violation component, as well as the interference com-
ponent.
The traffic load can be used in deciding whether a TRX can be left uncreated.
The gain introduced by the traffic load of the interferer depends on the hopping mode and the MAL length. Incorpo-
rating this gain in the IM (as a result of the mixed option) means that the IMs become hopping-mode and MAL-size
dependent. This is a bad idea since the AFP should be able to change the MAL. And the user should be able to change
the hopping mode without recalculating the IM. In addition, an IM calculated externally to Atoll, with a non-hopping
BCCH can be used for the hopping TCH.
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Figure 7.74: Condition settings for an Interfered Zones (DL) coverage prediction
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Figure 7.76: Defining the report on the Interfered Zones coverage prediction
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A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the "<GUID>" and "</GUID>" tags in the following files:
"<prediction_name>.XML" file (one per prediction) created in the following folder
for coverage predictions calculated by value intervals with relevant Field settings:
C:\<ATL_path>\<ATL_name>.studies\{<GUID>}. For more information, see
"External Storage of Coverage Prediction Numerical Results" on page 208.
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion is saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on
filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98.
6. Click the Conditions tab. On this tab, you can define the signals that will be considered for each pixel.
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Figure 7.79: Condition settings for a Coverage by C/I Level (DL) prediction
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Figure 7.80: Filtering subcells by channel in Coverage by C/I Level (DL) predictions
Frequency Band: Select Frequency Band as shown in Figure 7.81 and choose from the drop-down menu the
frequency band for which Atoll will calculate interference in this prediction. Atoll ignores by default all the
TRXs using baseband or synthesised hopping. If you clear the Non-Hopping Only check box, all the TRXs using
the selected frequency band will be considered as potential victims.
Figure 7.81: Filtering subcells by frequency band in Coverage by C/I Level (DL) predictions
Click the down arrow button and select one of the following thresholds:
Subcell C/I Threshold: to use the CI threshold specified for each subcell (including the defined power reduc-
tion) as the lower end of the CI range.
Global C/I Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the lower end of the CI range.
Select either "CI" or "C(I+N)".
Click the down arrow button and select one of the following thresholds:
Subcell C/I Threshold: to use the CI threshold specified for each subcell (including the defined power reduc-
tion) as the upper end of the CI range.
Global C/I Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the upper end of the CI range.
The defined CI values define the range of CI values to be displayed. Values outside of this
range are not displayed.
You can not select Subcell C/I Threshold as both the lower and the upper end of the CI
range to be considered.
Select whether you want the defined DL CI or CI+N condition to be Satisfied By:
At least one TRX: When you select the option At least one TRX, the defined interference condition must be
satisfied by at least one TRX on a given pixel for the results to be displayed on that pixel.
The worst TRX: When you select the option The worst TRX, Atoll selects the worst results for each pixel. If the
worst results do not satisfy the defined interference condition, the results will not be displayed on that pixel.
If you have selected "C/(I+N)", you can define the value to be added to the interference. The defined noise figure
is added to the thermal noise value (defined by default at -121 dBm) to calculate the value of N. Select one of the
following:
Based on Terminal: Select Based on Terminal if you want to use the noise figure defined for a terminal and
select the terminal from the list.
Fixed Value: Select Fixed Value if you want to enter a value and then enter the noise figure in the text box.
9. If you want discontinuous transmission mode for TRXs which support it taken into account during the calculation of
interference, select the DTX taken into account check box and enter the percentage of time during which a user is
talking in the Voice Activity Factor text box.
10. Select the Traffic Load that will be used to calculate interference:
100%: The maximum traffic load (subcells entirely loaded).
From subcell table: The subcell traffic load as defined or as calculated during dimensioning.
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11. From the Interference Sources list, select whether interference should be calculated from adjacent channels, co-chan-
nels, or from both. The adjacent channel effect on the victim channel, i.e., the interference, is decreased by the adja-
cent channel protection level.
Inter-technology interference is taken into account by default. For more information, see
"Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 626. By adding an option in the Atoll.ini
file, you can add an Inter-technology check box which will allow you to consider or not
inter-technology interference.
12. Select the Detailed Results check box if you want to display detailed results per transmitter. The results displayed
depend on the subcell frequency hopping mode:
Non-Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for one channel of each TRX in non-hopping mode.
Base Band Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for the MAL of each subcell in base band hopping mode.
Synthesised Frequency Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for the MAL-MAIO of each subcell in synthesised
frequency hopping mode.
13. Click the Display tab.
For a coverage prediction by DL CI levels, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "CI level (dB)" is
selected by default.
If you selected "HCS Servers" or "All" from the Server list on the Conditions tab, there can be areas where several
transmitters experience interference. On these pixels, several CI values are calculated. Therefore, you can base the
results displayed on either the Field "Min. CI level (dB)" or "Max. CI level (dB)" as well as the "CI level (dB)" Field.
For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
14. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
By changing the parameters selected on the Conditions tab and by selecting different
results to be displayed on the Display tab, you can calculate and display information other
than that which has been explained in the preceding sections.
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A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the "<GUID>" and "</GUID>" tags in the following files:
"<prediction_name>.XML" file (one per prediction) created in the following folder
for coverage predictions calculated by value intervals with relevant Field settings:
C:\<ATL_path>\<ATL_name>.studies\{<GUID>}. For more information, see
"External Storage of Coverage Prediction Numerical Results" on page 208.
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion is saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on
filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98.
6. Click the Conditions tab. On this tab, you can define the signals that will be considered for each pixel.
Figure 7.82: Condition settings for a Coverage by C/I Level (UL) prediction
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Subcell C/I Threshold: to use the CI threshold specified for each subcell (including the defined power reduc-
tion) as the upper end of the CI range.
Global C/I Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the upper end of the CI range. You
may also let this field blank in order not to consider any upper C(I+N) boundary.
The defined CI values define the range of CI values to be displayed. Values outside of this
range are not displayed.
9. Select the Detailed Results check box if you want to display detailed results per transmitter. The results displayed
depend on the subcell frequency hopping mode:
Non-Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for one channel of each TRX in non-hopping mode.
Base Band Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for the MAL of each subcell in base band hopping mode.
Synthesised Frequency Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for the MAL-MAIO of each subcell in synthesised
frequency hopping mode.
10. Click the Display tab.
For a coverage prediction by UL CI levels, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "CI level (dB)" is
selected by default.
If you selected "HCS Servers" or "All" from the Server list on the Conditions tab, there can be areas where several
transmitters experience interference. On these pixels, several CI values are calculated. Therefore, you can base the
results displayed on either the Field "Min. CI level (dB)" or "Max. CI level (dB)" as well as the "CI level (dB)" Field.
For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
11. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
By changing the parameters selected on the Conditions tab and by selecting different
results to be displayed on the Display tab, you can calculate and display information other
than that which has been explained in the preceding sections.
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A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the "<GUID>" and "</GUID>" tags in the following files:
"<prediction_name>.XML" file (one per prediction) created in the following folder
for coverage predictions calculated by value intervals with relevant Field settings:
C:\<ATL_path>\<ATL_name>.studies\{<GUID>}. For more information, see
"External Storage of Coverage Prediction Numerical Results" on page 208.
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion is saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on
filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98.
6. Click the Conditions tab. On this tab, you can define the signals that will be considered for each pixel.
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You can select the type of TRX to consider as a potential victim by selecting it from the Interfered Subcells list.
You can filter the interfered subcells by Channel or by Frequency Band. Atoll will calculate interference only for
the selected channel or frequency band in this coverage prediction.
Channel: Select Channel as shown in Figure 7.84 and enter the channel number for which Atoll will calculate
interference in this prediction. Atoll ignores by default all the TRXs using baseband or synthesised hopping. If
you clear the Non-Hopping Only check box, all the TRXs using the defined channel will be considered as po-
tential victims. If the Non-Hopping Only check box is cleared and the defined channel is in a MAL, interference
will be calculated for the entire MAL. When you define a channel, Atoll uses it to identify only victim TRXs; all
TRXs are taken into account as interferers.
Figure 7.84: Filtering subcells by channel in Interfered Zones (DL) coverage prediction
Frequency Band: Select Frequency Band as shown in Figure 7.85 and choose from the drop-down menu the
frequency band for which Atoll will calculate interference in this prediction. Atoll ignores by default all the
TRXs using baseband or synthesised hopping. If you clear the Non-Hopping Only check box, all the TRXs using
the selected frequency band will be considered as potential victims.
Figure 7.85: Filtering subcells by frequency band in Interfered Zones (DL) coverage prediction
Click the down arrow button and select one of the following thresholds:
Subcell C/I Threshold: to use the CI threshold specified for each subcell (including the defined power reduc-
tion) as the lower end of the CI range.
Global C/I Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the lower end of the CI range.
Select either "CI" or "C(I+N)".
Click the down arrow button and select one of the following thresholds:
Subcell C/I Threshold: to use the CI threshold specified for each subcell (including the defined power reduc-
tion) as the upper end of the CI range.
Global C/I Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the upper end of the CI range.
If you have selected "C/(I+N)", you can define the value to be added to the interference. The defined noise figure
is added to the thermal noise value (defined at -121 dBm) to calculate the value of N. Select one of the following:
Based on Terminal: Select Based on Terminal if you want to use the noise figure defined for a terminal and
select the terminal from the list.
Fixed Value: Select Fixed Value if you want to enter a value and then enter the noise figure in the text box.
9. If you want discontinuous transmission mode for TRXs which support it taken into account during the calculation of
interference, select the DTX taken into account check box and enter the percentage of time during which a user is
talking in the Voice Activity Factor text box.
10. Select the Traffic Load that will be used to calculate interference:
100%: The maximum traffic load (subcells entirely loaded).
From subcell table: The subcell traffic load as defined or as calculated during dimensioning.
11. From the Interference Sources list, select whether the interference should be calculated from adjacent channels, co-
channels, or from both. The adjacent channel effect on the victim channel, i.e., the interference, is decreased by the
adjacent channel protection level.
Inter-technology interference is taken into account by default. For more information, see
"Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 626. By adding an option in the Atoll.ini
file, you can add an Inter-technology check box which will allow you to consider or not
inter-technology interference.
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12. Select the Detailed Results check box if you want to display detailed results per transmitter. The results displayed
depend on the subcell frequency hopping mode:
Non-Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for one channel of each TRX in non-hopping mode.
Base Band Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for the MAL of each subcell in base band hopping mode.
Synthesised Frequency Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for the MAL-MAIO of each subcell in synthesised
frequency hopping mode.
13. Click the Display tab.
For a coverage prediction by interfered zones, the Display Type "Discrete Values" based on the Field "Transmitter" is
selected by default. In the Network explorer, the coverage prediction results are arranged by interfered transmitter.
You can also define the display to display the quality received on each interfered area:
The quality received on each interfered area: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "C/I Level (dB)" as
the Field. In the Network explorer, the coverage prediction results are first arranged by interfered transmitter and
then by C/I level.
For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
14. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
By changing the parameters selected on the Conditions tab and by selecting dif-
ferent results to be displayed on the Display tab, you can calculate and display
information other than that which has been explained in the preceding sections.
As explained in "Generating Coverage Prediction Reports" on page 213, you can
display a prediction report on the interfered predictions indicating the amount of
correctly served traffic out of the total traffic covered by the coverage prediction
by selecting the options Served load (Timeslots weighted either by the AFP
weight or by the Half rate traffic ratio) after having calculated the prediction
report.
The total served load (Timeslots weighted by the AFP weight) is obtained by the
product between the number of timeslots, the AFP weight and the traffic load.
The total served load (Timeslots weighted by the HR Ratio) is obtained by the prod-
uct between the number of timeslots, 1 1 HR 2 and the traffic load.
The actual loads given by the report come from the ratio between the covered area
and the total service area.
2. Click the Point Analysis Tool ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The Point Analysis Tool window appears and the
pointer changes ( ) to represent the receiver.
3. A line appears on the map connecting the selected transmitter and the current position. You can now do the following:
Move the receiver to change the current position.
Right-click the receiver to choose one of the following commands from the context menu:
Coordinates: Select Coordinates to change the receiver position by entering new XY coordinates.
Center on a Site: Select a site in the Site Selection dialog box to place the receiver directly on a site.
4. Select the Interference view.
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The Interference view displays, in the form of a bar graph, the signal level of the selected transmitter, a black bar indi-
cating the total interference experienced by the receiver, and bars representing the interference received from each
interferer. The information displayed in the bar graph depends on the hopping mode of the subcell identified in the
left margin of the graph:
In Non-Hopping Mode, you can study the interference level on either a specific channel or on the most interfered
one of either of a specific subcell (BCCH, TCH, TCH_EGPRS or TCH_INNER) or all of the selected transmitter.
In Base Band Hopping Mode, you can study the interference level on either a specific MAL or on the most inter-
fered one of either of a specific subcell (BCCH, TCH, TCH_EGPRS or TCH_INNER) or all of the selected transmitter.
In Synthesised Frequency Hopping Mode, you can study the interference level on either a specific MAL-MAIO pair
or on the most interfered one of either of a specific subcell (BCCH, TCH, TCH_EGPRS or TCH_INNER) or all of the
selected transmitter.
Figure 7.86 on page 443 gives an example of the Interference view. The signal level of the transmitter, Site10_3, is
-95.61 dB and is indicated by a red bar. The black bar indicates the total interference experienced by the receiver
(-98.65 dB). The seven interferers are responsible for -102.69 dB (olive green), -103.06 dB (yellow), -107.31 dB
(purple), -111.56 dB (olive green), -115.38 dB (green), -115.50 dB (pink), and -117.13 dB (olive green). The bars indi-
cating the interference caused by Site17_1 and Site15_1 are only partially filled. The entire bar indicates the interfer-
ence that could potentially be caused by the transmitter whereas the filled part of the bar indicates the actual
interference caused. A transmitters actual interference can be lower than its potential interference:
If it uses synthesised frequency hopping mode (reduction due to fractional load)
If it uses adjacent channels (reduction due to adjacent channel protection)
If the subcell it is modelling is a TRX_INNER subcell (reduction due to lower offset).
In the map window, arrows from the receiver to each transmitter are displayed in the colour of the transmitters they
represent. The interference levels at the receiver from transmitters are displayed as captions for these arrows. If you
let the pointer rest on an arrow, the interference level received from the corresponding transmitter at the receiver
location will be displayed in the tip text along with information on the channel being interfered and the type of inter-
ference, i.e., co-channel or adjacent channel interference.
5. You can change the following options at the top of the Interference view:
Transmitter: Select the transmitter from the list. The transmitters in the list are sorted in the order of decreasing
signal level received at the pointer location.
Subcell: Select the subcell type (or ALL) to be analysed.
TRX: Select whether you want the interference to be studied on a specific item (channel, MAL or MAL-MAIO
according to the hopping mode) or the most interfered item.
Interference: Select whether the interference should be calculated from adjacent channels, co-channels, or from
both.
Inter-technology interference is taken into account by default. For more information, see
"Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 626. By adding an option in the Atoll.ini
file, you can add an Inter-technology check box which will allow you to consider or not
inter-technology interference.
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8. You can change the following options at the top of the Details tab:
HCS Layer: Select the HCS layer to be analysed.
Interference: Select whether the interference should be calculated from adjacent channels, co-channels, or from
both.
Inter-technology interference is taken into account by default. For more information, see
"Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 626. By adding an option in the Atoll.ini
file, you can add an Inter-technology check box allowing you to include or not such inter-
ference.
Interference Method: Select whether the interference is calculated by CI or by C(I+N). Thermal noise is taken
into account in the second method only.
For each transmitter, you can display the interference on each subcell or on the most interfered one. You can click the
Expand button ( ) of each transmitter order to expand the list of all its interferers and their individual I and C/I levels.
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BRU006_G3 has two subcells: one of TRX type BCCH and one of TRX type TCH. Neither has a power reduction defined.
Channel 16 is assigned to the TCH TRX.
Non-hopping mode is assigned to the all the subcells, whatever the TRX type is (BCCH or TCH).
The Point Analysis gives the following results:
The signal level of the transmitter BRU038_G2 is -81.33 dBm and is indicated by a light green bar. It could have been
-75.94 dB, but was decreased by 5.39 dB due to the shadowing margin. Only the signal level (C) is reduced by the shad-
owing margin (as calculated by the cell edge coverage probability and the CI standard deviation defined per clutter
class). The interference level (I) is not affected by the shadowing margin.
The black bar indicates the total interference experienced by the receiver (-84.74 dB). Atoll calculates the interference
level by considering 100% of the voice activity factor and traffic load. Neither DTX, nor the traffic load of TRXs are taken
into account in evaluating the interference levels.
The eight interferers are responsible for -86.56 dB (Dark Blue), -93.94 dB (Green), -95.13 dB (Cyan), -96.44 dB (Light
Green), -101.56 dB (Orange), -103.13 dB (Yellow), -107.06 dB (Yellow) and -109.19 dB (Green). The bars indicating the
interference caused by BRU005_G1, BRU065_G3 and BRU006_G3 are only partially filled. An entire bar indicates the
interference that could potentially be caused by the transmitter whereas a filled part of the bar indicates the actual
interference caused.
Intra-technology third order intermodulation interference can also be optionally displayed. This option requires acti-
vation through changes in the database. When available, the intra-technology third order intermodulation interfer-
ence level is displayed as a bar with the title format "Interferer Name: I3 (first channel, second channel)". For more
information on how to activate this option, contact support.
At the top of the Interference view, the name of the most interfered channel on BRU038_G2 is channel 17 and the C/I received
is 3.41 dB. An analysis of the interferers gives the following information:
The bars representing BRU099_G1, BRU063_G1, BRU096_G3, BRU061_G3 and BRU094_G3 are full. On two out of five
transmitters, channel 17 is assigned to the TCH TRX of the transmitter. For the other three transmitters, channel 17 is
assigned to the BCCH TRX. They are, therefore, co-channel interferers. No power reduction is defined, therefore the
interference is not reduced.
The bars representing BRU065_G3, BRU006_G3 and BRU005_G1 are partly full. The bars are only partly full because
the interference is reduced: on these transmitters, channel 17 is not assigned; channel 16 is assigned to the BCCH TRX
of BRU005_G1 and to the TCH TRX of BRU006_G3. In addition, channel 18 is assigned to the TCH TRX of BRU065_G3.
They are, therefore, adjacent channel interferers and their interference is reduced by the adjacent channel protection
level of 18 dB (the default value defined in the GSM Network Settings properties). No power reduction is defined for
this subcell. If a power reduction of 3 dB had been defined for this subcell, the interference would have been reduced
by an additional 3 dB. A fractional load might be another reason for reduced interference.
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graphs for the selected terminal, as well as on its noise figure. As well, Atoll respects the terminals defined coding scheme
limit. When you select a mobility, Atoll considers which transmitters have the coding scheme configuration that can support
the selected mobility and the coding scheme threshold for that mobility. For information on defining a terminal, see "Model-
ling Terminals" on page 249.
A coverage prediction by coding schemes enables you to determine the coding scheme assigned to transmitters sharing either
an identical channel or an adjacent channel with other transmitters. Coding schemes are assigned according to the DL radio
condition (i.e., C, C and C/I, with or without thermal noise) and optionally according to a specific hopping mode, frequency
band, mobility type and MAL (See "Creating or Modifying a Coding Scheme Configuration" on page 498 for more information).
To make a coverage prediction by GPRS/EDGE coding schemes:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select New Prediction from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialog box appears.
4. Select Coverage by GPRS/EDGE Coding Scheme (DL) and click OK.
5. Click the General tab. On this tab, you can change the Name of the prediction, the Resolution, and add Comments.
The Receiver height corresponds to the height of the receiver defined in the Calculation Parameters tab of the Net-
work Settings Properties dialog box.
A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the "<GUID>" and "</GUID>" tags in the following files:
"<prediction_name>.XML" file (one per prediction) created in the following folder
for coverage predictions calculated by value intervals with relevant Field settings:
C:\<ATL_path>\<ATL_name>.studies\{<GUID>}. For more information, see
"External Storage of Coverage Prediction Numerical Results" on page 208.
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion is saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. You can also display
the results grouped in the Network explorer by one or more characteristics by clicking the Group By button, or you
can display the results sorted by clicking the Sort button. For information on filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98;
for information on grouping, see "Advanced Grouping of Data Objects" on page 95; for information on sorting, see
"Advanced Sorting" on page 97.
6. Click the Conditions tab. On this tab, you can define the signals that will be considered for each pixel.
Figure 7.87: Condition settings for a coverage prediction by GPRS/EDGE coding scheme
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If, under GPRS/EDGE, you select C and not CI for the coverage prediction, the only option
you need to select under Interference Condition is the TRX type to consider from the TRXs
list.
Inter-technology interference is taken into account by default. For more information, see
"Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 626. By adding an option in the Atoll.ini
file, you can add an Inter-technology check box which will allow you to consider or not
inter-technology interference.
Select the Detailed Results check box if you want to display detailed results per transmitter. The results displayed
depend on the subcell frequency hopping mode:
Non-Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for one channel of each TRX in non-hopping mode.
Base Band Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for the MAL of each subcell in base band hopping mode.
Synthesised Frequency Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for the MAL-MAIO of each subcell in synthe-
sised frequency hopping mode.
9. Under GPRS/EDGE, set the following parameters:
From the Coding Schemes list, select the technology on which the coding scheme calculation will be based:
All: If you select All, both GPRS coding schemes and EDGE coding schemes will be used.
GPRS: If you select GPRS, only GPRS coding schemes will be used.
EDGE: If you select EDGE, only EDGE coding schemes will be used. Depending on the selected GPRS/EDGE
configurations, EDGE coding schemes can be of the type EGPRS (Standard EDGE) or EGPRS2 (EDGE Evolution).
Select whether you want to base the coverage prediction on C or C and CI. If you select C, the only option you
need to select under Interference Condition is the TRX type to consider from the TRXs list.
If desired, select which Terminal you want to base the coding scheme coverage prediction on. When you restrict
the coverage prediction to a selected terminal, Atoll bases the coverage prediction on the C and CI graphs for the
selected terminal, as well as on its noise figure. As well, Atoll respects the terminals defined coding scheme limit.
If desired, select which Mobility you want to base the coding scheme coverage prediction on. When you select a
mobility, Atoll considers which transmitters have the coding scheme configuration that can support the selected
mobility and relative threshold.
Enter a Noise Figure. By default, a noise figure of 8 dB is used if no terminal is selected.
Select the Thermal Noise Taken into Account check box if you want Atoll to consider thermal noise.
Select the Ideal Link Adaptation check box if you want the coding scheme that offers the highest throughput to
be selected. Otherwise, Atoll will choose the coding scheme according to signal level and quality.
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When creating a coverage prediction by discrete values, you can not export the values per
pixel.
11. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the "<GUID>" and "</GUID>" tags in the following files:
"<prediction_name>.XML" file (one per prediction) created in the following folder
for coverage predictions calculated by value intervals with relevant Field settings:
C:\<ATL_path>\<ATL_name>.studies\{<GUID>}. For more information, see
"External Storage of Coverage Prediction Numerical Results" on page 208.
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion is saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. You can also display
the results grouped in the Network explorer by one or more characteristics by clicking the Group By button, or you
can display the results sorted by clicking the Sort button. For information on filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98;
for information on grouping, see "Advanced Grouping of Data Objects" on page 95; for information on sorting, see
"Advanced Sorting" on page 97.
6. Click the Conditions tab. On this tab, you can define the signals that will be considered for each pixel.
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If, under GPRS/EDGE, you select Based on C for the coverage prediction, the only option
you need to select under Interference Condition is the TRX type to consider from the TRXs
list.
Inter-technology interference is taken into account by default. For more information, see
"Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 626. By adding an option in the Atoll.ini
file, you can add an Inter-technology check box which will allow you to consider or not
inter-technology interference.
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Select the Ideal Link Adaptation check box if you want the coding scheme that offers the highest throughput per
timeslot for a given C or C and CI to be selected. Otherwise, Atoll will choose the coding scheme by considering
only the coding scheme admission threshold in terms of C and/or CI.
10. Under Application Throughput per User, select the dimensioning model from which the load reduction factor can be
extracted in order to display an end-user throughput prediction.
11. Click the Display tab.
For a coverage prediction by packet throughput, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "Effective RLC
Throughput/Timeslot" is selected by default. If desired, you can change the values displayed by selecting one of the
following values from the Field list:
Effective RLC Throughput/Timeslot: Each layer shows the Effective RLC Throughput/Timeslot that a transmitter
can carry on one timeslot per pixel.
Max Effective RLC Throughput/Timeslot: The resulting coverage provides the maximal Effective RLC Throughput/
Timeslot on each pixel from the previous display.
Average Effective RLC Throughput/Timeslot: Gives the average Effective RLC Throughput/Timeslot that the trans-
mitter can carry on one timeslot averaged on each pixel. If there are different coverage areas for different TRXs,
this coverage prediction will calculate the union of these coverages and display the average values over these cov-
erage areas, whereas the other coverage predictions for Effective RLC Throughput/Timeslot perform an intersec-
tion of these coverage zones, keeping the minimum value of throughput per pixel.
Application Throughput/Timeslot: Each layer shows the application throughput/timeslot that a transmitter can
carry on one timeslot for a particular service per pixel.
Max Application Throughput/Timeslot: The resulting coverage provides the maximal application throughput/
timeslot on each pixel for a particular service provided by a specific terminal from the previous display.
Average Application Throughput/Timeslot: The average application throughput/timeslot that the transmitter
can carry on one timeslot averaged on each pixel for a particular service. If there are different coverage areas for
different TRXs, this coverage prediction will calculate the union of these coverages and display the average values
over these coverage areas, whereas the other coverage predictions for application throughput/timeslot perform
an intersection of these coverage zones, keeping the minimum value of throughput per pixel.
Effective RLC Throughput: Each layer shows the max RLC throughput that a transmitter can provide to a selected
terminal per pixel.
Max Effective RLC Throughput: The resulting coverage provides the maximal RLC throughput on each pixel from
the previous display.
Average Effective RLC Throughput: Gives the average RLC throughput that a transmitter can provide to a selected
terminal averaged on each pixel. If there are different coverage areas for different TRXs, this coverage prediction
will calculate the union of these coverages and display the average values over these coverage areas, whereas the
other coverage predictions for max RLC throughput perform an intersection of these coverage zones, keeping the
minimum value of throughput per pixel.
Application Throughput: Each layer shows the throughput that a transmitter can provide to a selected terminal
per pixel.
Max Application Throughput: The resulting coverage gives the maximal throughput on each from the previous
display.
Average Application Throughput: Gives the average throughput that the transmitter can provide to a selected ter-
minal averaged on each pixel. If there are different coverage areas for different TRXs, this coverage prediction will
calculate the union of these coverages and display the average values over these coverage areas, whereas the
other coverage predictions for throughput perform an intersection over these coverage zones keeping the min-
imum value of throughput per pixel.
Application Throughput per User: Each layer shows the throughput that a transmitter can provide to a user on a
pixel, considering load reduction factors.
Max Application Throughput per User: The resulting coverage gives the maximal user application throughput on
each pixel from the previous display.
Average Application Throughput per User: The average throughput that the transmitter can provide to a user
averaged on each pixel. If there are different coverage areas for different TRXs, this coverage prediction will cal-
culate the union of these coverages and display the average values over these coverage areas, whereas the other
coverages for throughput perform an intersection over these coverage zones, keeping the minimum value of
throughput per pixel.
For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
12. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the "<GUID>" and "</GUID>" tags in the following files:
"<prediction_name>.XML" file (one per prediction) created in the following folder
for coverage predictions calculated by value intervals with relevant Field settings:
C:\<ATL_path>\<ATL_name>.studies\{<GUID>}. For more information, see
"External Storage of Coverage Prediction Numerical Results" on page 208.
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion is saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on
filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98.
6. Click the Conditions tab. On this tab, you can define the signals that will be considered for each pixel.
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If the coverage prediction is set to be Based on C (under GPRS/EDGE), you can only
select the Interfered sources and the TRX type to consider (Interfered subcells).
Inter-technology interference is taken into account by default. For more informa-
tion, see "Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 509. By adding an
option in the Atoll.ini file, you can add an Inter-technology check box which will
allow you to consider or not inter-technology interference.
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The circuit quality indicator coverage prediction displays the areas where the selected circuit quality indicator (BER, FER, or
MOS) for the transmitter satisfies the user-defined criteria. The quality indicator is calculated using CN or CN and C(I+N) and
the adaptation or quality thresholds defined for the codec configuration on each transmitter. Transmitters that have no codec
configuration defined are not taken into consideration in this coverage prediction. If a transmitter has a codec configuration,
Atoll proceeds as follows:
If a terminal type is not defined or does not have codec configuration assigned, Atoll considers the codec configuration
assigned to the transmitter only.
If the terminal and the transmitter have different codec configuration, Atoll determines the intersection of the codec
modes contained in the transmitter and terminal codec configuration. The codec mode is then selected according to
the calculated CN or CN and CI + N on and optionally according to a specific hopping mode, frequency band,
mobility type and MAL (See "Creating or Modifying Codec Configuration" on page 495 for more information) each
pixel. For a given quality or a given codec mode, look-up tables defined in codec configuration provide the circuit
quality indicator (BER, FER, or MOS) displayed as a result.
The quality indicator used for ideal link adaptation is determined by the codec configuration assigned to the transmitters.
To make a circuit quality indicator coverage prediction:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select New Prediction from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialog box appears.
4. Select Circuit Quality Indicator Analysis (DL) and click OK. The coverage prediction Properties dialog box appears.
5. Click the General tab. On this tab, you can change the Name of the prediction, the Resolution, and add Comments.
The Receiver height corresponds to the height of the receiver defined in the Calculation Parameters tab of the Net-
work Settings Properties dialog box.
A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the "<GUID>" and "</GUID>" tags in the following files:
"<prediction_name>.XML" file (one per prediction) created in the following folder
for coverage predictions calculated by value intervals with relevant Field settings:
C:\<ATL_path>\<ATL_name>.studies\{<GUID>}. For more information, see
"External Storage of Coverage Prediction Numerical Results" on page 208.
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion is saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on
filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98.
6. Click the Conditions tab. On this tab, you can define the signals that will be considered for each pixel.
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Figure 7.90: Condition settings for a Circuit Quality Indicator Analysis (DL) prediction
If, under Quality Indicators Calculation, you select Calculations Based on CN for the
coverage prediction, the only option you need to select under Interference Condition is
the TRX type to consider from the TRXs list.
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Inter-technology interference is taken into account by default. For more information, see
"Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 626. By adding an option in the Atoll.ini
file, you can add an Inter-technology check box which will allow you to consider or not
inter-technology interference.
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You can make service area analysis coverage predictions whether channels have been allocated or not. If you have not yet
allocated frequencies, you can do so before carrying out the coverage prediction described in this section. For information on
creating a frequency plan, see "Allocating Frequencies, BSICs, HSNs, MALs, MAIOs" on page 342.
You can also restrict the coverage prediction to a selected terminal or mobility or to a combination of terminal and mobility.
When you restrict the coverage prediction to a selected terminal, the coverage prediction is based on the C and CI graphs for
the selected terminal, as well as on its noise figure. The defined codec mode (or coding scheme) limit of the terminal is
respected. When you select a mobility, the transmitters that have a codec (or coding scheme) configuration that supports the
selected mobility and the codec mode (or coding scheme) threshold for that mobility are considered. For information on
defining a terminal, see "Modelling Terminals" on page 249.
To make a coverage prediction on a service area:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select New Prediction from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialog box appears.
4. Select one of the following predictions and click OK:
Service Area Analysis (DL)
Service Area Analysis (UL)
Effective Service Area Analysis (DL+UL)
The coverage prediction Properties dialog box appears.
5. Click the General tab. On this tab, you can change the Name of the prediction, the Resolution, and add Comments.
The Receiver height corresponds to the height of the receiver defined in the Calculation Parameters tab of the Net-
work Settings Properties dialog box.
A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the "<GUID>" and "</GUID>" tags in the following files:
"<prediction_name>.XML" file (one per prediction) created in the following folder
for coverage predictions calculated by value intervals with relevant Field settings:
C:\<ATL_path>\<ATL_name>.studies\{<GUID>}. For more information, see
"External Storage of Coverage Prediction Numerical Results" on page 208.
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion is saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on
filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98.
6. Click the Conditions tab. On this tab, you can define the signals that will be considered for each pixel.
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Figure 7.91: Condition settings for a Service Area Analysis (DL) prediction
Inter-technology interference is taken into account by default. For more information, see
"Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 626. By adding an option in the Atoll.ini
file, you can add an Inter-technology check box which will allow you to consider or not
inter-technology interference.
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All: If you select All, both GPRS coding schemes and EDGE coding schemes will be used.
GPRS: If you select GPRS, only GPRS coding schemes will be used.
EDGE: If you select EDGE, only EDGE coding schemes will be used. Depending on the selected GPRS/EDGE
configurations, EDGE coding schemes can be of the type EGPRS (Standard EDGE) or EGPRS2 (EDGE Evolution).
Select Ideal Link Adaptation to select the coding scheme that offers the highest throughput. Otherwise, Atoll
chooses the coding scheme according to signal level and quality.
10. Under Coding, set the following parameters:
Select Calculations Based on CN if you want to base the coverage prediction on CN. If you select Calculations
based on CN for the coverage prediction, the only option to select under Interference conditions is the TRX type
to consider from the TRXs list. The codec mode (or coding scheme) is selected according to signal level and
receiver noise N.
Select Calculations Based on C(I+N) if you want to base the coverage prediction on CN and C(I+N).
If necessary, select the Terminal on which you want to base the coverage prediction. When you restrict the cov-
erage prediction to a selected terminal and the terminal type and the transmitter have different codec (or coding
scheme) configurations, Atoll determines the intersection of the codec modes (or coding schemes) contained in
the transmitter and terminal codec (or coding scheme) configuration. The codec mode (or coding scheme) is then
selected according to the calculated CN or CN and CI + N on each pixel.
If necessary, select the Mobility on which you want to base the coding scheme coverage prediction. When you
select a mobility, Atoll considers the codec mode (or coding scheme) applicable for the selected mobility on the
codec configuration.
Enter a Noise Figure. By default, a noise figure of 8 dB is used if no terminal is selected.
Select which Service you want to base the coverage prediction on. If you select a circuit-switched service, the ser-
vice will be served if at least one codec mode can be selected. If you select a packet-switched service, the service
will be served if at least one coding scheme can be selected.
11. Click the Display tab.
Only the Display Type "Unique" is available. Pixels are covered with a unique colour if the selected service can be
provided on the considered pixel.
For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
12. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
You must have a computation zone defined to use the Tx-Tx Interference tool. For infor-
mation on creating a computation zone, see "Computation Zone" on page 66.
3. Under Coverage conditions, select what you are going to base the interference calculation on:
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You can change the colors used in the interference area on the map by applying the
display properties of any existing prediction that is based on C/I levels. Under Legend,
select Based on prediction and select a prediction that is configured with the color and
transparency display settings that you want to use for the Tx-Tx Interference tool. Click
Calculate to redraw the interference area on the map.
You can use the Tx-Tx Interference tool to display the interference between transmitters in a histogram.
To display interference between transmitters in a histogram:
After you have calculated the interference as explained earlier in this section, click the Histogram button. The Statis-
tics window appears.
Under Histogram based on covered areas, you can select to view a histogram, CDF, or inverse CDF based on area
or percentage.
The Zoom on selected values section displays the covered area values, or the percentage of the covered area,
along the y-axis against the coverage criterion along the x-axis. You can zoom in on values by clicking and dragging
in the Zoom on selected values list. Atoll will zoom in on the selected values.
You can copy the graph by clicking the Copy button.
You can print the graph by clicking the Print button.
Under Statistics based on prediction conditions, you can view the mean and standard deviation of the coverage
criterion calculated during the coverage calculations, if available.
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Subcell parameters respect the cell type on which the subcell is based.
TRX parameters respect the TRX type on which the TRX is based.
No frequency, HSN, or BSIC domain is empty.
For subcells where the hopping mode is NH or BBH, each TRX has a single, unique frequency.
For subcells where the hopping mode is SSH, each TRX has a defined frequency list.
For subcells where the hopping mode is SSH, the maximum MAL length is respected.
For subcells where the hopping mode is SSH, the MAIO is lower than the number of frequencies in the MAL.
The number of timeslots per subcell is lower than or equal to the multiplexing factor (or, for the BCCH subcell, the
number of timeslots equals the multiplexing factor minus one).
The number of timeslots per subcell is 0.
The non-existence of multi-band transmitters when these are not expected to be present.
In multi-RAT networks, detection of UMTS inter-technology neighbour transmitters with identical scrambling codes.
In multi-RAT networks, detection of LTE inter-technology neighbours with identical physical cell IDs.
You can configure the frequency plan audit to verify the following points as well:
Frequency domains belong to the assigned frequency band.
The current frequency plan respects the assigned allocation strategy (free or group-constrained).
The allocated resources, the frequency, HSN, or BSIC, belong to the assigned domain.
There is consistency between the excluded channels defined at the subcell and the assigned channels.
The exceptional separation constraints are respected.
No transmitter has the same BSIC-BCCH pair as one of its neighbours.
No transmitter has two neighbours with the same BSIC-BCCH pair.
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Exceptional Separation Constraints table. For information on defining exceptional separation constraints, see
"Defining Exceptional Frequency Separations" on page 365.
b. When you have finished entering exceptional separation constraints, click Close to close the Exceptional Separa-
tion Constraints dialog box.
c. In the table on the Separations tab, enter or modify the separation rules. The separation rules set the channel sep-
aration that should exist between pairs of TRXs on the same transmitter, same site, or on adjacent sites. For infor-
mation on defining separation rules, see "Defining Separation Rules" on page 365.
6. Click the Detailed Results tab to select the type of information you want in the report.
Error Messages: If you select this check box, the audit displays global warnings and error messages, as well as a
summary of separation constraint violations by transmitter/subcell/TRX pair and by TRX.
Warnings Related to Separations: If you select this check box, the audit displays a description of each separation
constraint violation.
Additional Warnings: If you select this check box, the audit displays additional detailed warnings.
Postpone the Global Summary and Part of the Tests: You can select this check box for faster display of the results.
The audit results will be displayed immediately and you can generate the global summary at that point.
7. Click OK to start the audit. The Checking Planning Consistency dialog box appears (see Figure 7.93). The results are
given in a grid under Separation Violations. Under Messages are the detailed results as defined in step 6.
You can define the display of the Allocation tab from the Display Options menu. For more information, see "Defining
the Display of the Allocation Tab" on page 384.
If you had selected to Postpone the Global Summary and Part of the Tests in step 6., the Messages area will be empty.
You can generate global summary now by clicking the Actions button and selecting Generate the Global Summary.
The results are listed in a table by transmitter, TRX type, and TRX and are coded by colour. Channels in black present no sepa-
ration violations. Channels in red present important separation violations. You can Display Important Violations Only. This
option can prove very useful when too many low importance violations are displayed.
Separation constraint violations, if any, are listed in the Separations violations column. To display the details of a separation
constraint violation:
1. Click the violation in the Separations violations column. A message box appears displaying details about the violation.
2. Click OK to close the message box.
3. Or, if you are asked to "Reinforce constraints on these violations by using Exceptional Pairs":
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Click Yes if you want to define the pair currently in violation as an exceptional pair. Because separation constraints
between exceptional pairs have more weight than default separation constraints, you will be able to re-run the
AFP and force it to try to avoid this violation.
Or click No to close the message box without defining the pair currently in violation as an exceptional pair.
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8. Click OK.
If you choose to fix the incompatible values, Atoll displays the report in the Events viewer. Values that are inconsistent are
changed and Atoll displays warnings to inform you of unrealistic values.
By including the BCCH, BSIC, and channel list of each transmitter in the transmitter label,
the search results will be easier to understand. For information on defining the label, see
"Associating a Label to an Object" on page 53.
You can use Find on Map to search for a channel. You can search in all channels, in control channels, or in non-control chan-
nels.
To find a channel using Find on Map:
1. Click Tools > Find on Map. The Find on Map window appears.
2. From the Find list, select "GSM Channel."
3. In the Channel list, enter a channel that you would like to allocate.
4. Define where you want Atoll to search for the selected channel:
Used as BCCH: Atoll will search for the channel when used as a BCCH.
Used as TCH: Atoll will search for the channel when used as a TCH.
By default, Find on Map displays only co-channel subcells. If you want adjacent channels to be displayed as well, select
the Adjacent channels check box.
5. Click Search.
When you search for both BCCH and TCH TRX types, transmitters with the same channel for BCCH are displayed in red.
Transmitters with the same channel for any TCH are displayed in orange. Transmitters with two adjacent channels
(i.e., a channel higher and a channel lower) are displayed in yellow. Transmitters with a lower adjacent channel are
displayed in green; transmitters with a higher adjacent channel are displayed in green. Colours used for co-channel
cases take precedence over the colours used for adjacent channels. All other transmitters are displayed as grey lines.
When you search for the BCCH or TCH TRX types, transmitters with the same channel are displayed in red. Transmit-
ters with two adjacent channels (i.e., a channel higher and a channel lower) are displayed in yellow. Transmitters with
a lower adjacent channel are displayed in green; transmitters with a higher adjacent channel are displayed in green.
Colours used for co-channel take precedence over the colours used for adjacent channels. All other transmitters are
displayed as grey lines.
If you cleared the Adjacent channels check box, transmitters using the same channel are displayed in red; all others,
including transmitters with adjacent channels, are displayed as grey lines.
To restore the initial transmitter colours, click the Reset Display button in the Search Tool window.
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You can use Find on Map to search for a combination of TRX and subcell parameters: a channel, BSIC or NCC-BCC, as well as
HSN and MAIO.
To find a BSIC-BCCH pair:
1. Click Tools > Find on Map. The Find on Map window appears.
2. From the Find list, select "BSIC-BCCH Pair."
3. Select the parameters on which you want to search:
BCCH channel: Enter a BCCH channel number. If you do not enter a BCCH channel number, Atoll will search all
specified channels according to the other parameters.
BSIC or NCC-BCC: Enter either a BSIC or a value for the NCC and for the BCC.
4. Click Search.
Transmitters that match the defined search parameters are displayed in red. All other transmitters are displayed as
grey lines.
To restore the initial transmitter colours, click the Reset Display button in the Search Tool window.
To find a BCCH or TCH channel or a combination of channel (BCCH or TCH) and HSN or MAIO:
1. Click Tools > Find on Map. The Find on Map window appears.
2. From the Find list, select "Channel-HSN/MAIO Pair."
3. From the Channel list, select a BCCH or TCH channel number and the parameter on which you want to search:
HSN: to search for a combination of channel number and HSN, select HSN and an HSN number.
MAIO: to search for a combination of channel number and MAIO, select MAIO and a MAIO number.
The Find on Map tool can also return results for a specific HSN or MAIO when the Channel
field is empty. In this case, the Results window will list all the transmitters for which the
specified HSN or MAIO was defined.
4. Click Search.
Transmitters that match the defined search parameters are displayed in red. All other transmitters are displayed as
grey lines.
To restore the initial transmitter colours, click the Reset Display button in the Find on Map window.
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Required TRXs per Transmitter or Subcell: To display the number of required TRXs per transmitter or per subcell,
select "Required TRXs" or "Subcell: Required TRXs," respectively, from the Label or Tip Text Field Definition dialog
box.
Number of TRXs Assigned: To display the number of TRXs assigned to a transmitter, select "Number of TRXs" from
the Label or Tip Text Field Definition dialog box.
Frequency Band: To display the frequency band assigned to a transmitter, select "Frequency Band" from the Label
or Tip Text Field Definition dialog box.
GPRS/EDGE: To display which transmitters are GPRS/EDGE-capable, select "GPRS/EDGE" from the Label or Tip
Text Field Definition dialog box.
Coding Scheme Configuration: To display the coding scheme configuration assigned to a transmitter, select
"Coding Scheme Configuration" from the Label or Tip Text Field Definition dialog box.
Codec Configuration: To display the codec configuration assigned to a transmitter, select "Codec Configuration"
from the Label or Tip Text Field Definition dialog box.
Because labels are always displayed, you should avoid displaying too much information at
the same time.
5. Click OK.
For information on display options, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
6. Click to add the parameter to the Group these fields in this order list. The selected parameter is added to the list
of parameters on which the transmitters will be grouped.
7. If you do not want the transmitters to be sorted by a certain parameter, select it in the Group these fields in this order
list and click . The selected parameter is removed from the list of parameters on which the transmitters will be
grouped.
8. Arrange the parameters in the Group these fields in this order list in the order in which you want the transmitters to
be grouped:
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The frequency load distribution can be displayed as a histogram by clicking the Histogram button. The histogram is similar to
the one on the Histogram tab in the AFP Progress dialog box. For more information, see "Histogram Tab" on page 388.
You should be aware that uniform distribution is not always synonymous with quality. While it is clear that in some cases the
frequency usage distribution can be a quality indicator, it is not always the case. For this reason the Atoll AFP does not have
a cost dedicated to non-uniformity of spectral use. Therefore Atoll AFP can create non-uniform frequency distributions.
When the frequency assignment problem (FAP) is easy, the AFP reaches a 0-cost solution and stops immediately. If it
was instructed to use the minimum spectrum possible, the AFP will use the smaller ARFCNs more than the larger ones
(and will leave the largest ARFCNs untouched, for future use). Otherwise, the AFP will try to spread spectrum use. By
default this directive is free for AFP tuning.
In many cases, a large volume of allocation constraints exists for adjacent channel reuse. The two end-channels, (the
biggest and the smallest in the domain), have fewer constraints, because they have only one adjacent channel in use,
and are therefore heavily used. The adjacent channels (the second in the domain, and the one before the biggest in
the domain) are used less often than the others because they each have a heavily used adjacent channel. Because the
third domain frequency is adjacent to a seldom used channel, it will be used more often than usual. In the case of a
continuous domain, which is small, and whose size is impair, this effect will resonate strongly and will provide a sig-
nificant reduction in usage of the 2nd, 4th, 6th, etc., frequencies of the domain.
After you have manually or automatically allocated frequencies, you can view channel allocation in the form of a table or a
histogram. For each channel used, Atoll displays both the channel load (i.e., the number of times the channel is used, weighted
by the fractional load) and the total number of times the channel is used. The information in the table can either be copied or
exported for use in another application.
To display the channel allocation table or histogram:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Frequency Plan > Channel Distribution. The Channel Use Statistics table appears.
4. You can do the following:
Export: Click the Export button to open the Export dialog box and export the Channel Use Statistics table contents
as a TXT, CSV, or XLS file. For information on using the Export dialog box, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and
Spreadsheets" on page 85.
Histogram: Click the Histogram button to display the Distribution Histogram dialog box. The histogram represents
the channels as a function of the frequency of their use. You can move the pointer over the histogram to display
the frequency of use of each channel. The results are highlighted simultaneously in the Zoom on selected values
list. You can zoom in on values by clicking and dragging in the Zoom on selected values list. Atoll will zoom in on
the selected values.
In the Distribution Histogram dialog box, you have the following options:
Copy: Click the Copy button to copy the histogram to the clipboard. You can paste the histogram as a graphic
into another application, for example, a word-processor.
Print: Click the Print button to print the histogram.
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much it will be multiplexed with other users. In other words, this parameter will be affected by the traffic load
which is a consequence of dimensioning.
Under Terminals (%), enter the percentage of each type of terminal used in the map. The total percentages
must equal 100.
Under Circuit Services (%), enter the percentage of each type of circuit service used in the map. The total
percentages must equal 100.
Under Packet Services (%), enter the percentage of each type of packet service used in the map (assuming the
packet is made of maximum bit rate and constant bit rate packet services). The total percentages must equal
100.
4. Click Calculate to calculate the KPI calculation.
The output of the calculation appears in the KPI Calculation dialog box under Results. You can select which columns
to display by clicking the Displayed Columns button and selecting or clearing the check box of the columns. The follow-
ing results are given for each transmitter in the Transmitter column:
TRX Type: For each transmitter, the results are given by TRX type (e.g., BCCH, TCH, TCH_EGPRS and TCH_INNER).
Together, the Transmitter and TRX Type columns identify the subcell.
Number of TRXs: The number of TRXs assigned for both the subcell's circuit-switched and packet-switched traffic,
while taking into account the quality of service criterion assigned for each.
Load (%): The average demand in timeslots (packet and circuit), divided by the total number of timeslots available.
It represents the average occupancy of the TRXs. This parameter is one of the principal results of dimensioning
along with the number of TRXs. In addition, this parameter might have been updated by an AFP model which is
capable of optimising (i.e., reduce or increase) the number of required TRXs. This results in the subcell load being
modified.
Multiplexing Factor: The user or Temporary Block Flow (TBF) multiplexing factor. The multiplexing factor corre-
sponds to the number of timeslots per frame.
Maximum Number of TRXs per Transmitter: The maximum number of TRXs that a transmitter can support is an
input of the KPI calculation. This parameter is provided by the equipment manufacturer. The value can be set for
each transmitter or taken from the dimensioning model for transmitters where this value is not set.
Target Rate of Traffic Overflow (%): This input parameter defines the percentage of traffic that is allowed to over-
flow from one subcell to another in case the traffic assigned to this subcell is greater than the maximum traffic
that it can accommodate. It can be considered an anticipation of the percentage of traffic that will be rejected
from higher priority subcells or layers to lower ones. The value is specified for each subcell.
Half-rate Traffic Ratio (%): This input parameter is defined per subcell and indicates the percentage of subcell
traffic that uses half-rate access.
If the values are different for BCCH and TCH subcells, Atoll will use the values for the target rate of traffic overflow
and the half-rate traffic ratio from the BCCH subcell.
Packet demand (Kbps): The Packet Traffic Demand is the total traffic demand in kilobits per second generated by
packet-switched service users within the coverage area of the transmitter.
Packet average demand (timeslots): The number of timeslots needed to satisfy the packet traffic demand
depends on the maximum throughput that a packet timeslot can support.
Average Number of Timeslots per Connection (Packet): This input parameter defines the average number of
timeslots used by packet-switched-traffic users while accessing services. Packet-switched services allow up to
eight timeslots per connection. The average number of timeslots per connection corresponds to the average
number of downlink timeslots (multiplied by the number of simultaneous carriers in EDGE Evolution, if any) over
which a single mobile terminal can communicate at one time.
Circuit Demand (Erlangs): The Circuit Traffic Demand is the total traffic demand in Erlangs generated by circuit-
switched-service users within the coverage area of the transmitter.
For concentric cell types, the traffic demand on TCH subcells is different from the one
calculated during the traffic capture. For concentric cell types, the traffic demand on TCH
subcells is calculated from the traffic demand of the capture and the effective rate of traffic
overflow.
Circuit average demand (timeslots): The Average Demand in Circuit Timeslots is calculated taking into account
the effect of half-rate circuit-switched traffic: two half-rate users are equivalent to one full-rate user.
Average Number of Timeslots per Connection (Circuit): The Average Number of Timeslots per Connection (Cir-
cuit) is an input parameter. The number of timeslots per connection is "1" for full-rate traffic, otherwise it depends
on the half-rate traffic ratio.
At present, Atoll only models circuit calls using 1 timeslot per connection; this parameter is for forward compati-
bility.
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Served Circuit Traffic (Erlangs): The Served Circuit Traffic is the circuit-switched traffic in Erlangs that the subcell
can serve.
The served circuit-switched traffic is circuit traffic demand less the effective overflowed circuit traffic.
Served Packet Traffic (Kbps): The Served Packet Traffic is the packet-switched traffic in kilobits per second that
the subcell can serve.
The served packet-switched traffic is packet traffic demand less the effective overflowed packet traffic.
Effective Rate of Traffic Overflow (%): The Effective Rate of Traffic Overflow is the actual rate of traffic that is
rejected by the subcell and overflows because of a lack of packet timeslots. In a GSM network, the value is the
same as the blocking probability. In a more complex network, this value includes the traffic overflow from all ser-
vices.
In case of Erlang B, the effective rate of traffic overflow corresponds to the effective blocking rate. This value is
calculated from the required number of circuit timeslots (both shared and circuit timeslots) and the circuit traffic
demand in Erlang B tables.
In case of Erlang C, the effective rate of traffic overflow is zero except if the maximum number of TRXs is exceeded.
The effective blocking rate is inferred from the required number of circuit timeslots (both shared and circuit times-
lots) and the circuit traffic demand in Erlang C tables.
Probability of Circuit Blocking Rate (or Delay) (%): The Circuit Blocking Rate is the grade of service (GoS) indicator
for circuit-switched traffic. It can be either the rate at which calls are blocked (Erlang B) or delayed (Erlang C),
depending on which queuing model the dimensioning model uses.
Minimum Throughput Reduction Factor (%): The Minimum Throughput Reduction Factor is the lowest
throughput reduction factor that can still guarantee service availability. The Minimum Throughput Reduction
Factor is one of the criteria for packet-switched traffic dimensioning. It is calculated using the parameters defined
for the services: the minimum service throughput; the maximum number of timeslots per connection; the
required availability; and the per pixel timeslot capacity of the subcell coverage area. This parameter is calculated
when making the traffic capture or is user-defined depending on the source of traffic demand on which the KPI
calculation is based.
Throughput Reduction Factor (%): The Throughput Reduction Factor is calculated from the quality charts using
the packet load and available connections for each subcell. This reduction factor must be greater than the min-
imum throughput reduction factor for packet-switched services for these services to be satisfactorily available in
the subcell.
Maximum Packet Delay (s): The Maximum Packet Delay is the defined delay in seconds that must not be
exceeded for the service quality to be considered satisfactory.
Packet Delay (s): The Delay is a key performance indicator (KPI) calculated using the quality graphs, the load, and
the number of connections available. This dimensioning output must not exceed the maximum delay defined for
the service for service availability to be considered satisfactory.
Maximum Probability of Packet Delay (%): The Maximum Probability of Packet Delay is defined for each packet
service and is the highest probability that the service will be blocked that is acceptable in terms of service availa-
bility.
Probability of Packet Delay (Delay) (%): The Probability of Packet Delay is a dimensioning output and must not
exceed the Maximum Probability of Packet Delay defined for the service for service availability to be considered
satisfactory.
5. Click Commit to assign the load and the effective rate of traffic overflow to the subcells.
KPI calculation is based on a traffic capture. Modifications to traffic maps, traffic parame-
ters, and transmitter properties (e.g., calculation area, coding scheme configuration, etc.)
have an influence on the traffic capture. Therefore, if you modify some of these data, you
must recalculate the traffic capture before calculating KPIs.
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ACP can also be used to measure and optimise the EMF exposure created by the network. This permits the optimisation of
power and antenna settings to reduce excessive EMF exposure in existing networks and optimal site selection for new trans-
mitters.
ACP uses user-defined objectives to evaluate the optimisation, as well as to calculate its implementation cost. Once you have
defined the objectives and the network parameters to be optimised, ACP uses an efficient global search algorithm to test
many network configurations and propose the reconfigurations that best meet the objectives. ACP presents the changes
ordered from the most to the least beneficial, allowing phased implementation or implementation of just a subset of the
suggested changes.
ACP is technology-independent and can be used to optimise networks using different radio access technologies. Chapter 17:
Automatic Cell Planning explains how you configure the ACP module, how you create and run an optimisation setup, and how
you can view the results of an optimisation. In this section, only the concepts specific to GSM networks are explained:
"GSM Optimisation Objectives" on page 470
"GSM Quality Parameters" on page 470
"GSM Quality Analysis Predictions" on page 472.
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You can base the evaluation of a qualiy analysis prediction on a calculated Atoll prediction,
if any, or on a manual configuration.
If you base the evaluation of a qualiy analysis prediction on a calculated Atoll pre-
diction, ACP will use the display settings of the calculated Atoll prediction in the
qualiy analysis prediction calculated for that objective.
If you saved the display settings of a qualiy analysis prediction as defaults, or if you
are using a configuration file for ACP, these display settings will be used by default
and will override the display settings of the calculated Atoll prediction. For more
information on changing the display settings of a quality analysis prediction, see
"Changing the Display Properties of ACP Predictions" on page 1397.
CINR Co-channel
Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by C/I level.
Base prediction settings on > "Coverage by C/I Level (DL)": ACP will evaluate coverage by C/I level based on the
parameters used to calculate the selected "Coverage by C/I Level (DL)" prediction in Atoll.
Base prediction settings on > "Manual configuration": If you select this option, you can Enable shadowing margin
and define a Cell edge coverage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no
clutter information is available, default values are used.
BCCH Signal Level
Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by signal level.
Base prediction settings on > "Coverage by Signal Level (DL)": ACP will evaluate the coverage by signal level based
on the parameters used to calculate the selected "Coverage by Signal Level (DL)" prediction in Atoll.
Base prediction settings on > "Manual configuration": If you select this option, you can Enable shadowing margin
and define a Cell edge coverage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no
clutter information is available, default values are used.
Overlap / 1st-Nth to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate overlapping coverage and coverage by 1st-
Nth difference.
Overlap
Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by overlapping zones or by
1st-Nth difference.
Base prediction settings on > "Overlapping Zones (DL)": ACP will evaluate coverages by overlapping based on
the parameters used to calculate the selected "Overlapping Zones (DL)" prediction in Atoll.
Only the Atoll predictions displaying a "Number of Servers" per pixel can be accessed by the ACP.
Base prediction settings on > "Manual configuration": If you select this option, set the Minimum signal level
to "Subcell C Threshold" (reception threshold defined per subcell) or "Global C Threshold" and specify the
Overlap threshold margin to be used for all subcells.
1st-Nth
Base prediction settings on > "Overlapping Zones (DL)": ACP will evaluate coverages by 1st-Nth difference
based on the parameters used to calculate the selected "Overlapping Zones (DL)" prediction in Atoll.
Since there is no Atoll prediction type equivalent to ACPs GSM 1st-Nth Difference objective, the parameters
recovered by ACP from the selected Atoll prediction are limited to the minimum signal level and the shading.
The number of servers must always be specified manually next to No. servers.
Base prediction settings on > "Manual configuration": If you select this option, set the Minimum signal level
to "Subcell C Threshold" or "Global C Threshold" and specify the No. serversthreshold margin to be used for
all subcells.
In both cases, the value you specify next to No. servers determines "Nth" in the GSM 1st-Nth Difference ob-
jective. For instance if you set No. servers to 4, then the "1st-4th Difference" quality parameter will be auto-
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matically selected by default in the Quality column of the GSM 1st-Nth Difference properties page.
- Allowed values for No. servers range from 3 to 100, with only one value available per technology.
- The "1st-2nd Difference" quality parameter (based on No. servers = 2) is provided by default.
Figure 7.95: ACP Quality Analysis Prediction Types for a GSM Network
ACP quality analysis predictions are equivalent to some of Atolls coverage predictions. The following table lists the quality
analysis predictions available in ACP for GSM and the equivalent GSM coverage predictions in Atoll.
(1) For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction by DL Signal Level" on page 306.
(2) For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction on Overlapping Zones" on page 312.
(3) For more information, see "Making DL Quality Predic
ons Based on CI or C(I+N)" on page 433.
Making these predictions available within ACP enables you to quickly validate the optimisation results without having to
commit the results and then calculate a coverage prediction in Atoll. The ACP predictions display results very similar to those
that Atoll would display if you committed the optimisation results and calculated Atoll coverage predictions, however, before
basing any decision to commit the optimisation results on the predictions produced by ACP, you should keep the following
recommendations in mind:
You should verify the results with a different Atoll coverage prediction, such as the interfered zones prediction.
ACP generated predictions are generated using the entire set of proposed changes. They do not take into account the
change subset defined on the Change Details tab.
The predictions are only provided for the used or requested carrier (GSM900, GSM1800, etc.) separately.
Even after committing the optimisation results, small differences can appear between ACP predictions and the pre-
dictions resulting from Atoll coverage predictions.
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You can view the exact BCCH value on any pixel by letting the pointer rest over the pixel. The BCCH value is then displayed in
tip text.
For ACP overlapping zones predictions, you can:
specify a best server threshold:
by entering a value next to Minimum Signal Level in the Overlap / 1st-Nth properties page,
or by setting the param.gsm.overlap.minRxLevel option with the same value in the [ACPTplObjectivePage] section
of the ACP.ini file.
specify a threshold margin:
by entering a value next to Threshold margin in the Overlap / 1st-Nth properties page,
or by setting the param.gsm.overlap.margin option with the same value in the [ACPTplObjectivePage] section of
the ACP.ini file.
For each network quality coverage prediction, ACP offers a prediction showing the initial network state, the final network
state, and a prediction showing the changes between the initial and final state.
If you are importing more than one file, you can select contiguous files by clicking the first
file you want to import, pressing Shift and clicking the last file you want to import. You can
select non-contiguous files by pressing Ctrl and clicking each file you want to import.
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Files with the extension PLN, as well as some FMT files (created with previous versions of
TEMS) are imported directly into Atoll; you will not be asked to define the data structure
using the Import of Measurement Files dialog box.
6. If you already have an import configuration defining the data structure of the imported file or files, you can select it
from the Import configuration list on the Setup tab of the Import of Measurement Files dialog box. If you do not have
an import configuration, continue with step 7.
a. Under Import configuration, select an import configuration from the Import configuration list.
b. Continue with step 10.
When importing a drive test data path file, existing configurations are available in
the Files of type list of the Open dialog box, sorted according to their date of cre-
ation. After you have selected a file and clicked Open, Atoll automatically proposes
a configuration, if it recognises the extension. If several configurations are associ-
ated with an extension, Atoll chooses the first configuration in the list.
The defined configurations are stored, by default, in the file "NumMeasINIFile.ini",
located in the directory where Atoll is installed. For more information on the Num-
MeasINIFile.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
7. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can set the following parameters:
Name: By default, Atoll names the new drive test data path after the imported file. You can change this name if
desired.
Under Receiver, set the Height of the receiver antenna and the Gain and Losses.
Under Measurement Conditions,
Units: Select the measurement units used.
Coordinates: By default, Atoll imports the coordinates using the display system of the Atoll document. If the
coordinates used in the file you are importing are different than the coordinates used in the Atoll document,
you must click the Browse button and select the coordinate system used in the drive test data file. Atoll will
then convert the data imported to the coordinate system used in the Atoll document.
8. Click the Setup tab (see Figure 7.96).
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Figure 7.96: The Setup tab of the Import of Measurement Files dialog box
a. Under File, enter the number of the 1st Measurement Row, select the data Separator, and select the Decimal
Symbol used in the file.
b. Click the Setup button to link file columns and internal Atoll fields. The Drive Test Data Setup dialog box appears.
c. Under Measurement point position, select the columns in the imported file that give the X-Coordinates and the
Y-Coordinates of each point in the drive test data file.
You can also identify the columns containing the XY coordinates of each point in the drive
test data file by selecting them from the Field row of the table on the Setup tab.
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If you have correctly entered the information under File on the Setup tab, and the
necessary values in the Drive Test Data Setup dialog box, Atoll should recognise all
columns in the imported file. If not, you can click the name of the column in the
table in the Field row and select the column name. For each field, you must ensure
that each column has the correct data type in order for the data to be correctly
interpreted. The default value under Type is "<Ignore>". If a column is marked with
"<Ignore>", it will not be imported.
The data in the file must be structured so that the columns identifying the BCCH
and the BSIC are placed before the data columns for each subcell. Otherwise Atoll
will not be able to properly import the file.
9. If you want to save the definition of the data structure so that you can use it again, you can save it as an import con-
figuration:
a. On the Setup tab, under Import configuration, click Save. The Configuration dialog box appears.
b. By default, Atoll saves the configuration in a file called "NumMeasINIfile.ini" found in Atolls installation folder. If
you cannot write into that folder, you can click the Browse button to choose a different location.
c. Enter a Configuration name and an Extension of the files that this import configuration will describe (for example,
"*.csv").
d. Click OK.
Atoll will now select this import configuration automatically every time you import a drive test data path file with
the selected extension. If you import a file with the same structure but a different extension, you will be able to
select this import configuration from the Import configuration list.
You do not have to complete the import procedure to save the import configura-
tion and have it available for future use.
When importing a CW measurement file, you can expand the NumMeasINIfile.ini
file by clicking the Expand button ( ) in front of the file under Import configura-
tion to display all the available import configurations. When selecting the appro-
priate configuration, the associations are automatically made in the table at the
bottom of the dialog box.
You can delete an existing import configuration by selecting the import configura-
tion under Import configuration and clicking the Delete button.
10. Click Import, if you are only importing a single file, or Import All, if you are importing more than one file. The mobile
data is imported into the current Atoll document.
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3. Right-click the drive test data path whose display you want to define. The context menu appears.
4. Select Properties from the context menu.
5. Click the Display tab.
Each single point can be displayed by a unique attribute, or according to:
a text or integer attribute (discrete value)
a numerical value (value interval).
In addition, a last option is available which permits to display points according to more than one criterion at a time. By select-
ing Advanced Display from the Display Type, a dialog box opens in which you can define the following display for each single
point of the measurement path:
a symbol type according to any attribute
a symbol colour according to any attribute
a symbol size according to any attribute
With such settings, you can, for example, display a signal level by colour, choose a symbol type for Transmitter 1 (circle, trian-
gle, cross, etc.) and a size according to the altitude.
Fast Display forces Atoll to use the lightest symbol to display points. Fast Display
is useful when you have a very large amount of points which would require a great
amount of computer resources to display.
Using Advanced Display on symbols is possible only if the Fast Display check box
is cleared.
You can sort drive test data paths in alphabetical order in the Network explorer by
selecting Sort Alphabetically from the Drive Test Data context menu.
You can save the display settings (such as colours and symbols) of a drive test data
path in a user configuration file to make them available for use on another drive
test data path. To save or load the user configuration file, click the Actions button
on the Display tab of the path properties dialog box and select Save or Load from
the Display Configuration submenu.
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4. In the Per Clutter window, under Filter, clear the check boxes of the clutter classes you want to filter out. Only the
clutter classes whose check box is selected will be taken into account.
5. If you want to keep the measurement points that are inside the focus zone, select the Use focus zone to filter check
box.
6. If you want to permanently remove the measurement points outside the filter, select the Delete Points Outside Filter
check box.
If you permanently delete measurement points and later want to use them, you will have to re-import the original measure-
ment data.
To filter out incompatible points using a filter:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Drive Test Data on which you want to filter out incompatible points:
All Drive Test Data measurements: Right-click the Drive Test Data folder.
Only one Drive Test Data path: Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Drive Test Data folder. The context
menu appears.
3. Select Filter from the context menu. The CW Measurement Filter dialog box appears.
4. Click More. The Filter dialog box appears.
5. Click the Filter tab:
6. Select a Field from the list.
7. Under Values to Include, you will find all the values represented in the selected field. Select the check boxes next to
the values you want to include in the filter. Click Clear All to clear all check boxes.
8. Click the Advanced tab:
9. In the Column row, select the name of the column to be filtered on from the list. Select as many columns as you want
(see Figure 7.97).
i. Underneath each column name, enter the criteria on which the column will be filtered as explained in the fol-
lowing table:
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ii. Click OK to filter the data according to the criteria you have defined.
Combinations of filters are first made horizontally, then vertically. For more information on filters, see "Ad-
vanced Data Filtering" on page 99.
iii. Click OK to apply the filter and close the dialog box.
You can update heights (of the DTM, and clutter heights) and the clutter class of drive test
data points after adding new geographic maps or modifying existing ones by selecting
Refresh Geo Data from the context menu of the Drive Test Data Paths folder.
The errors between measured and predicted signal levels can be calculated and added to the drive test data table.
6. If you want to calculate errors between measured and predicted signal levels, under Select signal levels for error cal-
culations, select the names of the columns representing measured signal level values in the drive test data table for
which you want to calculate the errors (see Figure 7.99). If you do not want to add this information to the drive test
data table, continue with step 7.
Figure 7.99: Selecting measured signal levels for which errors will be calculated
7. Click OK. A new point prediction is created for the selected drive test data path.
8. Right-click the drive test data path. The context menu appears.
9. Select Calculations > Calculate All the Predictions from the context menu.
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If you chose to have Atoll calculate the errors between measured and predicted signal levels, new columns are added to the
drive test data table for the predicted point signal level from the serving cell and the errors between the measured and
predicted values.
Figure 7.100: Drive Test Data Table after Point Signal Level Prediction (with Error Calculations)
New columns are also added for the predicted point signal level from each neighbour cell and the errors between the
predicted and measured values. The values stored in these columns can be displayed in the Drive Test Data analysis tool. For
more information on the Drive Test Data analysis tool, see "Analysing Data Variations Along the Path" on page 482.
The propagation model used to calculate the predicted point signal levels is the one assigned to the transmitter for the main
matrix. For more information on propagation models, see Chapter 4: Radio Calculations and Models.
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If you select Shadowing Taken into Account, you can change the Cell Edge Coverage Probability. Shadowing
margins (depending on the entered cell edge coverage probability and the model standard deviation per clut-
ter class) are applied to the values for C. For more information, see "Modelling Shadowing" on page 508.
You can select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency
per clutter class.
Under Interference Conditions, you can select which TRX type to consider as potential victim by selecting it
from the Interfered Subcells list.
Select "CI" or "C(I+N)". On the same line, click the down arrow buttons on the left and on the right and select
one of the following thresholds:
Subcell C/I Threshold: to use the CI threshold specified for each subcell (including the defined power reduc-
tion) as the lower end of the CI range.
Global C/I Threshold: to enter a threshold to be used for all subcells as the lower end of the CI range.
You can not select Subcell C/I Threshold as both the lower and the upper end of the CI
range to be considered.
Select whether you want the defined interference condition to be Satisfied By:
At least one TRX: When you select this option, the defined interference condition must be satisfied by at least
one TRX on a given pixel for the results to be displayed on that pixel.
The worst TRX: When you select this option, Atoll selects the worst results for each pixel. If the worst results
do not satisfy the defined interference condition, the results will not be displayed on that pixel.
If you selected C/(I+N), you can define the value to be added to the interference. The defined noise figure is
added to the thermal noise value (defined at -121 dBm) to calculate the value of N. Select one of the following:
Based on Terminal: to use the noise figure defined for a terminal and select the terminal from the list.
Fixed Value: to enter a value and then enter the noise figure in the text box.
If you want discontinuous transmission mode for TRXs which support it taken into account during the calcula-
tion of interference, select the DTX taken into account check box and enter the percentage of time during
which a user is talking in the Voice Activity Factor text box.
Select the Traffic Load that will be used to calculate interference:
100%: The maximum traffic load (subcells entirely loaded).
From subcell table: The subcell traffic load as defined or as calculated during dimensioning.
From the Interference Sources list, select whether the interference should be calculated from adjacent chan-
nels, co-channels, or from both. The adjacent channel effect on the victim channel, i.e., the interference, is
decreased by the adjacent channel protection level.
Inter-technology interference is taken into account by default. For more information, see
"Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 626. By adding an option in the Atoll.ini
file, you can add an Inter-technology check box which will allow you to consider or not
inter-technology interference.
Select the Detailed Results check box if you want to display detailed results per transmitter. The results
displayed depend on the subcell frequency hopping mode:
Non-Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for one channel of each TRX in non-hopping mode.
Base Band Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for the MAL of each subcell in base band hopping mode.
Synthesised Frequency Hopping Mode: The results are displayed for the MAL-MAIO of each subcell in synthe-
sised frequency hopping mode.
6. When you have finished setting the parameters for the coverage prediction, click OK.
You can create a new coverage prediction by repeating the procedure from step 1. to step 6. for each new coverage
prediction.
7. When you have finished creating new coverage predictions for these drive test data, right-click the drive test data. The
context menu appears.
8. Select Calculations > Calculate All the Predictions from the context menu.
A new column for each coverage prediction is added in the table for the drive test data. The column contains the
predicted values of the selected parameters for the transmitter. The propagation model used is the one assigned to
the transmitter for the main matrix (for information on the propagation model, see Chapter 4: Radio Calculations and
Models).
You can display the information in these new columns in the Drive Test Data window. For more information on the
Drive Test Data window, see "Analysing Data Variations Along the Path" on page 482.
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7.8.4.5 Extracting a Field From a Drive Test Data Path for a Transmitter
You can extract a specific field for a specific transmitter on each point of an existing drive test data path. The extracted infor-
mation will be added to a new column in the table for the drive test data.
To extract a field from a drive test data path:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Drive Test Data folder.
3. Right-click the drive test data from which you want to extract a field. The context menu appears.
4. Select Focus on a Transmitter from the context menu. The Field Selection for a Given Transmitter dialog box appears.
5. Select a transmitter from the On the Transmitter list.
6. Click the For the Fields list. The list opens.
7. Select the check box beside the field you want to extract for the selected transmitters.
Atoll can display the seven servers per point. If you want to display for example, the point
signal level, remember to select the check box for the point signal level for all servers in the
For the Fields list. The new column will then display the point signal level for the selected
transmitter for all servers if a value exists.
8. Click OK. Atoll creates a new column in the drive test data path data table for the selected transmitters and with the
selected values.
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4. Click Display at the top of the Drive Test Data window. The Display Parameters dialog box appears (see Figure Figure
7.102).
You can change the display status or the colour of more than one field at a time. You can
select contiguous fields by clicking the first field, pressing Shift and clicking the last field
you want to import. You can select non-contiguous fields by pressing Ctrl and clicking each
field. You can then change the display status or the colour by right-clicking on the selected
fields and selecting the choice from the context menu.
The selected fields are displayed in the Drive Test Data window.
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6. You can display the data in the drive test data path in two ways:
Click the values in the Drive Test Data window.
Click the points on the drive test data path in the map window.
The drive test data path appears in the map window as an arrow pointing towards the serving cell, with a number iden-
tifying the best server (see Figure on page 483). If the transmitter display type is "Automatic," both the number and
the arrow are displayed in the same colour as the transmitter. For information on changing the display type to "Auto-
matic," see "Setting the Display Type" on page 52.
7. You can display a second Y-axis on the right side of the window in order to display the values of a variable with dif-
ferent orders of magnitude than the ones selected in the Display Parameters dialog box. You can select the secondary
Y-axis from the right-hand list on the top of the Drive Test Data window. The selected values are displayed in the col-
ours defined for this variable in the Display Parameters dialog box.
8. You can change the zoom level of the Drive Test Data window display in the Drive Test Data window in the following
ways:
Zoom in or out:
i. Right-click the Drive Test Data window.
ii. Select Zoom In or Zoom Out from the context menu.
Select the data to zoom in on:
i. Right-click the Drive Test Data window on one end of the range of data you want to zoom in on.
ii. Select First Zoom Point from the context menu.
iii. Right-click the Drive Test Data window on the other end of the range of data you want to zoom in on.
iv. Select Last Zoom Point from the context menu. The Drive Test Data window zooms in on the data between
the first zoom point and the last zoom point.
9. Click the data in the Drive Test Data window to display the selected point in the map window. Atoll will recentre the
map window on the selected point if it is not presently visible.
If you open the table for the drive test data you are displaying in the Drive Test Data
window, Atoll will automatically display in the table the data for the point that is
displayed in the map and in the Drive Test Data window (see Figure 7.101 on page 483).
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You can set Atoll to select the transmitter with the highest received signal level as the serv-
ing transmitter by changing an option in the Atoll.ini file. For more information on changing
options in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
The maximum speed is used to select HCS layer users according to the speed defined in the mobility.
To define HCS layers:
1. Select the Parameters explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the GSM Network Settings folder.
3. Right-click the HCS Layers folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table. The HCS Layers table appears.
5. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter the following parameters to define a HCS layer (for information
on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75):
Name: Enter a name for the HCS layer. This name will appear in other dialog boxes when you select a HCS layer.
Priority: Enter a priority for the HCS layer. "0" is the lowest priority.
Max. Speed (km/h): Enter a maximum mobility speed for the HCS layer.
Layer Reception Threshold (dBm): Enter a default layer reception threshold in dBm. This threshold can be used
as a border for the HCS layer in some predictions when the HCS server option is selected.
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Highest Priority HCS Server: The best signal level of all the severs on the highest priority HCS layer will be taken into
consideration, assuming the priority of the layer is defined by its priority field and its signal level exceeds the minimum
HCS threshold defined either at the HCS layer level or specifically for each transmitter.
Best Idle Mode Reselection Criterion (C2): The best C2 from all servers will be taken into consideration.
A server is considered on a pixel if its calculated signal level exceeds the lower boundary of the signal level defined either glob-
ally on the Conditions tab of the coverage prediction or specifically for each subcell in coverage prediction, traffic analysis,
and interference matrix calculations.
Selecting the server to be taken into consideration retains one or several servers on each pixel, according to a combination of
HCS layer properties (layer priority, maximum speed allowed on the layer, layer admission threshold) and the calculated signal
level on each pixel.
Name Priority (0:Lowest) Max Speed (km/h) Layer Reception Threshold (dBm)
Macro Layer 2 100 -90
The subcell reception threshold is -102 dBm for the micro cells and -105 dBm for the macro and the umbrella cells. Three
mobility types are defined in this project: Pedestrian (3km/h), 50 km/h and 90 km/h
The resulting services areas are displayed in the following graphics for each selection.
All: All servers are taken into consideration
Composite Coverage
Figure 7.103 shows the service areas of all the transmitters without any layers taken into consideration. Each cell is considered
individually and the limit of its coverage is defined by its subcell reception thresholds. Overlapping is possible between trans-
mitters and between HCS layers.
Best Signal Level: The best signal level from all servers on all layers is taken into consideration.
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Composite Coverage
Figure 7.104 shows the service areas of the transmitters having the best signal level on each pixel, without any layer taken
into consideration. Cells are in competition if their calculated signal level is higher than the subcell reception thresholds. Over-
lapping between transmitters and between HCS layers is not possible.
Best Signal Level per HCS Layer: The best signal level from all servers on each HCS layer is taken into consideration.
Composite Coverage
Figure 7.105 shows the service areas of the transmitters having the best signal level on each pixel, for each HCS layer. Cells
are in competition per layer if their computed signal level is higher than its subcell reception thresholds. Overlapping between
HCS layers is possible, but overlapping between transmitters on a given HCS layer is not possible.
HCS Servers: The best signal level by HCS layer on each pixel is taken into consideration, assuming the signal level on
each layer exceeds the minimum HCS threshold defined either at the HCS layer level or specifically for each trans-
mitter.
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Composite Coverage
Figure 7.106 shows the service areas of the transmitters having the best signal level on each pixel, for each HCS layer. Cells
are in competition per layer assuming their calculated signal level is higher than the subcell reception thresholds and the HCS
layer reception threshold. Overlapping between HCS layers is possible, but overlapping between transmitters on a given HCS
layer is not possible.
In the case above, the micro layer overlaps the macro layer and its borders are defined by the maximum between the subcell
reception thresholds (-102 dBm) and the micro layer threshold (-84 dBm), i.e. -84 dBm. In addition, the macro layer overlaps
the umbrella layer and its borders are defined by the maximum between the subcell reception thresholds (-105 dBm) and the
macro layer threshold (-90 dBm), i.e. -90 dBm. The umbrella layer is displayed when its signal level exceeds the maximum
between the subcell reception thresholds and the umbrella layer threshold, i.e. -105 dBm.
Highest Priority HCS Server: The best signal level of all the severs on the highest priority HCS layer are taken into con-
sideration, assuming the priority of the layer is defined by its priority field and its signal level exceeds the minimum
HCS threshold defined either at the HCS layer level or specifically for each transmitter.
Composite Coverage
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Figure 7.107 shows the service areas of the transmitters having the best signal level on each pixel, on the highest priority HCS
layer. The priority HCS layer is the layer for which the priority value is the highest and for which the calculated signal level is
higher than its subcell reception thresholds and the HCS layer reception threshold. Overlapping between HCS layers and
between transmitters of a given HCS layer is not possible.
If two layers have the same priority, the traffic is served by the transmitter for which the
difference between the received signal strength and the HCS threshold is the highest. The
way competition is managed between layers with the same priority can be modified. For
more information, see the Administrator Manual.
6. Select the row containing the cell type and click the Properties button ( ) in the Table toolbar. The cell types Prop-
erties dialog box appears.
In the cell types Properties dialog box, you can add and define the TRX types that will constitute the cell type.
7. Under TRX Types, in the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter the following parameters to define a TRX
type (for information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75):
TRX Type: Select a TRX type from the list.
Frequency Domain: Select a frequency domain from the list. Only channels belonging to this frequency domain
will be allocated to TRXs of this TRX type during automatic or manual frequency planning.
DL Power Reduction: Enter a value for the reduction of power relative to the transmitter power. The downlink
power reduction can be used to model inner subcells.
Reception Threshold (dBm): Enter a minimum received signal for this TRX type.
C/I Threshold (dB): Enter a minimum signal quality for this TRX type. The C/I Threshold can be used in interference
predictions and in the AFP.
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DTX Supported: If the TRX type supports DTX (Discontinuous Transmission) technology, select the DTX Supported
check box. Subcells supporting DTX can reduce interference they produce according to the defined voice activity
factor. This option has no impact on BCCH TRX type.
Timeslot Configuration: Select a timeslot configuration from the list. The timeslot configuration defines the dis-
tribution of circuit, packet and shared timeslots for the subcell, respecting the number of TRXs.
Half-Rate Traffic Ratio (%): Enter the percentage of half-rate voice traffic in for this TRX type. This value is used to
calculate the number of timeslots required to respond to the voice traffic demand.
The target rate of traffic overflow and the half-rate traffic ratio must be the same for
BCCH and TCH TRX types. If the values are different for BCCH and TCH TRX types, Atoll
will use the values for the target rate of traffic overflow and the half-rate traffic ratio
from the BCCH TRX type.
Target Rate of Traffic Overflow (%): Enter the target rate of traffic overflow. The target rate of traffic overflow is
used during traffic analysis to distribute the traffic between subcells and layers. The value is the percentage of can-
didate traffic overflowing to a subcell with a lower priority. It has an impact on the traffic capture between inner
and outer subcells, and between micro and macro layers. In other words, The target rate of traffic overflow can
be considered to an estimation of the allowed percentage of traffic rejected from subcells or layers of higher pri-
ority to subcells or layers of lower subcells (see Figure 7.5).
If the traffic overflow target is set to a value lower than the grade of service, it means that
the traffic rejected (according to the queuing model selected in the dimensioning model:
Erlang B or Erlang C) will be lost and will not overflow to other subcells.
Hopping Mode: Select the frequency hopping mode supported by this TRX type. The hopping mode can be either
"Base Band Hopping mode (BBH)" or "Synthesised Hopping mode (SFH)." If frequency hopping is not supported,
select "Non Hopping."
Allocation Strategy: Select the allocation strategy used during manual or automatic frequency planning. There are
two available allocation strategies:
Free: Any of the channels belonging to the frequency domain can be assigned to TRXs.
Group Constrained: Only channels belonging to a same frequency group in the frequency domain can be
assigned. You can use the Preferred Frequency Group to define the preferred group of frequencies when
using the AFP.
Max. MAL Length: Enter the maximum length of the mobile allocation list (MAL), in other words, the maximum
number of channels allocated to the TRXs of subcells based on this TRX type during automatic frequency planning
if the Hopping Mode is either SFH (Synthesised Frequency Hopping) or BBH (Base Band Hopping) and if the Allo-
cation Strategy is Free.
HSN Domain: Select the HSN domain for this TRX type. Only hopping sequence numbers (HSN) belonging to the
selected HSN domain will be allocated to subcells during automatic or manual frequency planning. The HSNs are
allocated if the Hopping Mode is either SFH (Synthesised Frequency Hopping) or BBH (Base Band Hopping).
Lock HSN: If the HSN assigned to this TRX type is to be kept when a new AFP session is started, select the Lock HSN
check box.
The Lock HSN status can also be managed via the Network explorer from the context menu
of an individual transmitter or group of transmitters. For more information, see "AFP
Resource Status Management" on page 286.
AFP Weight: Enter an AFP weight. The AFP weight is used to increase or decrease the importance of a subcell
during automatic frequency planning. The value must be a real number. The higher the AFP weight is, the higher
the constraint on the TRX type. The AFP weight artificially multiplies the cost function which has to be minimised
by the AFP.
% Max. Interference: Enter the maximum level of interference allowable during automatic frequency planning.
The interference is defined as a percentage of area or traffic, as defined during the calculation of the interference
matrices.
Mean Power Control Gain (dB): The average reduction in interference due to power control in downlink. This gain
is used when calculating interference generated by the subcell. Interference generated by the subcell is reduced
by this value during C/I calculations.
Default TRX Configuration: Select the default TRX configuration for this TRX type. It will apply to all TRXs belonging
to a subcell based on this TRX type. By selecting the default TRX configuration, the maximum number of GPRS and
EDGE coding schemes is set at the TRX type level. You can also define the TRX configuration for each TRX.
EDGE Power Backoff (dB): Enter the average power reduction for EDGE transmitters due to 8PSK, 16QAM and
32QAM modulations in EDGE. This has an impact on the EDGE service zone which can be seen in traffic analysis
and EDGE predictions.
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Diversity Mode: The type of diversity supported by the subcell ("None," "Tx Diversity," or "Antenna Hopping"). If
you select "Tx Diversity," the signal is transmitted as many times as there are antennas. If you select "Antenna
Hopping," the signal is transmitted successively on each antenna. In "Tx Diversity mode," transmitting on more
than one antenna, the signal experiences a gain of 3 dB. For any diversity mode, an additional transmission diver-
sity gain can be defined per clutter class in order to correctly model gain due to the environment (see "Defining
Clutter Class Properties" on page 127 for more information). The resulting gain will increase the C/I value at the
terminal served by the considered subcell.
An Other Properties tab appears on the Properties dialog box if you have added user-
defined fields to the Cell Types table.
Hopping mode
Parameter Where Used in Atoll
Non hopping BBH SFH
Automatic or manual frequency
Frequency domain x x x
planning
Interference predictions,
C/I threshold x x x
Automatic frequency planning
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Hopping mode
Parameter Where Used in Atoll
Non hopping BBH SFH
Traffic analysis,
Default TRX configuration x x x
Packet predictions
Traffic analysis,
EDGE Power Backoff x x x
Packet predictions
Hopping mode
Parameter Where Used in Atoll
Non hopping BBH SFH
Automatic or manual frequency
Frequency domain x x x
planning
Interference predictions,
C/I threshold x x x
Automatic frequency planning
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The coding scheme index number is an input in traffic captures (and, therefore, in dimensioning) and in GPRS coverage predic-
tions. It is important to keep in mind that, before dimensioning, in other words, before TRXs have been allocated to transmit-
ters, the TRX configuration defined per subcell is used in calculations. However, once TRXs have been allocated, the value for
the TRX configuration is read from the TRXs. The TRX configuration, and any parameters or limitations, will have be defined
again for the TRXs. Otherwise, the configuration will not be taken into account during calculations.
In Atoll, you can create or import a TRX configuration for GSM/GPRS/EDGE documents.
To create a new TRX configuration:
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the GSM Network Settings folder, right-click the TRX Configurations folder, and
select Open Table. The TRX Configurations table appears.
2. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), enter the following parameters to create a TRX configuration (for
information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75):
Name: Select a TRX type from the list.
Max. GPRS CS: Enter the maximum number of coding schemes that the GPRS-compatible configuration can use.
Max. EDGE CS: Enter the maximum number of coding schemes that the EDGE-compatible configuration can use.
Comments: You can enter comments in this field if you want.
If you have a TRX configuration data in text or comma-separated value (CSV) format, you can import it into the TRX Configu-
ration table in the current document. If the data is in another Atoll document, you can first export it in text or CSV format and
then import it into the TRX Configuration table of your current Atoll document. When you are importing, Atoll allows you to
select what values you import into which columns of the table.
To import a new TRX configuration:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Network Settings > TRX Configurations. The TRX Configuration table appears. The HSN Domains table contains
a entry called "Standard."
4. Right-click the TRX Configuration table. The context menu appears.
5. Select Import from the context menu. For information on importing table data, see "Importing Tables from Text Files"
on page 86.
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You can add new fields to the Codec Configuration table by right-clicking the table and
selecting Table Fields from the context menu. The new fields will appear in the Codec
Configuration table and on the Other Properties tab of the selected codec configurations
Properties dialog box.
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4. In the Codec Modes folder, right-click Configurations. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table. The Codec Configurations table appears.
6. In the Codec Configuration table, right-click the record describing the codec configuration for which you want to
define adaptation thresholds. The context menu appears.
7. Select Record Properties from the context menu. The codec configuration Properties dialog box appears.
8. Select the Adaptation Thresholds tab. Each codec mode adaptation threshold has the following parameters:
Codec Mode: The codec mode.
Mobility: The mobility to which the codec mode adaptation threshold corresponds. You can select "All" if you
want it to apply to all mobilities.
Frequency Hopping: The type of frequency hopping to which the codec mode adaptation threshold corresponds.
You can select "All" if you want the adaptation threshold to apply to any type of frequency hopping.
Frequency Band: The frequency band to which the codec mode adaptation threshold corresponds. You can select
"All" if you want it to apply to any frequency band.
Adaptation Threshold (dB): Enter the adaptation threshold for the codec mode. Adaptation thresholds are used
for codec mode selection when the codec configuration does support ideal link adaptation.
MAL Length: The mobile allocation list length to which the codec mode adaptation threshold corresponds.
You can create a new adaptation threshold by entering the parameters in the row marked
with the New Row icon ( ).
9. Click OK.
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QI = f(C/I): The values of the graph defining the selected quality indicator threshold as a function of CI. You can
view the graph and edit its values by selecting the row containing the quality indicator and clicking the CI Graph
button.
If intra-technology third order intermodulation interference is taken into account, Atoll assumes that the CI
graphs include the effect of this interference whereas the CN graphs do not. This option requires activation
through changes in the database. For more information, contact support.
MAL Length: The mobile allocation list length to which the quality indicator graph corresponds.
You can create a new quality indicator threshold by entering the parameters in the row
marked with the New Row icon ( ).
9. Click OK.
You can also access a transmitters Properties dialog box by right-clicking the transmitter
on the map and selecting Properties from the context menu.
You can adapt coding scheme configurations in order to create an advanced model of the
frequency hopping gain effect on the GPRS/EDGE predictions (see"Advanced Modelling of
Hopping Gain in Coverage Predictions" on page 506).
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You can add new fields to the Coding Scheme Configurations table by right-clicking the
table and selecting Table Fields from the context menu. The new fields will appear in the
Coding Scheme Configurations table and on the Other Properties tab of the selected
coding scheme configurations Properties dialog box.
8. In the Coding Scheme Configurations table, right-click the record describing the coding scheme configuration for
which you want to define adaptation thresholds. The context menu appears.
9. Select Record Properties from the context menu. The coding scheme configurations Properties dialog box appears.
The coding scheme configurations Properties dialog box has a General tab which allows you to modify the properties
described above.
10. Select the Thresholds tab. Each coding scheme threshold has the following parameters:
Coding Scheme: The coding scheme.
C Selection Threshold (dBm): The signal level admission threshold for the corresponding coding scheme when the
ideal link adaptation option is cleared in GPRS/EDGE coverage predictions.
C/I Selection Threshold (dB): The C/I admission threshold for the corresponding coding scheme when the ideal
link adaptation option is cleared in GPRS/EDGE coverage predictions.
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Effective RLC Throughput = f(C) (Kbps): The values of the graph defining the throughput per timeslot as a function
of C. You can view the graph and edit its values by selecting the row containing the coding scheme and clicking the
C Graph button.
Effective RLC Throughput = f(C/I) (Kbps): The values of the graph defining the throughput per timeslot as a func-
tion of CI. You can view the graph and edit its values by selecting the row containing the coding scheme and
clicking the CI Graph button.
If intra-technology third order intermodulation interference is taken into account, Atoll assumes that the CI
graphs include the effect of this interference whereas the C graphs do not. This option requires activation through
changes in the database. For more information, contact support.
Frequency Hopping: The type of frequency hopping to which this coding scheme applies. You can select "All" if
you want it to apply to all types of frequency hopping.
Mobility: The mobility to which this coding scheme applies. You can select "All" if you want it to apply to all mobil-
ities.
Frequency Band: The frequency band to which this coding scheme applies. You can select "All" if you want it to
apply to all frequency bands.
MAL Length: The mobile allocation list length to which the coding scheme (and its related quality thresholds)
applies.
You can create a new coding scheme threshold by entering the parameters in the row
marked with the New Row icon ( ).
The throughput per timeslot graphs are defined for given frequency hopping mode, mobil-
ity type and frequency band. These graphs will be taken into account in a coverage predic-
tion if these parameters correspond to the ones defined in that coverage prediction.
Otherwise, Atoll will use the graphs for which none of these parameters has been defined.
If no such graph exists, Atoll will consider that the corresponding coding scheme is not
defined during the calculations.
You can also access a transmitters Properties dialog box by right-clicking the transmitter
on the map and selecting Properties from the context menu.
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6. Select the row containing the timeslot configuration and click the Properties button ( ) in the Table toolbar. The
timeslot configurations Properties dialog box appears.
Under Mapping between TRX numbers and timeslot configurations, each row corresponds to a distribution of times-
lots and is identified by an index number. During dimensioning, Atoll determines the number of circuit and packet
timeslots required to meet the traffic demand. Atoll uses the timeslot configuration to determine how many TRXs are
needed to meet the need in timeslots. If, during dimensioning, there are not enough index numbers in the timeslot
configuration, Atoll reuses the last index number in the timeslot configuration.
7. In the timeslot configurations Properties dialog box, enter the following information for each index number:
Number of Shared Timeslots: The number of timeslots that can be used for both circuit-switched (GSM) and
packet-switched (GPRS and EDGE) services.
Number of Circuit Timeslots: The number of timeslots that can be used only for both circuit-switched (GSM) ser-
vices.
Number of Packet Timeslots: The number of timeslots that can be used only for packet-switched (GPRS and EDGE)
services.
In GSM/GPRS/EDGE the total number of timeslots per index number must not exceed 8 for
timeslot configurations intended for TCH TRXs and 7 for timeslot configurations intended
for BCCH TRXs.
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You can also access a transmitters Properties dialog box by right-clicking the transmitter
on the map and selecting Properties from the context menu.
It is assumed that you have already set the MultiBandManagement option in the [Studies]
section of the Atoll.ini file. Else, the Frequency Band Propagation button will not appear.
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The Additional Electrical Downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
11. Click the Propagation tab. On the Propagation tab, you can modify the following: the Propagation Model, Radius, and
Resolution for both the Main Matrix and the Extended Matrix.
12. Click the Other Properties tab. The Other Properties tab will only appear if you have defined additional fields in the
Transmitters table.
13. Click OK.
It is assumed that you have already set the MultiBandManagement option in the
[Studies] section of the Atoll.ini file and restarted Atoll before beginning this procedure.
To create a multi-band template, you must have an appropriate multi-band cell type to
assign to the template. If you have not already created a multi-band cell type, you must do
so before creating the template. For information on creating a cell type, see "Creating a
Cell Type" on page 490.
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b. Select Add a new multi-band station template for the frequency band, choose a frequency band from the list and
click OK. A properties dialog box appears.
On the General tab, you can set the antenna and propagation parameters for the selected frequency band (see
Figure 7.109):
Under Main Antenna, you can modify the following: the Height/Ground of the antennas from the ground (i.e.,
the height over the DTM; if the transmitter is situated on a building, the height entered must include the
height of building), the main antenna Model, 1st Sector Azimuth, from which the azimuth of the other sectors
are offset to offer complete coverage of the area, the Mechanical Downtilt, and the Additional Electrical
Downtilt for the antennas.
The Additional Electrical Downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
Under Propagation, you can modify the following: the Propagation Model, Radius, and Resolution for both
the Main Matrix and the Extended Matrix. For information on propagation models, see Chapter 4: Radio
Calculations and Models.
On the Transmitter tab, under Transmission, you can set the Total losses. Atoll calculates the losses according to
the characteristics of the equipment assigned to the transmitter. Equipment can be assigned using the Equipment
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Specifications dialog box which appears when you click the Equipment button. For information on the Equipment
Specifications dialog box, see "Transmitter Properties" on page 278.
Figure 7.109: Properties dialog box for frequency band of a multi-band template - General Tab
On the Transmitter tab, under Transmission/Reception, you can see the total losses and the noise figure of the
transmitter for this specific frequency band. Atoll calculates losses and noise according to the characteristics of
the equipment assigned to the transmitter. Equipment can be assigned by using the Equipment Specifications di-
alog box which appears when you click the Equipment button.
For information on the Equipment Specifications dialog box, see "Transmitter Properties" on page 278.
Figure 7.110: Properties dialog box for frequency band of a multi-band template - Transmitter Tab
8. Click OK. The properties defined for the frequency band appear in the Station Template Properties dialog box with a
name composed of the multi-band template they belong to followed by the frequency band, separated by "@".
9. Repeat step 7. for every frequency band modelled by the multi-band template.
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Figure 7.111: Codec Configuration Properties: Quality Graphs tab (with MAL length definition)
In quality indicators coverage predictions (see "Making a Circuit Quality Indicator (BER, FER, or MOS) Prediction" on page 453),
Atoll will extract, for a specified quality indicator and a given codec mode, the quality indicator value corresponding to the
MAL of the receiver being studied. If graphs for the mobile MAL length are not defined, Atoll selects the graphs to which the
MAL length is the most similar, i.e.:
if the mobile MAL length exceeds all the MAL lengths defined in the quality indicator graphs, the closest MAL length
is selected;
if the mobile MAL length is between two MAL lengths defined in the quality indicator graphs, Atoll carries out an inter-
polation on the graphs to extract the appropriate quality indicator value.
For coding scheme configurations, it means that you can define a specific coding scheme graph per MAL length where the
graph efficiency increases whereas the MAL length increases too (See Figure 7.112 on page 507).
Figure 7.112: Coding Scheme Configuration Properties (with MAL length definition)
In GPRS/EDGE coverage predictions (see "Packet-Specific Coverage Predictions" on page 444), Atoll will extract, for a given
coding scheme, the throughput corresponding to the MAL of the studied receiver. If graphs for the mobile MAL length are not
defined, Atoll selects the graphs for which the MAL length is the most similar, i.e.:
if the mobile MAL length exceeds all the MAL lengths defined in the coding scheme graphs, the closest MAL length is
selected;
if the mobile MAL length is between two MAL lengths defined in the coding scheme graphs, Atoll carries out an inter-
polation on the graphs to extract the appropriate throughput.
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For a more precise description of these fields, see the Administrator Manual.
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Interference received from external base stations on mobiles of your GSM network can be calculated by Atoll. Atoll uses the
inter-technology interference reduction factor (IRF) graphs for calculating the interference levels. An IRF graph represents the
variation of the Adjacent Channel Interference Ratio (ACIR) as a function of frequency separation. ACIR is determined from
the Adjacent Channel Suppression (ACS) and the Adjacent Channel Leakage Ratio (ACLR) parameters as follows:
1
ACIR = -------------------------------------
1 - + ----------------
------------ 1 -
ACS ACLR
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Reduction Factors (dB): Click the cell corresponding to the Reduction Factors (dB) column and the current row in
the table. The Reduction Factors (dB) dialog box appears.
Enter the interference reduction factors in the Reduction (dB) column for different frequency separation,
Freq. Delta (MHz), values relative to the centre frequency of the channel (carrier) used in the main document.
6. When you have finished defining interference reduction factors, click OK.
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UMTS HSPA
Networks
This chapter covers the following topics:
"Designing a UMTS Network" on page 513
"Planning and Optimising UMTS Base Stations" on
This chapter provides page 515
information on using Atoll to
"Studying UMTS Network Capacity" on page 574
design, analyse, and
optimise a UMTS HSPA "Optimising Network Parameters Using ACP" on
network. page 591
"Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data"
on page 595
"Co-planning UMTS Networks with Other Networks" on
page 605
"Advanced Configuration" on page 613
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1
Open an Existing Project
or Create a New One
2
Network Configuration
- Add Network Elements
- Change Parameters
3
Basic Predictions
(Best Server, Signal Level)
4
Neighbour Allocation
5a 5b 5c
Traffic Maps Monte-Carlo User-defined values
Simulations 5
Cell Load
Conditions
6 6a
UMTS/HSPA Predictions Prediction Study Reports
7
Scrambling Code Plan
The steps involved in planning a UMTS HSPA network are described below. The numbers refer to Figure 8.1.
5. Before making more advanced coverage predictions, you need to define cell load conditions ( 5 ).
You can define cell load conditions in the following ways:
You can generate realistic cell load conditions by creating a simulation based on a traffic map ( 5a and 5b ) (see
"Studying UMTS Network Capacity" on page 574).
You can define them manually either on the Cells tab of each transmitters Properties dialog box or in the Cells
table (see "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 523) ( 5c ).
6. Make UMTS-specific coverage predictions using the defined cell load conditions ( 6 ).
"UMTS Coverage Predictions" on page 542
"HSDPA Coverage Predictions" on page 551
"HSUPA Coverage Predictions" on page 553.
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Antenna
- Azimuth
- Mechanical tilt
TMA
Antenna
- Height
Feeder Cable
Transmitter
- Noise figure
- Power
Site
- X, Y coordinates
Atoll lets you create one site, transmitter, or cell at a time, or create several at once by creating a station template. Using a
station template, you can create one or more base stations at the same time. In Atoll, a base station refers to a site with its
transmitters, antennas, equipment, and cells.
Atoll allows you to make a variety of coverage predictions, such as signal level or transmitter coverage predictions. The results
of calculated coverage predictions can be displayed on the map, compared, or studied.
Atoll enables you to model network traffic by allowing you to create services, users, user profiles, environments, and termi-
nals. This data can be then used to make quality predictions, such as effective service area, noise, or handover status predic-
tions, on the network.
In this section, the following are explained:
"Creating UMTS Base Stations" on page 521
"Creating a Group of Base Stations" on page 529
"Modifying Sites and Transmitters Directly on the Map" on page 530
"Display Tips for Base Stations" on page 530
"Creating Multi-band UMTS Networks" on page 530
"Creating Heterogeneous UMTS Networks" on page 530
"Creating Repeaters" on page 531
"Creating Remote Antennas" on page 535
"Studying UMTS Base Stations" on page 538
"Planning Neighbours" on page 562.
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Name: Atoll automatically enters a default name for each new site. You can modify the default name here. If you want
to change the default name that Atoll gives to new sites, see the Administrator Manual.
Position: By default, Atoll places the new site at the centre of the map window. You can modify the location of the
site here.
While this method allows you to place a site with precision, you can also place sites
using the mouse and then position them precisely with this dialog box afterwards. For
information on placing sites using the mouse, see "Moving a Site Using the Mouse" on
page 57.
Altitude: The altitude, as defined by the DTM for the location specified under Position, is given here. You can specify
the actual altitude under Real, if you want. If an altitude is specified here, Atoll will use this value for calculations.
Comments: You can enter comments in this field if you want.
Max Number of Uplink Channel Elements: The maximum number of physical radio resources for the current site in
the uplink. By default Atoll enters the maximum possible (256).
Max Number of Downlink Channel Elements: The maximum number of physical radio resources for the current site
in the downlink. By default Atoll enters the maximum possible (256).
Max Iub Uplink Backhaul Throughput: The maximum Iub backhaul throughput for the current site in the uplink.
Max Iub Downlink Backhaul Throughput: The maximum Iub backhaul throughput for the current site in the downlink.
Equipment: You can select equipment from the list. To create new site equipment, see "Creating Site Equipment" on
page 618.
If no equipment is assigned to the site, Atoll considers the following default values:
Rake efficiency factor = 1
MUD factor = 0
Carrier selection = UL minimum noise
Downlink and uplink overhead resources for common channels = 0
The option AS Restricted to Neighbours is not selected, and Atoll uses one channel element on the uplink or
downlink for any service during power control simulation.
Name: By default, Atoll names the transmitter after the site it is on, adding an underscore and a number. You can
enter a name for the transmitter, but for the sake of consistency, it is better to let Atoll assign a name. If you want to
change the way Atoll names transmitters, see the Administrator Manual.
Site: You can select the Site on which the transmitter will be located. Once you have selected the site, you can click
the Browse button to access the properties of the site on which the transmitter will be located. For information on
the site Properties dialog box, see "Site Properties" on page 515. You can click the New button to create a new site
on which the transmitter will be located.
Frequency Band: You can select a Frequency Band for the transmitter. Once you have selected the frequency band,
you can click the Browse button to access the properties of the band. For information on the frequency band Proper-
ties dialog box, see "Defining Frequency Bands" on page 614.
Shared antenna: This field is used to identify the transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas located at the same
site or on sites with the same position and that share the same antenna. The entry in the field must be the same for
all transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas sharing the same antenna. When changes are made to the position
offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth, antenna height, or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically synchronises the same
changes to all other transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas defined as having a shared antenna. This field is
also used for multi-band transmitters to synchronise antenna parameters for different frequency bands.
Under Antenna Position, you can modify the position of the antennas (main and secondary):
Relative to Site: Select this option if you want to enter the antenna positions as offsets with respect to the site
location, and then enter the x-axis and y-axis offsets, Dx and Dy, respectively.
Coordinates: Select this option if you want to enter the coordinates of the antenna, and then enter the x-axis and
y-axis coordinates of the antenna, X and Y, respectively.
Max Range: You can define a maximum coverage range for the transmitter.
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Active: If this transmitter is to be active, you must select the Active check box. Active transmitters are displayed in red
in the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer.
Transmission/Reception: Under Transmission/Reception, you can see the total losses and the noise figure of the
transmitter. Atoll calculates losses and noise according to the characteristics of the equipment assigned to the trans-
mitter. Equipment can be assigned by using the Equipment Specifications dialog box which appears when you click
the Equipment button.
In the Equipment Specifications dialog box, the equipment that you select and the gains and losses that you define
are used to initialise the total transmitter UL and DL losses:
TMA: You can select a tower-mounted amplifier (TMA) from the list. You can click the Browse button to access
the properties of the TMA. For information on creating a TMA, see "Defining TMA Equipment" on page 162.
Feeder: You can select a feeder cable from the list. You can click the Browse button to access the properties of the
feeder. For information on creating a feeder cable, see "Defining Feeder Cables" on page 162.
Transmitter: You can select transmitter equipment from the Transmitter list. You can click the Browse button to
access the properties of the transmitter equipment. For information on creating transmitter equipment, see
"Defining Transmitter Equipment" on page 162.
Feeder Length: You can enter the feeder length at transmission and reception.
Miscellaneous Losses: You can enter miscellaneous losses at transmission and reception. The value you enter
must be positive.
Receiver Antenna Diversity Gain: You can enter a receiver antenna diversity gain. The value you enter must be
positive.
Any loss related to the noise due to a transmitters repeater is included in the calculated
losses. Atoll always takes the values in the Real boxes into consideration in prediction even
if they are different from the values in the Computed boxes. The information in the real
Noise Figure reception box is calculated from the information you entered in the Equip-
ment Specifications dialog box. You can modify the real Total Losses at transmission and
reception and the real Noise Figure at reception if you want. Any value you enter must be
positive.
Antennas:
Height/Ground: The Height/Ground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to the
altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the transmitter is situated on a building, the height entered must include
the height of building.
Main Antenna: Under Main Antenna, the type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse
button to access the properties of the antenna.
Click the Select button to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match
the currently selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the
operating frequency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on
page 158
Mechanical Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, Electrical Azimuth, Electrical Downtilt, and Additional electrical
downtilt display additional antenna parameters.
The Additional Electrical Downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
The mechanical and additional electrical downtilts defined for the main antenna
are also used for the calculations of smart antennas.
Under Diversity, you can select the number of transmission and reception antenna ports used for MIMO (No. of
ports). MIMO systems are supported by some HSDPA bearers (following improvements introduced by release 7
of the 3GPP UTRA specifications, referred to as HSPA+). For more information on how the number of antenna
ports are used, see "Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems" on page 623.
R99 bearers only support transmit and receive diversities. You can define the transmit diversity method from the
Transmission list when more than one transmission antenna port is available. The receive diversity method
depends on the number of reception antenna ports selected (2RX for two reception antenna ports and 4RX for
four reception antenna ports).
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Under Secondary Antennas, you can select one or more secondary antennas in the Antenna column and enter
their Azimuth, Mechanical Downtilt, Additional Electrical Downtilt, and % Power, which is the percentage of
power reserved for this particular antenna. For example, for a transmitter with one secondary antenna, if you
reserve 40% of the total power for the secondary antenna, 60% is available for the main antenna.
The Additional Electrical Downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
Cell Tab
When you create a transmitter, Atoll automatically creates a cell for the transmitter using the properties of the currently
selected station template.
The cell tab enables you to configure the properties for every cell of a transmitter. For more information on the properties of
a cell, see "Cell Properties" on page 518.
Propagation Tab
Transmitters are taken into account during calculations. Therefore, you must specify their propagation parameters. On the
Propagation tab, you can modify the following: the Propagation model, Radius, and Resolution for both the Main matrix and
the Extended matrix. For information on propagation models, see "Assigning Propagation Parameters" on page 187.
Display Tab
On the Display tab, you can modify how a transmitters are displayed. For information on changing display properties, see
"Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
You can also display the properties of a cell by double-clicking the cell in the Site explorer.
The following HSDPA options apply to all the cells of the transmitter:
Multi-cell mode: Select whether the transmitter supports carrier aggregation in the downlink (DL multi-cell), or in the
downlink and in the uplink (UL/DL multi-cell). When multi-cell is active, the user can simultaneously connect to several
carriers of the transmitter for data transfer (up to eight carriers in the downlink and two carriers in the uplink) and be
assigned HSDPA and HSUPA bearers in each of the cells. The R99 A-DPCH bearer is transmitted on one of the cells,
which is called the anchor cell. The maximum number of cells to which the user can simultaneously connect depends
on the HSDPA and HSUPA UE categories of the terminal.
Inter-Carrier Power Sharing: You can enable power sharing between cells by selecting the Inter-Carrier Power Sharing
check box under HSDPA and entering a value in the Maximum Shared Power box. In order for Inter-Carrier Power
Sharing to be available, you must have at least one HSDPA carrier with dynamic power allocation.
Inter-Carrier Power Sharing enables the network to dynamically allocate available power from R99-only and HSDPA
carriers among HSDPA carriers.
When you select Inter-Carrier Power Sharing and you define a maximum shared power, the Max Power of each cell
is used to determine the percentage of the transmitter power that the cell cannot exceed.
The most common scenario is where you have R99-only cells that are not using 100% of their power and can share it
with an HSDPA carrier. To use power sharing efficiently, you should set the Max Power of the HSDPA cells to the same
value as the Maximum Shared Power. For example, if the Maximum Shared Power is defined as 43 dBm, the Max
Power of all HSDPA cells should be set to 43 dBm in order to be able to use 100% of the available power. In this case,
all of an R99 cells unused power can be allocated to the HSDPA cell.
The following parameters can be set for each individual cell of the transmitter:
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Name: By default, Atoll names the cell after its transmitter, adding the carrier number in parentheses. If you change
transmitter name or carrier, Atoll does not update the cell name. You can enter a name for the cell, but for the sake
of consistency, it is better to let Atoll assign a name. If you want to change the way Atoll names cells, see the Admin-
istrator Manual.
ID: You can enter an ID for the cell. This is a user-definable network-level parameter for cell identification.
Carrier: The number of the carrier.
Order: The display order of a cell within the transmitter. This value is used to determine the order in which information
related to a cell will be displayed in the Network explorer and on the map. This field is automatically filled by Atoll but
you can change these default values to display cells in a user-defined order.
The consistency between values stored in this field is verified by Atoll. However, inconsist-
encies may arise when tools other than Atoll modify the database. You can check for incon-
sistencies in the cell display order and fix them by selecting Data Audit > Cell Display Order
Check in the Document menu.
Layer: The network layer to which the cell belongs. This information is used in determining the best serving cell. For
more information on defining layers, see "Defining Network Deployment Layers" on page 616.
Active: If this cell is to be active, you must select the Active check box.
Max Power (dBm): The maximum available downlink power for the cell.
Pilot Power (dBm): The pilot power.
SCH power (dBm): The average power of both the synchronisation channels (P-SCH and S-SCH).
The SCH power is only transmitted 110 of the time. Consequently, the value entered for
the SCH power should only be 110 of its value when transmitted, in order to respect its
actual interference on other channels.
Other CCH power (dBm): The power of other common channels (P-CCPCH, S-CCPCH, AICH).
AS Threshold (dB): The active set threshold. It is the EcI0 margin in comparison with the EcI0 of the best server. It is
used to determine which cells, apart from the best server, will be part of the active set.
Min RSCP (dBm): The minimum pilot RSCP required for a user to be connected to the cell. The pilot RSCP is compared
with this threshold to determine whether or not a user can be connected to the cell.
When this field is empty, Atoll uses the Default Min Pilot RSCP Threshold defined on the
Calculation Parameters tab of the Network Settings Properties dialog box.
Handover margin (dB): You can define the handover margin to use for best serving cell selection. The handover
margin is used in UMTS networks to avoid handover ping-pong between cells. For more information on best serving
cell selection, see "Best Serving Cell and Active Set Determination" on page 624.
Cell individual offset (dB): You can define the cell individual offset to use for best serving cell selection. The cell indi-
vidual offset (CIO) is used in UMTS networks in order to tune or bias the ranking of potential servers for best serving
cell selection in connected mode. For more information on best serving cell selection, see "Best Serving Cell and Active
Set Determination" on page 624.
DL Max Throughput per User (kbps): The downlink max throughput per user in kbps. The DL max throughput per user
is the maximum connection rate in the downlink for a user. The DL and UL peak throughputs are taken into account
during power control simulation.
UL Max Throughput per User (kbps): The uplink max throughput per user in kbps. The UL max throughput per user is
the maximum connection rate in the uplink for a user. The DL and UL peak throughputs are taken into account during
power control simulation.
Max DL Load (% Pmax): The percentage of the maximum downlink power (set in Max Power) not to be exceeded. This
limit will be taken into account during the simulation if the option DL Load is selected. If the DL load option is not
selected during a simulation, this value is not taken into consideration.
Max UL Load Factor (%): The maximum uplink load factor not to be exceeded. This limit can be taken into account
during the simulation.
Total Power (dBm or %): The total transmitted power on downlink is the total power necessary to serve the users.
This value can be a simulation result or can be entered by the user.
By default, the total power is set as an absolute value. You can set this value as a percent-
age of the maximum power of the cell by right-clicking the UMTS Network Settings folder
in the Parameters explorer and selecting Properties from the context menu. Then, on the
Global Parameters tab of the Properties dialog box, under DL Load, you can select
% Pmax. The total power value is automatically converted and set as a percentage of the
maximum power.
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UL Load Factor (%): The uplink cell load factor. This factor corresponds to the ratio between the uplink total interfer-
ence and the uplink total noise. The uplink cell load factor is a global value and includes the inter-technology uplink
interference. This value can be a simulation result or can be entered by the user.
UL Reuse Factor: The uplink reuse factor is determined from uplink intra and extra-cell interference (signals received
by the transmitter respectively from intra and extra-cell terminals). This is the ratio between the total uplink interfer-
ence and the intra-cell interference. This value can be a simulation result or can be entered by the user.
Scrambling Code Domain: The scrambling code domain to which the allocated scrambling code belongs. This and the
scrambling code reuse distance are used by the scrambling code planning algorithm.
SC Reuse Distance: The scrambling code reuse distance. This and the scrambling code domain are used by the scram-
bling code planning algorithm.
Primary Scrambling Code: The primary scrambling code.
SC Locked: The status of the primary scrambling code allocated to the cell. If the SC Locked check box is checked, the
automatic allocation tool considers that the current primary scrambling code is not modifiable.
Comments: If desired, you can enter any comments in this field.
Max Number of Intra-carrier Neighbours: The maximum number of intra-carrier neighbours for this cell. This value is
used by the intra-carrier neighbour allocation algorithm.
Max Number of Inter-carrier Neighbours: The maximum number of inter-carrier neighbours for this cell. This value is
used by the inter-carrier neighbour allocation algorithm.
Max Number of Inter-technology Neighbours: The maximum number of inter-technology neighbours for this cell.
This value is used by the inter-technology neighbour allocation algorithm.
Additional UL Noise Rise: This noise rise represents the interference on this cell on the uplink created by the mobiles
and base stations of an external network. This noise rise will be taken into account in uplink interference-based calcu-
lations involving this cell in the simulation. It is not used in predictions (AS Analysis, multi-point analysis and coverage
predictions). In predictions, Atoll calculates the uplink total interference from the UL load factor which includes inter-
technology uplink interference. For more information on inter-technology interference, see "Modelling Inter-tech-
nology Interference" on page 626.
Additional DL Noise Rise: This noise rise represents the interference created by mobiles of an external network on the
mobiles served by this cell on the downlink. This noise rise will be taken into account in all downlink interference-
based calculations involving this cell. For more information on inter-technology interference, see "Modelling Inter-
technology Interference" on page 626.
Neighbours: You can access a dialog box in which you can set both intra-technology (intra-carrier and inter-carrier)
and inter-technology neighbours by clicking the Browse button. For information on defining neighbours, see "Editing
Neighbours in the Cell Properties" on page 228.
The Browse button may not be visible in the Neighbours box if this is a new cell. You can
make the Browse button appear by clicking Apply.
HSPA Support: The HSPA functionality supported by the cell. You can choose between None (i.e., R99 only), HSDPA,
HSPA (i.e., HSDPA and HSUPA) or HSPA+.
When HSDPA is supported, the following fields are available:
HSDPA Dynamic Power Allocation: If you are modelling dynamic power allocation, the HSDPA Dynamic Power
Allocation should be checked. During a simulation, Atoll first allocates power to R99 users and then dynamically
allocates the remaining power of the cell to the HS-PDSCH and HS-SCCH of HSDPA bearer users. At the end of the
simulation, you can commit the calculated available HSDPA power and total power values to each cell.
In the context of dynamic power allocation, the total power cannot exceed the maximum
power minus the power headroom.
Available HSDPA Power (dBm): When you are modelling static power allocation, the HSDPA Dynamic Power Allo-
cation check box is cleared and the available HSDPA power is entered in this box. This is the power available for
the HS-PDSCH and HS-SCCH of HSDPA bearer users.
Power Headroom (dB): The power headroom is a reserve of power that Atoll keeps for Dedicated Physical Chan-
nels (DPCH) in case of fast fading. During simulation, HSDPA bearer users will not be connected if the cell power
remaining after serving R99 users is less than the power headroom value.
HS-SCCH Dynamic Power Allocation: If you are modelling dynamic power allocation the HS-SCCH Dynamic Power
Allocation check box should be checked and a value should be entered in HS-SCCH Power (dBm). During power
control, Atoll will control HS-SCCH power in order to meet the minimum quality threshold (as defined for each
mobility type). The value entered in HS-SCCH Power (dBm) is the maximum power available for each HS-SCCH
channel. The calculated power for each HSDPA bearer user during the simulation cannot exceed this maximum
value.
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HS-SCCH Power (dBm): The value for each HS-SCCH channel will be used if you are modelling dynamic power allo-
cation. If you have selected the HS-SCCH Dynamic Power Allocation check box and modelling dynamic power allo-
cation, the value entered here represents a maximum for each HSDPA bearer user. If you have not selected the
HS-SCCH Dynamic Power Allocation check box and are modelling static power allocation, the value entered here
represents the actual HS-SCCH power per HS-SCCH channel.
Number of HS-SCCH Channels: The maximum number of HS-SCCH channels for this cell. Each Packet (HSDPA -
Best Effort), Packet (HSDPA - Variable Bit Rate), Packet (HSPA - Best Effort), and Packet (HSPA - Variable Bit Rate)
user consumes one HS-SCCH channel. Therefore, at any given time (over a time transmission interval), the number
of HSDPA bearer users cannot exceed the number of HS-SCCH channels per cell.
Min. Number of HS-PDSCH Codes: The minimum number of OVSF codes available for HS-PDSCH channels. This
value will be taken into account during simulations in order to find a suitable bearer.
Max Number of HS-PDSCH codes: The maximum number of OVSF codes available for HS-PDSCH channels. This
value will be taken into account during simulations and coverage predictions in order to find a suitable bearer.
Max Number of HSDPA Users: The maximum number of HSDPA bearer users [i.e., Packet (HSDPA - Best Effort)
users, Packet (HSDPA - Variable Bit Rate) users, Packet (HSPA - Best Effort) users, Packet (HSPA - Variable Bit
Rate) users, and Packet (HSPA - Constant Bit Rate) users] that this cell can support at any given time.
Number of HSDPA Users: The number of HSDPA bearer users is an average and can be used for certain coverage
predictions. You can enter this value yourself, or have the value calculated by Atoll using a simulation. Dual-cell
HSDPA users are counted once in each cell they are connected to.
HSDPA Scheduler Algorithm: The scheduling technique that will be used to rank the HSDPA bearer users to be
served. You can select the scheduler from the list of schedulers available in the Schedulers table. For more infor-
mation, see "Defining HSDPA Schedulers" on page 622.
MIMO Support: The MIMO method used by the cell when it supports HSPA+. You can choose between None,
Transmit Diversity, or Spatial Multiplexing.
When HSUPA is supported, the following fields are also available:
DL HSUPA Power: The power (in dBm) allocated to HSUPA DL channels (E-AGCH, E-RGCH, and E-HICH). This value
must be entered by the user.
Max Number of HSUPA Users: The maximum number of HSUPA bearer users (i.e., Packet (HSPA - Best Effort)
users, Packet (HSPA - Variable Bit Rate) users and Packet (HSPA - Constant Bit Rate) users) that this cell can sup-
port at any given time.
UL Load Factor Due to HSUPA (%): The uplink cell load contribution due to HSUPA. This value can be a simulation
result or can be entered by the user.
Number of HSUPA Users: The number of HSUPA bearer users is an average and can be used for certain coverage
predictions. This value can be a simulation result or can be entered by the user.
By default, the SCH power, the CCH power, the HS-SCCH power and the HSUPA power are
set as absolute values. You can set these values as relative to the pilot power by right-click-
ing the UMTS Network Settings folder in the Parameters explorer and selecting Properties
from the context menu. Then, on the Global Parameters tab of the Properties dialog box,
under DL Powers, you can select Relative to Pilot. The SCH power, the CCH power, the HS-
SCCH power, and the HSUPA power values are automatically converted and set as relative
to the pilot power.
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2. Click the map at the location where you want to place the new site. A new site is created with default values at the
corresponding location.
Alternatively, you can create a new site by entering its coordinates and properties as
described in "Site Properties" on page 515, by right-clicking the Sites folder and selecting
New from the context menu.
If you are creating several sites at the same time, or modifying several existing sites, you
can do it quickly by editing or pasting the data directly in the Sites table. You can open
the Sites table by right-clicking the Sites folder in the Network explorer and selecting
Open Table from the context menu. For information on copying and pasting data, see
"Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
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An alternative way of creating several transmitters at the same time, or modifying several
existing transmitters, is to edit or paste the data directly in the Transmitters table. You can
open the Transmitters table by right-clicking the LTE Transmitters folder in the Network
explorer and selecting Open Table from the context menu. For information on copying and
pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
If you want to add a transmitter to an existing site on the map, you can add the transmitter
by right-clicking the site and selecting New Transmitter from the context menu.
An alternative way of creating or modifying several cells at the same time is to edit or paste
the data directly in the Cells table. You can open the Cells table by right-clicking the LTE
Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and selecting Cells > Open Table from the
context menu. You can either edit the data in the table, paste data into the table (see
"Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82), or import data into the table (see "Importing
Tables from Text Files" on page 86).
If you want to add a cell to an existing transmitter on the map, you can add the cell by right-
clicking the transmitter and selecting New Cell from the context menu.
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To place the station more accurately, you can zoom in on the map before you click the New
Station button. For information on using the zooming tools, see "Changing the Map Scale"
on page 60.
If you let the pointer rest over the station you have placed, Atoll displays its tip text with
its exact coordinates, allowing you to verify that the location is correct.
General Tab
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Electrical Azimuth, Electrical Downtilt, and Additional electrical downtilt display additional antenna parameters.
The Additional electrical downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
Under Main antenna, you can select the main antenna Model, under Smart antenna, you can select the smart
antenna Equipment used by the transmitter, and under Number of antenna ports, you can enter the number of
antennas used for Transmission and for Reception for MIMO.
Under Path loss matrices, you can modify the following: the Main propagation model, the Main radius, and the Main
resolution, and the Extended propagation model, the Extended radius, and the Extended resolution. For information
on propagation models, see Chapter 4: Radio Calculations and Models.
Under Comments, you can add additional information. The information you enter will be the default information in
the Comments field of any transmitter created using this station template.
Transmitter Tab
Under Transmission/Reception, you can click the Equipment button to open the Equipment Specifications dialog box
and modify the tower-mounted amplifier (TMA), feeder cables, or transmitter equipment. For information on the
Equipment Specifications dialog box, see "Transmitter Properties" on page 516.
The information in the real Total Losses in transmission and reception boxes is calculated from the information you
entered in the Equipment Specifications dialog box. Any loss related to the noise due to a transmitters repeater is
included in the calculated losses. Atoll always considers the values in the Real boxes in predictions even if they are
different from the values in the Computed boxes. You can modify the real Total Losses at transmission and reception
if you want. Any value you enter must be positive.
The information in the real Noise Figure reception box is calculated from the information you entered in the Equip-
ment Specifications dialog box. You can modify the real Noise Figure at reception if you want. Any value you enter
must be positive.
Under Diversity, you can select the number of transmission and reception antenna ports used for MIMO (No. of
ports). MIMO systems are supported by some HSDPA bearers (following improvements introduced by release 7 of the
3GPP UTRA specifications, referred to as HSPA+). For more information on how the number of antenna ports are used,
see "Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems" on page 623.
R99 bearers only support transmit and receive diversities. You can define the transmit diversity method from the
Transmission list when more than one transmission antenna port is available. The receive diversity method depends
on the number of reception antenna ports selected (2RX for two reception antenna ports and 4RX for four reception
antenna ports).
UMTS Tab
On this tab, you modify the Carriers (each corresponding to a cell) that this station supports. For information on carriers and
cells, see "Cell Properties" on page 518.
Carrier: You can select the numbers for each sector of the station template. To select the carriers to be added to the
sectors of a base station created using this station template, click the Browse button and select the carriers to be cre-
ated for each sector of the station.
Primary Scrambling Code: Specify the Reuse Distance and the scrambling code Domain.
Under Power, you can select the Power Shared Between Cells check box. As well, you can modify the Pilot, the SCH,
the Other CCH powers, and the AS Threshold.
Under Simulation Constraints, you can modify the Max Power, the Max DL Load (defined as a percentage of the max-
imum power), the DL Max Throughput/User, the Max UL Load Factor, and the UL Max Throughput/User.
Under Load Conditions, you can modify the Total Transmitted Power, the UL Load Factor, and the UL Reuse Factor.
Under Additional Interference, you can modify the UL and DL noise rise which respectively model the effect of termi-
nals and stations of an external network on the network cells and the effect of terminals of an external network inter-
fering the mobiles served by the network cells. For more information on inter-technology interferences, See
"Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 626.
You can also modify the Number of Uplink and Downlink Channel Elements, the Max Iub Uplink and Downlink Back-
haul Throughputs and select the Equipment.
HSPA/HSPA+ Tab
On these tabs, you can define the HSPA functionality supported by the cells. You can choose between None (i.e., R99 only),
HSDPA, HSPA (i.e, HSDPA and HSUPA), HSPA+. When HSDPA functionality is supported, you can modify the following under
HSDPA (for more information on the fields, see "Cell Properties" on page 518):
Multi-cell mode: You can select whether the transmitter supports carrier aggregation in the downlink (DL multi-cell),
or in the downlink and in the uplink (UL/DL multi-cell). When multi-cell is active, users can simultaneously connect to
several carriers of the transmitter for data transfer (up to eight carriers in the downlink and two carriers in the uplink).
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You can select the Allocation Strategy (Static or Dynamic). If you select Static as the Allocation Strategy, you can
enter the available HSDPA Power. If you select Dynamic as the Allocation Strategy, Atoll allocates the HSDPA power
to cells during the simulation. Atoll first allocates power to R99 users and then dynamically allocates the remaining
power of the cell to the HS-PDSCH and HS-SCCH of HSDPA bearer users. At the end of the simulation, you can commit
the calculated available HSDPA power and total power values to each cell.
Under HS-PDSCH, you can modify the Min. and Max Number of Codes and the Power Headroom.
Under HS-SCCH, you can select the Allocation Strategy (Static or Dynamic) and the Number of Channels. If you select
Static as the Allocation Strategy, you can enter the HS-SCCH Power.
Under Scheduler, you can modify the Algorithm, the Max Number of Users, the Number of Users. For the Propor-
tional Fair scheduler, to edit the MUG graph, see "Defining HSDPA Schedulers" on page 622.
Under HSUPA, if HSUPA functionality is supported, you can modify the following (for more information on the fields,
see "Cell Properties" on page 518):
You can modify the DL Power, the UL Load, the Max Number of Users, and the Number of Users.
Neighbours tab
Max number of neighbours: Set the maximum numbers of Intra-technology and Inter-technology neighbours. For informa-
tion on defining neighbours, see "Neighbour Planning" on page 223.
Other Properties
The Other Properties tab will only appear if you have defined additional fields in the Sites table, or if you have defined an
additional field in the Station Template Properties dialog box.
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To place the station more accurately, you can zoom in on the map before you select Dupli-
cate from the context menu. For information on using the zooming tools, see "Changing
the Map Scale" on page 60.
If you let the pointer rest over the station you have placed, Atoll displays tip text with its
exact coordinates, allowing you to verify that the location is correct.
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Any duplicated remote antennas and repeaters will retain the same donor transmitter
as the original. If you want the duplicated remote antenna or repeater to use a
transmitter on the duplicated base station, you must change the donor transmitter
manually.
You can also place a series of duplicate base stations by pressing and holding Ctrl in step 4. and clicking to place each
duplicate base station.
For more information on the site, transmitter, and cell properties, see "Definition of a UMTS Base Station" on page 515.
2. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The Point Analysis window opens with the Profile
view. The Profile view displays the profile between the transmitter and the receiver with the terrain and clutter
heights. The altitude is reported on the vertical axis and the receiver-transmitter distance on the horizontal axis.
Display area
including:
received signal,
shadowing
margin, cell
edge coverage
probability,
propagation
model used,
and transmit-
ter-receiver
distance. Fresnel ellipsoid Line of sight Attenuation with diffraction
On the map, the pointer changes ( ) to represent the receiver and a line connects the selected transmitter with the
current position. You can move the receiver to change the current position or right-click the receiver to choose one of
the following commands from the context menu:
Coordinates: Select Coordinates to change the receiver position by entering new XY coordinates.
Target Site: Select a site from the list to place the receiver directly on a site.
3. In the Profile view toolbar, click the Geographic Profile button ( ) to view the geographic profile between the trans-
mitter and the receiver.
An ellipsoid indicating the Fresnel zone is also displayed. The distance between the transmitter and the receiver is
displayed at the top of the Profile view.
4. In the Profile view toolbar, click the Geographic Profile button ( ) again to view the radio signal path between the
transmitter and the receiver.
A blue ellipsoid indicates the Fresnel zone between the transmitter and the receiver. A green line indicates the line of
sight (LOS) with the angle of the LOS as read from the vertical antenna pattern.
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Along the profile, if the signal meets an obstacle, the obstacle causes attenuation with diffraction displayed by a red
vertical line (if the selected propagation model is able to calculate diffraction). The main diffraction edge is the one
that intersects the Fresnel ellipsoid the most. Propagation models that use a 3 knife-edge Deygout diffraction method
may also display two additional diffraction edges. The total attenuation is displayed above the main diffraction edge.
The results of the analysis are displayed at the top of the Profile view:
The received signal strength from the selected transmitter for the cell with the highest reference signal power
The propagation model used
The shadowing margin and the indoor loss (if selected)
The distance between the transmitter and the receiver.
5. You can change the following options from the Profile view toolbar:
Transmitter: Select the transmitter from the list. You can click the Properties button ( ) to open the transmitter
properties dialog box.
Carriers: Select the carrier to be analysed.
Options: Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculation Options dialog box. In this dialog box, you can:
Change the X and Y coordinates to change the current position of the receiver.
Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
Select Signal level, Path loss, or Total losses from the Result type list.
You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency
per clutter class.
Link Budget: Click the Link Budget button ( ) to display a dialog box with the link budget.
Detailed Report: Click the Detailed Report button ( ) to display a text document with details on the displayed
profile analysis. The detailed report is only available for the Standard Propagation Model.
6. To end the point analysis, click the Point Analysis button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar again.
When you import data into your current Atoll document, the coordinate system of the
imported data must be the same as the display coordinate system used in the document.
If you cannot change the coordinate system of your source data, you can temporarily
change the display coordinate system of the Atoll document to match the source data. For
information on changing the coordinate system, see "Setting a Coordinate System" on
page 41.
The table you copy data from must have the same column layout as the table you are
pasting data into.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
Importing data: If you have data in text or comma-separated value (CSV) format, you can import it into the tables in
the current document. If the data is in another Atoll document, you can first export it in text or CSV format and then
import it into the tables of your current Atoll document. When you are importing, Atoll allows you to select what
values you import into which columns of the table.
When you create a group of base stations by importing data, you must import site data in the Sites table, transmitter
data in the Transmitters table, and cell data in the Cells table, in that order.
For information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 85. For infor-
mation on importing table data, see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 86.
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3. Defining the layers with which services and terminals are compatible (see "Modelling Services" on page 241 and
"Modelling Terminals" on page 249).
Broad-band repeaters are not modelled. Atoll assumes that all carriers from the 3G donor
transmitter are amplified.
Name: You can change the Name of the repeater. By default, repeaters are named "SiteX_Y_RepZ" where "X" is the
donor site number, "Y" the donor transmitter number, and "Z" a number assigned to the repeater when it was cre-
ated.
Donor: The donor of a repeater can be a transmitter, a remote antenna, or another repeater. Click Browse to open
the Properties of the donor.
Site: Specify the site on which the repeater is located. Click Browse to open the Properties of the site.
Shared antenna: Specify the identifier (coverage side) of the transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas that are
located at the same site or on sites with the same position and that share an antenna. The identifier must be the same
for all such transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas. When changes are made to the position offset (Dx, Dy), azi-
muth, antenna height, or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically synchronises the same changes to all
other transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas defined as having a shared antenna.
Antenna position: If the repeater is not located exactly on the site, you can specify its location.
Relative to site: Select this option to specify the position of the repeater relative to the site itself and then enter
the Dx and Dy offsets.
Coordinates: Select this option to specify the position of the repeater by its X and Y absolute coordinates.
Equipment: Select an equipment from the list. Click Browse to open the Properties of the equipment.
Amplifier Gain: Specify a gain for the amplifier. The amplifier gain is used in the link budget to evaluate the repeater
total gain.
Donor-repeater link, specify the type of link between the donor and the repeater:
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Air: Select this option to specify an off-air repeater. Select a Propagation model and either enter the Propagation
losses between the donor and the repeater or click Calculate to determine the actual propagation losses based
on the propagation model. If you do not select a propagation model, the propagation losses between the donor
transmitter and the repeater are calculated using the ITU 526-5 propagation model.
When you create an off-air repeater, it is assumed that the link between the donor transmitter and the repeater
has the same frequency as the network.
Microwave link: Select this option to specify a microwave link. Specify the total Link losses for the link between
the donor transmitter and the repeater.
Optical fibre link: Select this option to specify an optical fibre link. Specify the total Fibre losses for the link
between the donor transmitter and the repeater
If you select Air under Donor-repeater link, enter the following information under Antenna:
Model: Select the antenna model from the list. Click Browse to open the antenna properties.
Click Select to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match the cur-
rently selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the oper-
ating frequency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on
page 158
Height/ground: Specify the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to the altitude of the site
as given by the DTM. If the repeater is situated on a building, the height entered must include the height of
the building.
Mechanical Azimuth and Mechanical Downtilt : Specify additional antenna parameters.
You can click the Calculate button to update the mechanical azimuth and mechanical
downtilt values after changing the repeater donor side antenna height or the repeater
location. If you choose another site or change site coordinates in the General tab, click
Apply before clicking the Calculate button.
If you select Air under Donor-repeater link, enter the following information under Feeders:
Type: Select the type of feeder from the list. Click Browse to open the feeder properties.
Length: Enter the Length of the repeater feeder cable for Transmission and Reception.
Active: specify whether the repeater is active. Only active repeaters (displayed in red in the Transmitters folder in the
Network explorer) are calculated.
Total gain: Specify the total gain (in downlink and uplink) or click Calculate to determine the actual gain in both direc-
tions. If you have modified any settings in the General, Donor Side, or Coverage Side tabs, click Apply before clicking
the Calculate button.
In downlink, the total gain is applied to each power (pilot power, SCH power, and so on).
In uplink, the total gain is applied to each terminal power.
The total gain takes into account losses between the donor transmitter and the repeater, donor characteristics (donor
antenna gain, reception feeder losses), amplifier gain, and coverage characteristics (coverage antenna gain, transmis-
sion feeder losses).
Under Antennas, you can modify the following parameters:
Height/ground: Specify the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to the altitude of the site as
provided by the DTM. If the repeater is located on a building, the height entered must include the height of
building.
Model: Select antenna model from the list. Click Browse to open the antenna properties.
Click Select to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match the currently
selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the operating fre-
quency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on page 158
Mechanical Azimuth, Mechanical Downtilt, Electrical Azimuth, Electrical Downtilt, and Additional electrical
downtilt: Specify the additional antenna parameters.
Secondary antennas: Select one or more secondary antennas in the Antenna column and enter their Azimuth,
Mechanical downtilt, Additional electrical downtilt, and % Power.
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The Additional electrical downtilt can be made available through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
Repeaters are taken into account during calculations. Therefore, you must specify their propagation parameters. On
the Propagation tab, you can modify the following: the Propagation model, Radius, and Resolution for both the Main
matrix and the Extended matrix. By default, the propagation characteristics of the repeater (model, calculation
radius, and grid resolution) are the same as those of the donor transmitter. For information on propagation models,
see "Assigning Propagation Parameters" on page 187.
If you have data in table form, either in another Atoll document or in a spreadsheet, you
can copy this data and paste it into the Repeaters table in your current Atoll document to
create several repeaters. The table you copy data from must have the same column layout
as the table you are pasting data into.
You can also use this method to create a large number of repeaters in a single operation.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on
page 82.
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When the donor is a transmitter, you can see to which base station the repeater is
connected by clicking it; Atoll displays a link to the donor transmitter. You can hide
the link by clicking it again.
When the donor is a repeater or a remote antenna, Atoll displays a spider-type link
showing the entire chain down to the donor transmitter. The same spider-type link
is displayed when you click any of the items belonging to the chain is clicked (i.e.,
donor transmitter, any repeater, or any remote antenna).
You can prevent Atoll from updating the UL and DL total gains of selected repeaters by
creating a custom Boolean field named "FreezeTotalGain" in the Repeaters table and
setting the value of the field to "True". Afterwards, when you select Repeaters > Calculate
Gains from the Transmitters context menu, Atoll will only update the UL and DL total gains
for repeaters with the custom field "FreezeTotalGain" set to "False".
You can update the propagation losses of all off-air repeaters by selecting Repeaters > Calculate Donor Side Propa-
gation Losses from the Transmitters context menu.
You can select a repeater on the map and change its azimuth (see "Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using the
Mouse" on page 57) or its position relative to the site (see "Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site Using
the Mouse" on page 58).
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Name: You can change the Name of the remote antenna. By default, remote antennas are named "SiteX_Y_RepZ"
where "X" is the donor site number, "Y" the donor transmitter number, and "Z" a number assigned to the remote
antenna when it was created.
Donor: Specify whether the donor of the remote antenna is a transmitter, another remote antenna, or a repeater.
Click Browse to open the Properties of the donor.
Site: Specify the site on which the remote antenna is located. Click Browse to open the Properties of the site.
Shared antenna: Specify the identifier (coverage side) of the transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas that are
located at the same site or on sites with the same position and that share an antenna. The identifier must be the same
for all such transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas. When changes are made to the position offset (Dx, Dy), azi-
muth, antenna height, or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically synchronises the same changes to all
other transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas defined as having a shared antenna.
Antenna position: If the remote antenna is not located exactly on the site, you can specify its location.
Relative to site: Select this option to specify the position of the remote antenna relative to the site itself and then
enter the Dx and Dy offsets.
Coordinates: Select this option to specify the position of the remote antenna by its X and Y absolute coordinates.
Donor-repeater link: specify Optical fibre link. Specify the total Fibre losses for the link between the donor trans-
mitter and the repeater
For remote antennas, you must select Optical fibre link. Do not select Air or Microwave
link.
Active: specify whether the remote antenna is active. Only active remote antennas (displayed in red in the Transmit-
ters folder in the Network explorer) are calculated.
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Total gain: Specify the total gain (in downlink and uplink) or click Calculate to determine the actual gain in both direc-
tions. If you have modified any settings in the General, Donor Side, or Coverage Side tabs, click Apply before clicking
the Calculate button.
In downlink, the total gain is applied to each power (pilot power, SCH power, and so on).
In uplink, the total gain is applied to each terminal power.
The total gain takes into account losses between the donor transmitter and the remote antenna, donor characteristics
(donor antenna gain, reception feeder losses), amplifier gain, and coverage characteristics (coverage antenna gain,
transmission feeder losses).
Under Antennas, you can modify the following parameters:
Height/ground: Specify the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to the altitude of the site as
provided by the DTM. If the remote antenna is located on a building, the height entered must include the height
of building.
Model: Select antenna model from the list. Click Browse to open the antenna properties.
Click Select to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match the currently
selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the operating fre-
quency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on page 158
Mechanical Azimuth, Mechanical Downtilt, Electrical Azimuth, Electrical Downtilt, and Additional electrical
downtilt: Specify the additional antenna parameters.
Secondary antennas: Select one or more secondary antennas in the Antenna column and enter their Azimuth,
Mechanical downtilt, Additional electrical downtilt, and % Power.
The Additional electrical downtilt can be made available through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
Remote antennas are taken into account during calculations in the same way as transmitters. Therefore, you must
specify their propagation parameters. On the Propagation tab, you can modify the following: the Propagation model,
Radius, and Resolution for both the Main matrix and the Extended matrix. By default, the propagation characteristics
of the remote antenna (model, calculation radius, and grid resolution) are the same as those of the donor transmitter.
For information on propagation models, see "Assigning Propagation Parameters" on page 187.
If you have data in table form, either in another Atoll document or in a spreadsheet, you
can copy this data and paste it into the Remote Antennas table in your current Atoll docu-
ment to create several repeaters. The table you copy data from must have the same
column layout as the table you are pasting data into.
You can also use this method to create a large number of remote antennas in a single oper-
ation.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on
page 82.
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Ensure that the remote antennas donor transmitter does not have any antennas.
2. Click the arrow next to New Repeater or Remote Antenna button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
3. Select Remote Antenna from the menu.
4. Click the map to place the remote antenna. The remote antenna is placed on the map, represented by a symbol ( )
in the same colour as the donor transmitter. If the remote antenna is inactive, it is displayed by an empty icon. By
default, the remote antenna has the same azimuth as the donor transmitter. Its tip text and label display the same
information as displayed for the donor transmitter. As well, its tip text identifies the remote antenna and the donor
transmitter.
For information on defining the properties of the new remote antenna, see "Modifying the Properties of a Remote
Antenna" on page 537.
When the donor is a transmitter, you can see to which base station the repeater is
connected by clicking it; Atoll displays a link to the donor transmitter. You can hide
the link by clicking it again.
When the donor is a repeater or a remote antenna, Atoll displays a spider-type link
showing the entire chain down to the donor transmitter. The same spider-type link
is displayed when you click any of the items belonging to the chain is clicked (i.e.,
donor transmitter, any repeater, or any remote antenna).
You can prevent Atoll from updating the UL and DL total gains of selected remote antennas
by creating a custom Boolean field named "FreezeTotalGain" in the Remote Antennas
table and setting the value of the field to "True." Afterwards, when you select Remote
Antennas > Calculate Gains from the Transmitters context menu, Atoll will only update
the UL and DL total gains for remote antennas with the custom field "FreezeTotalGain" set
to "False."
You can select a remote antenna on the map and change its azimuth (see "Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using
the Mouse" on page 57) or its position relative to the site (see "Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site
Using the Mouse" on page 58).
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The General tab allows you to specify the following settings for the prediction:
Name: Specify the assigned Name of the coverage prediction.
Resolution: Specify the display resolution. To improve memory consumption and optimise the calculation times, you
should set the display resolutions of coverage predictions according to the precision required. The following table lists
the levels of precision that are usually sufficient:
City Centre 5m
City 20 m
County 50 m
State 100 m
The resolution specified here is only for display purposes. The calculated resolution is independently specified in the
propagation settings. For more information, see "Assigning Propagation Parameters" on page 187.
A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the <GUID> and </GUID> tags in the following files:
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion was saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
"<prediction_name>.XML" files (one per prediction) created in the following folder
if coverage predictions were calculated with Display type = "Value intervals":
C:\<path_to_doc>\<doc_name>.studies\{<Unique_ID>}
Receiver height: This displays the height of the receiver defined in the Calculation Parameters tab of the Network
Settings Properties dialog box
Comments: Specify an optional description of comment for the prediction.
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on
filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98. The Group By and Sort buttons are not available when making a so-called
"global" coverage prediction (e.g., signal level coverage prediction).
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The Group By and Sort buttons are not available when making a so-called "global" cover-
age prediction (e.g., signal level coverage prediction).
The coverage prediction parameters on the Conditions tab allow you to define the signals that will be considered for each
pixel:
At the top of the Conditions tab, you can specify the range to be considered for the current prediction.
Server: Select either All, Best Signal Level or Second Best Signal Level:
Select All to consider all servers.
Select Best Signal Level or Second Best Signal Level to also specify an Overlap margin.
Selecting All or Best Signal Level will give you the same results because Atoll displays the results of the best server
in either case. Selecting Best Signal Level requires a longer calculation time.
Shadowing taken into account: Select this option to consider shadowing in the prediction. For more information, see
"Modelling Shadowing" on page 625. If you select this option, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability.
Indoor coverage: Select this option to consider indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter class.
Carrier: Select the carrier to be studied, or select the "Best" carrier of a frequency band or of all frequency bands. In
this case, Atoll takes the highest pilot power of carriers to calculate the pilot signal level received from a transmitter.
For more information, see the following sections:
"Signal Level Coverage Predictions" on page 539
"UMTS Coverage Predictions" on page 542
"HSDPA Coverage Predictions" on page 551
"HSUPA Coverage Predictions" on page 553
On the Display tab, you can modify how the results of the coverage prediction will be displayed.
Under Display Type, select "Value Intervals."
Under Field, select "Best Signal Level." "Best Signal Level." Selecting "All" or "Best Signal Level" on the Condi-
tions tab will give you the same results because Atoll displays the results of the best server in either case.
Selecting "Best Signal Level" necessitates, however, the longest time for calculation.
You can change the value intervals and their displayed colour. For information on changing display properties,
see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
You can create tip text with information about the coverage prediction by clicking the Browse button next to
the Tip Text box and selecting the fields you want to display in the tip text.
You can select the Add to Legend check box to add the displayed value intervals to the legend.
If you change the display properties of a coverage prediction after you have calculated it,
you may make the coverage prediction invalid. You will then have to recalculate the cover-
age prediction to obtain valid results.
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You can use the same procedure to study the signal level coverage of several sites by
grouping the transmitters. For information on grouping transmitters, see "Basic Grouping
of Data Objects" on page 94.
If you want to study only sites by their status, at this step you could group them by
status.
2. Specify the propagation parameters as explained in "Assigning Propagation Parameters" on page 187.
3. In the UMTS Transmitters folder, right-click the group of transmitters you want to study and select Calculations >
Create a New Prediction from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialog box appears.
The Prediction Types dialog box lists the predictions available. They are divided into Standard Predictions, supplied
with Atoll, and Customised Predictions. Unless you have already created some customised coverage predictions, the
Customised Predictions list will be empty.
4. Select Coverage by Signal Level (DL) and click OK. The Coverage by Signal Level (DL) Properties dialog box appears.
5. Configure the parameters in the Properties dialog box as described in "UMTS Prediction Properties" on page 538.
The coverage prediction parameters on the Conditions tab allow you to define the signals that will be considered for
each pixel.
6. Click the Display tab and specify the following options:
Under Display Type, select "Value Intervals."
Under Field, select "Best Signal Level." "Best Signal Level." Selecting "All" or "Best Signal Level" on the Conditions
tab will give you the same results because Atoll displays the results of the best server in either case. Selecting "Best
Signal Level" necessitates, however, the longest time for calculation.
7. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window. The signal level
coverage prediction can be found in the Predictions folder in the Network explorer. Atoll automatically locks the results of a
coverage prediction as soon as it is calculated, as indicated by the icon ( ) beside the coverage prediction in the Predictions
folder. When you click the Calculate button ( ), Atoll only calculates unlocked coverage predictions ( ).
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You can run a specific prediction study displaying a coverage by pilot signal level for a given
terminal, service, mobility and carrier as explained in "Studying Pilot Signal Quality" on
page 543.
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You can also predict which server is second best server on each pixel by selecting "Second
best signal level" on the Conditions tab setting "Discrete Values" as the Display Type and
"Transmitter" as the Field on the Display tab.
By changing the parameters selected on the Conditions tab and by selecting different
results to be displayed on the Display tab, you can calculate and display information other
than that which has been explained in the preceding sections.
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In this section, the UMTS-specific coverage predictions are calculated using UL load factor and DL total power parameters
defined at the cell level. For the purposes of these predictions, each pixel is considered a non-interfering user with a defined
service, mobility type, and terminal.
Before making a coverage prediction, you must set the UL load factor and DL total power. These are explained in the following
sections:
"Setting the UL Load Factor and the DL Total Power" on page 543.
This section explains the coverage predictions available for analysing the signal quality and interference. The following are
explained:
"Studying Pilot Signal Quality" on page 543
"Studying Downlink and Uplink Service Areas (EbNt)" on page 544
"Studying the Effective Service Area" on page 545.
"Making a Coverage Prediction by Quality Indicators" on page 546
"Studying the Total Noise Level on the Downlink" on page 548
"Studying Pilot Pollution" on page 548
"Studying Inter-technology Downlink Interference" on page 549.
"Making a Handoff Status Coverage Prediction" on page 550.
3. Right-click the selection and select Edit > Fill Down from the context menu or click the Fill Down button ( ) in the
Table toolbar to copy the contents of the top cell of the selection into the other cells.
If you want to copy the contents of the last cell in the selection into all other cells, you can
right-click the selection and select Edit > Fill Up from the context menu or click the Fill Up
button ( ) in the Table toolbar. For more information on working with tables in Atoll,
see "Data Tables" on page 75.
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4. Click the Conditions tab and select "(Cells Table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not
going to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the UL
load factor and the DL total power defined in the cell properties.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
You must select a Terminal, Service, and Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 241. You must
also select the network Layer or Carrier to be considered for the determination of best servers. Otherwise, you can
calculate the prediction for all layers or carriers.
If you want the pilot signal quality prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account
check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab.
For a pilot signal quality prediction, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "EcI0 (dB)" is selected by
default. Each pixel is displayed in a colour corresponding to the pilot signal quality. For information on defining display
properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
You can also set parameters to display the following results:
Where at least one transmitter is in the active set: Select "Unique" as the Display Type.
Where at least one transmitter is in the active set, with information on the best server: Select "Discrete Value"
as the Display Type and "Transmitter" as the Field.
The pilot signal level: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Ec (dBm)" as the Field.
The pilot quality relative to the EcI0 threshold: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "EcI0 margin
(dB)" as the Field.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
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You must select a Terminal, Service, and Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 241. You must
also select the network Layer or Carrier to be considered for the determination of best servers. Otherwise, you can
calculate the prediction for all layers or carriers.
If you want the service area (EbNt) coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken
into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
You can select the Bearer downgrading check box if you want the service area (EbNt) prediction to take into consid-
eration circumstances when the R99 bearer is downgraded. When downgrading is enabled and if the selected service
supports bearer downgrading, Atoll will consider only the lowest radio bearer.
5. Click the Display tab.
For a service area (Eb/Nt) coverage prediction, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "Max EbNt (dB)"
is selected by default. The Field you choose determines which information the service area (EbNt) downlink or uplink
prediction makes available. Each pixel is displayed in a colour corresponding to the traffic channel quality. For infor-
mation on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
You can also set parameters to display the following results:
The traffic channel quality relative to the EbNt threshold: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and
"EbNt Margin (dB)" as the Field.
The power required to reach the EbNt threshold: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Required
Power (dB)" as the Field.
Where traffic channel quality exceeds the EbNt threshold for each mobility type: On the Conditions tab, select
"All" as the Mobility Type. The parameters on the Display tab are automatically set.
For a service area (EbNt) (DL) coverage prediction, you can also display the following results:
The R99 effective RLC throughput: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Effective RLC Throughput
(kbps)" as the Field.
The R99 application throughput: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Application Throughput (kbps)"
as the Field.
For a service area (EbNt) (UL) coverage prediction, you can also display the following result:
The gain due to soft handover: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Soft Handover Gain" as the Field.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
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You must select a Terminal, Service, and Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 241. You must
also select the network Layer or Carrier to be considered for the determination of best servers. Otherwise, you can
calculate the prediction for all layers or carriers.
If you want the effective service area prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into
account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
You can select the Bearer downgrading check box if you want the effective service area prediction to take into consid-
eration circumstances when the R99 bearer is downgraded. When downgrading is enabled and if the selected service
supports bearer downgrading, Atoll will consider only the lowest radio bearer.
5. Click the Display tab.
For an effective service area prediction, the Display Type "Unique" is selected by default. The coverage prediction will
display where a service actually is available for the probe mobile. For information on defining display properties, see
"Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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Once you have ensured that the parameters of the quality indicators have been correctly set, you can use the measured qual-
ity to create a quality prediction. How you define a coverage prediction according to the measured quality indicator depends
several parameters:
The settings made in the Quality Indicators table
The service you want to study
The quality indicator you want to use (BER, BLER, or FER)
The coverage prediction you want to use (Pilot Quality Analysis Downlink, the Service Area Analysis Downlink, or Ser-
vice Area Analysis Uplink).
In the following example, you will create a quality prediction showing BLER, for a user on foot, and with mobile internet access.
To create a quality prediction showing BLER for a user on foot, and with mobile internet access:
1. In the Network explorer, right-click the Predictions folder and select New Prediction from the context menu. The
Prediction Types dialog box appears.
2. Select Service Area Analysis (EbNt) (DL) and click OK. The Service Area Analysis (EbNt) (DL) Properties dialog box
appears.
3. Configure the parameters in the Properties dialog box as described in "UMTS Prediction Properties" on page 538.
4. On the Conditions tab, select "(Cells Table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going
to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the UL load
factor and the DL total power defined in the cell properties.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
Terminal: Select the appropriate terminal for mobile Internet access from the Terminal list.
Service: Select "Mobile Internet Access" from the Service list.
Mobility: Select "Pedestrian" from the Mobility list.
Carrier: Select the network Layer or Carrier to be considered for the determination of best servers. Otherwise,
you can calculate the prediction for all layers or carriers
If you want the service area (EbNt) (DL) prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into
account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
You can select the Bearer downgrading check box if you want the service area (EbNt) downlink prediction to take into
consideration circumstances when the R99 bearer is downgraded. When downgrading is enabled and if the selected
service supports bearer downgrading, Atoll will consider only the lowest radio bearer.
5. Click the Display tab.
Select "Value intervals" as the Display Type and "BLER" as the Field. The exact field value will depend on the name
given in the Quality Indicators table. For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Proper-
ties of Objects" on page 51.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
Atoll calculates for each pixel the DL traffic channel quality (EbNt) (provided when using the maximum traffic channel power
allowed). Then, it calculates the corresponding BLER value from the quality graph (BLER=f(DL EbNt)). The pixel is coloured if
the condition is fulfilled (i.e., if BLER is evaluated as being higher than the specified threshold).
The BLER is also used in the service area (DL) prediction (as described in "Studying Down-
link and Uplink Service Areas (EbNt)" on page 544) in order to evaluate R99 peak RLC and
application throughputs.
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When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
You must select a Terminal, and Service, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 241. You must also select
the network Layer or Carrier to be considered for the determination of best servers. Otherwise, you can calculate the
prediction for all layers or carriers
You can also select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab.
For a downlink total noise or downlink noise rise prediction, the Display Type "Value Intervals" is selected by default.
The Field you choose determines which information the downlink total noise or downlink noise rise prediction makes
available.
Coverage by total noise on the downlink: When making a prediction on the total noise level on the downlink,
select one of the following in the Field list:
Min. Noise Level
Average Noise Level
Max Noise Level
Coverage by noise rise on the downlink: When making a prediction on the noise rise on the downlink, select one
of the following in the Field list:
Min. Noise Rise
Average Noise Rise
Max Noise Rise
For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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4. On the Conditions tab, select "(Cells Table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going
to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the UL load
factor and the DL total power defined in the cell properties.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
You must select a Terminal, Service, and Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 241. You must
also select the network Layer or Carrier to be considered for the determination of best servers. Otherwise, you can
calculate the prediction for all layers or carriers.
If you want the pilot pollution prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account
check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab.
For a Pilot Pollution Analysis prediction, the Display Type "Value Intervals" and the Field "Number of Polluters" are
selected by default. For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on
page 51.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
You must select a Terminal and a Service, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 241. You must also select
the network Layer or Carrier to be considered for the determination of best servers. Otherwise, you can calculate the
prediction for all layers or carriers.
If you want the prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account check box and
enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab to specify the display parameters of the prediction as described in "UMTS Prediction Properties"
on page 538.
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The Display Type "Value Intervals" is selected by default. The Field you choose determines which information the
prediction makes available, Noise Level or Noise Rise. For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the
Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
You must select a Terminal, Service, and Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 241. You must
also select the network Layer or Carrier to be considered for the determination of best servers. Otherwise, you can
calculate the prediction for all layers or carriers.
If you want the handoff status coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into
account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab.
To display the handoff status:
a. Select "Discrete Values" from the Display Type list.
b. Select "Status" from the Field list. Depending on the active set size of the terminal and the service capabilities in
terms of soft handover, the coverage prediction can display the following values:
No handoff: one cell in the mobile active set.
Softer: two cells in the mobile active set belonging to the same site.
Soft: two cells in the mobile active set, one from Site A and the other from Site B.
Softer-Softer: three cells in the mobile active set, belonging to the same site.
Softer-Soft: three cells in the mobile active set, two from Site A and the third one from Site B.
Soft-Soft: three cells in the mobile active set, one from Site A, one from Site B and one from Site C.
Not connected: no cell in the mobile active set.
To display the number of potential active transmitters:
a. Select "Value Intervals" from the Display Type list.
b. Select "Potential Active Transmitters" from the Field list. The coverage prediction will display the number of po-
tential active transmitters.
For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
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6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
You must select a Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 241. For an HSDPA coverage predic-
tion, under Terminal, you must chose an HSDPA-capable terminal and, under Service, you must chose a service with
HSDPA.
You must also select the network Layer or Carrier to be considered for the determination of best serving cells. Other-
wise, you can calculate the prediction for all layers or carriers.
Under HSDPA radio bearer, select either "All" to consider all possible HSDPA radio bearers in the prediction or an
HSDPA radio bearer index to calculate a prediction for a certain bearer. Display options available in the Display tab
depend on what you have selected here.
You can set the following parameters:
To model a DC-HSPA user: Select a DC-HSPA capable terminal as the Terminal and a BE or VBR Service with HSPA.
To model a MC-HSPA user: Select a MC-HSPA capable terminal as the Terminal and a BE or VBR Service with HSPA.
To model a DB-MC-HSPA user: Select a DB-MC-HSPA capable terminal as the Terminal, a BE or VBR Service with
HSPA.
For these configurations, selecting one specific carrier or one layer associated with one unique carrier is not suitable.
To display the global throughput, you have to select several carriers ("Best HSPA (All/Specific band)" as the carrier) or
layers associated with several carriers.
If you want to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a percent-
age in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab to specify the display parameters of the prediction as described in "UMTS Prediction Properties"
on page 538.
If you have selected "All" as the HSDPA radio bearer in the Conditions tab, you can set the following parameters:
To analyse the uplink and downlink A-DPCH qualities on the map:
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The maximum DL A-DPCH quality relative to the EbNt threshold: Select "Max DL A-DPCH EbNt (dB)" as the
Field. Atoll determines downlink A-DPCH quality at the receiver for the maximum traffic channel power al-
lowed for the best server.
The maximum UL A-DPCH quality relative to the EbNt threshold: Select "Max UL A-DPCH EbNt (dB)" as the
Field. Atoll determines uplink A-DPCH quality at the receiver for the maximum terminal power allowed.
To analyse the HS-SCCH quality or power:
The HS-SCCH power per HS-SCCH channel relative to the power threshold: Select "HS-SCCH Power (dBm)" as
the Field. This display option is relevant only if HS-SCCH power is allocated dynamically.
The HS-SCCH EcNt per HS-SCCH channel relative to the EcNt threshold: Select "HS-SCCH EcNt (dBm)" as the
Field. This display option is relevant only if HS-SCCH power is allocated statically.
To model fast link adaptation for a single HSDPA bearer user or for a defined number of HSDPA bearer users:
For a single HSDPA bearer user, Atoll considers one HSDPA bearer user on each pixel and determines the best HS-
DPA bearer that the user can obtain by considering the entire available HSDPA power of the cell.
The HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt relative to the EcNt threshold: Select "HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt" as the Field. Atoll calculates
the best HS-PDSCH EcNt on each pixel.
The channel quality indicator (CQI) relative to the EcNt threshold: Select "CQI" as the Field. Atoll displays
either the CPICH CQI or the HS-PDSCH CQI, depending on the option selected under HSDPA on the Global
Parameters tab of the UMTS Network Settings Properties dialog box (see "Network Settings Properties" on
page 615).
If you are modelling an MC-HSPA user, the best carrier is determined using the best serving cell selection algo-
rithm. The secondary carriers must belong to the same transmitter and are chosen among the adjacent carriers
according to the CQI. When two adjacent carriers are available, the one with the highest CQI value is selected. At-
oll selects secondary cells as long as HSDPA carriers are available in the transmitter and the maximum number of
cells to which the user can simultaneously connect is not exceeded.
If you are modelling a DB-MC-HSPA user, the best carrier among all supported frequency bands is selected based
on the best serving cell selection algorithm. The secondary cells are taken in the same band as the best carrier (i.e.,
they belong to the same transmitter), as long as carriers are available. Then, if additional carriers are required and
if there are no more carriers available in this transmitter, Atoll selects the carriers in a transmitter using the second
frequency band. Within one frequency band, the secondary cells are first selected according to an adjacency cri-
terion and then, according to the CQI value. When two adjacent carriers are available, Atoll takes the one with the
highest CQI value.
For MC-HSPA and DB-MC-HSPA users, all selected carriers are taken into consideration to calculate the through-
puts.
The peak MAC throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Peak MAC Throughput (kbps)" as the Field. Atoll
calculates the peak MAC throughput from the transport block size of the selected HSDPA bearer.
The Effective MAC throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Effective MAC Throughput (kbps)" as the
Field. The Effective MAC throughput is calculated from the peak MAC throughput.
The peak RLC throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Peak RLC Throughput (kbps)" as the Field. Atoll
displays the peak RLC throughput that the selected HSDPA bearer can be supplied with. The peak RLC through-
put is a characteristic of the HSDPA bearer.
The effective RLC throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Effective RLC Throughput (kbps)" as the Field.
Atoll calculates the effective RLC throughput from the peak RLC throughput.
The average effective RLC throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Average Effective RLC Throughput
(kbps)" as the Field.
The application throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Application Throughput (kbps)" as the Field.
Using the peak RLC throughput, the BLER, the HSDPA service scaling factor, and the throughput offset, Atoll
calculates the application throughput. The application throughput represents the net throughput without
coding (redundancy, overhead, addressing, etc.).
In order to be covered, VBR service users have to obtain an HSDPA bearer with a peak RLC throughput exceeding
their minimum throughput demands. When the peak RLC throughput of the best HSDPA bearer exceeds the user
maximum throughput demand, the HSDPA bearer is downgraded until the peak RLC throughput is lower than the
maximum throughput demand.
MC-HSPA users with VBR services are not covered if they cannot obtain the minimum throughput demand on their
best carrier.
Atoll can consider several HSDPA bearer users per pixel. When the coverage prediction is not based on a simula-
tion, this value is taken from the cell properties. Atoll considers the defined number of HSDPA bearer users on
each pixel and determines the best HSDPA bearer that each user can obtain. The coverage prediction results dis-
played are the average results for one user. The available HSDPA power of the cell is shared between the HSDPA
bearer users. If you are modelling a single-band or DB-MC-HSPA user (where n is the number of cells to which the
user is connected), the following throughputs are calculated for the n best carriers.
You can display the following results:
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The average effective MAC throughput per user relative to the threshold: Select "Effective MAC Throughput
per User (kbps)" as the Field. Atoll calculates the average MAC throughput per user from the from the MAC
throughput of each user.
The average effective RLC throughput per user relative to the threshold: Select "Effective RLC Throughput
per User (kbps)" as the Field. Atoll calculates the average RLC throughput per user from the RLC throughput
of each user.
The average application throughput per user relative to the threshold: Select "Application Throughput per
User (kbps)" as the Field. Using the peak RLC throughput, the BLER, the HSDPA service scaling factor, and the
throughput offset, Atoll calculates the average application throughput per user from the application through-
put of each user.
If you have selected an HSDPA radio bearer index as the HSDPA Radio Bearer on the Conditions tab, you can display
the following results:
Where a certain peak RLC throughput is available with different cell edge coverage probabilities: On the Condi-
tions tab, do not take shadowing into consideration and select a specific HSDPA radio bearer index. On the Display
tab, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "Cell Edge Coverage Probability (%)" is selected by
default.
When no value is defined in the Cells table for the total transmitted power and the number of HSDPA bearer users,
Atoll uses the following default values:
Total transmitted power = 50% of the maximum power (i.e, 40 dBm if the maximum power is set to 43 dBm)
Number of HSDPA bearer users = 1
On the other hand, no default value is used for the available HSDPA power; this parameter must be defined by the
user.
For information on selecting the best bearer, see the Technical Reference Guide. For information on defining display
properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
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You must select a Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 241. For an HSUPA coverage predic-
tion, under Terminal, you must chose an HSUPA-capable terminal and, under Service, you must chose a service with
HSUPA.
You must also select the network Layer or Carrier to be considered for the determination of best servers. Otherwise,
you can calculate the prediction for all layers or carriers.
You can set the following parameters:
To model a DC-HSPA user: Select a DC-HSPA capable terminal as the Terminal and a BE or VBR Service with HSPA.
To model a MC-HSPA user: Select a MC-HSPA capable terminal as the Terminal and a BE or VBR Service with HSPA.
To model a DB-MC-HSPA user: Select a DB-MC-HSPA capable terminal as the Terminal, a BE or VBR Service with
HSPA.
For these configurations, selecting one specific carrier or one layer associated with one unique carrier is not suitable.
To display the global throughput, you have to select several carriers ("Best HSPA (All/Specific band)" as the carrier) or
layers associated with several carriers.
HSUPA Resources: Atoll can calculate the HSUPA coverage prediction in one of two ways:
For a single user: After allocating capacity to all R99 users, the entire remaining load will be allocated to a single
HSUPA bearer user.
Shared by HSUPA users defined or calculated per cell: After allocating capacity to all R99 users, the remaining
load of the cell will be shared equally between all the HSUPA bearer users. When the coverage prediction is not
based on a simulation, the number of HSUPA bearer users is taken from the cell properties. The displayed results
of the coverage prediction will be for one user.
If you want the coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account check
box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
When no value is defined in the Cells table, Atoll uses the following default values for input parameters:
Uplink load factor = 50%
Uplink reuse factor = 1
Uplink load factor due to HSUPA = 0%
Maximum uplink load factor = 75%
Number of HSUPA users = 1
5. Click the Display tab to specify the display parameters of the prediction as described in "UMTS Prediction Properties"
on page 538. You can set parameters to display the following results:
The required E-DPDCH EcNt relative to the threshold: Select "Required E-DPDCH EcNt (dB)" as the Field. Atoll
selects the best HSUPA bearer whose required E-DPDCH EcNt does not exceed the maximum E-DPDCH EcNt
allowed. The required E-DPDCH EcNt is a property of the selected HSUPA bearer.
The power required for the selected terminal relative to the threshold: Select "Required Terminal Power (dBm)"
as the Field. Atoll calculates the required terminal power from the required E-DPDCH EcNt.
The peak MAC Throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Peak MAC Throughput (kbps)" as the Field. Atoll cal-
culates the peak MAC throughput from the transport block size of the selected HSUPA bearer.
The peak RLC throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Peak RLC Throughput (kbps)" as the Field. Atoll dis-
plays the peak RLC throughput that the selected HSUPA bearer can supply. The peak RLC throughput is a property
of the HSUPA bearer.
The guaranteed RLC throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Min RLC Throughput (kbps)" as the Field.
The average RLC throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Average RLC Throughput (kbps)" as the Field. Atoll
calculates the average RLC throughput on the uplink using the early termination probabilities, defined in the ter-
minals reception equipment, to model HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request).
The application throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Application Throughput (kbps)" as the Field. Using
the peak RLC throughput, the BLER, the HSUPA service scaling factor, and the throughput offset, Atoll calculates
the application throughput. The application throughput represents the net throughput without coding (redun-
dancy, overhead, addressing, etc.).
The average application throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Average Application Throughput (kbps)" as
the Field. Atoll calculates the average application throughput on the uplink using the early termination probabil-
ities, defined in the terminals reception equipment, to model HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request).
To be connected to two carriers in the uplink, DC-HSPA, MC-HSPA and DB-MC-HSPA users must first initiate a connec-
tion to several carriers in the downlink. The best carrier is the one selected in the downlink. The secondary carrier
belongs to the same transmitter; it is the second best carrier among the adjacent carriers selected in the downlink. All
selected carriers are taken into consideration to calculate the throughputs.
In order to be covered, VBR users have to obtain an HSUPA bearer with a peak RLC throughput exceeding their mini-
mum throughput demands. When the peak RLC throughput of the best HSUPA bearer exceeds the user maximum
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throughput demand, the HSUPA bearer is downgraded until the peak RLC throughput is lower than the maximum
throughput demand.
DC-HSPA, MC-HSPA and DB-MC-HSPA users with VBR services are not covered if they cannot obtain the minimum
throughput demand on their best carrier.
For information on selecting the best bearer, see the Technical Reference Guide. For information on defining display
properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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On the map, the pointer changes ( ) to represent the receiver. You can move the receiver to change the current
position or right-click the receiver to choose one of the following commands from the context menu:
Coordinates: Select Coordinates to change the receiver position by entering new XY coordinates.
Target Site: Select a site from the list to place the receiver directly on a site.
2. At the top of the Point Analysis window, select the Reception view (see Figure 8.7).
The predicted signal level from the transmitters is reported in the Reception view in the form of a bar chart, from the
highest predicted signal level on the top to the lowest one on the bottom. The name of the transmitter is followed by
the carrier number (between parentheses). Each bar is displayed in the colour of the transmitter it represents. In the
map window, arrows from the pointer to each transmitter are displayed in the colour of the transmitters they repre-
sent. A thick black line from the pointer to its best server is also displayed in the map window. The best server of the
pointer is the transmitter from which the pointer receives the highest signal level. If you let the pointer rest, the signal
level received from the corresponding transmitter at the pointer location is displayed in the tip text.
3. At the top of the Reception view, select the carrier to be analysed. You can make the prediction for a specific carrier,
or select "Best (All Bands)" to consider the best carrier of all bands.
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4. At the top of the Reception view, you can click one of the following buttons:
Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculation Options dialog box. You can change the following:
Change the X and Y coordinates to change the present position of the receiver.
Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell Edge Coverage Probability.
You can select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency
per clutter class.
Click the Copy button ( ) to copy the Reception view. You can then paste the contents of the Reception view
as a graphic into a graphic editing or word-processing programme.
Click the Print button ( ) to print the Reception view.
If you wish to get the details about the received signal levels and quality in the form of a table, you can use the Details view
of the Point Analysis tool (see "Obtaining Numerical Values of Signal Levels and Signal Quality" on page 559).
You can display a point analysis that uses the settings from an existing prediction by
right-clicking the prediction in the Network explorer and selecting Point Analysis from
the context menu.
On the map, the pointer changes ( ) to represent the receiver. You can move the receiver to change the current
position or right-click the receiver to choose one of the following commands from the context menu:
Coordinates: Select Coordinates to change the receiver position by entering new XY coordinates.
Target Site: Select a site from the list to place the receiver directly on a site.
2. Select the AS Analysis view at the top of the Point Analysis window.
3. At the top of the AS Analysis view, select "Cells Table" from Load conditions.
4. If you are making an AS analysis to verify a coverage prediction, you can recreate the conditions of the coverage pre-
diction:
a. Select the Layer or Carrier to be considered for the determination of best servers. Otherwise, you can make the
AS analysis for all layers or carriers.
b. Select the same Terminal, Service, and Mobility studied in the coverage prediction.
c. Select the Bearer downgrading check box if bearer downgrading was selected in the coverage prediction. When
downgrading is enabled and if the selected service supports bearer downgrading, Atoll will consider only the low-
est radio bearer.
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d. Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculation Options dialog box.
Change the X and Y coordinates to change the present position of the receiver.
Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell Edge Coverage Probability.
Select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter
class.
e. Click OK to close the Calculation Options dialog box.
5. Move the pointer over the map to make an active set analysis for the current location of the pointer.
As you move the pointer, Atoll indicates on the map which is the best server for the current position (see Figure 8.8).
Information on the current position is given on the AS Analysis view of the Point Analysis window. See Figure 8.9 for
an explanation of the displayed information.
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7. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar again to end the point analysis.
You can display a point analysis that uses the settings from an existing prediction by
right-clicking the prediction in the Network explorer and selecting Point Analysis from
the context menu.
On the map, the pointer changes ( ) to represent the receiver. You can move the receiver to change the current
position or right-click the receiver to choose one of the following commands from the context menu:
Coordinates: Select Coordinates to change the receiver position by entering new XY coordinates.
Target Site: Select a site from the list to place the receiver directly on a site.
2. Select the Details view.
3. At the top of the Details view, select "Cells table" from Load.
4. If you are making a detailed analysis to verify a coverage prediction, you can recreate the conditions of the coverage
prediction:
a. Select the same Terminal, Mobility, and Service studied in the coverage prediction.
b. Select the Layer or Carrier to be considered for the determination of best servers. Otherwise, you can make the
analysis for all layers or carriers.
c. Click the Options button ( ) in the Details view toolbar. The Calculation Options dialog box appears.
Edit the X and Y coordinates to change the present position of the receiver.
Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
Select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter
class.
d. Click OK to close the Calculation Options dialog box.
5. Move the pointer over the map to make a detailed analysis for the current location of the pointer.
The Details view displays the following information in the form of a table:
Transmitter: The name of the transmitter from which the received signal levels are displayed. The cells are listed
in decreasing order of RSCP.
Distance (m): The distance from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
Scrambling Code: The scrambling code of the transmitter.
Path Loss (dB): The path loss from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
RSCP (dBm): The received pilot signal level from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
Ec/Io (dB): The Ec/Io from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
Eb/Nt DL (dB): The downlink Eb/Nt from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
Eb/Nt UL (dB): The uplink Eb/Nt from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
6. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar again to end the point analysis.
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The General tab allows you to specify the following settings for the multi-point analysis:
Name: Specify the assigned Name of the coverage prediction.
Comments: Specify an optional description of comment for the prediction.
The load condition parameters on the Conditions tab allow you to define the signals that will be considered for each pixel.
Load conditions: Select "(Cells table)" to calculate the multi-point analysis using the load conditions defined in the
cells table. Select a simulation or a group of simulations to calculate the multi-point analysis using the load conditions
calculated by Monte Carlo simulations.
Carrier: Select the carriers for which you want to run the analysis or select "Best." The best carrier depends on the cell
selection method.
Shadowing taken into account: Select this option to consider shadowing in the prediction. For more information, see
"Modelling Shadowing" on page 625. If you select this option, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability.
Indoor coverage: Select this option to consider indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter class.
Bearer Downgrading: Select this check box if you want to permit bearer downgrading.
The Points tab displays a table containing each point of the point-analysis. You can use this table to import and create points
or to export a list of points.
Position Id: The indexes of the points used for the multi-point analysis.
X and Y: The coordinates of the points used for the multi-point analysis.
Height (m): The height of the points used for the multi-point analysis.
Service: The services assigned to the points used for the multi-point analysis.
Terminal: The terminals assigned to the points used for the multi-point analysis.
Mobility: The mobility types assigned to the points used for the multi-point analysis.
On the Display tab, you can modify how the results of the coverage prediction will be displayed. For information on changing
display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
If you change the display properties of a multi-point analysis after you have calculated it,
you can make the analysis invalid. You will then have to recalculate the multi-point analysis
to obtain valid results.
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The list of points must have the same coordinate system as the display coordinate system
used in the Atoll document. For more information on coordinate systems, see "Setting a
Coordinate System" on page 41.
Create points in the list by editing the table. You can add new points by clicking the New Row icon ( ) and
entering X and Y coordinates as well as a service, a terminal, and a mobility.
4. On the Display tab, specify how to display multi-point analysis results on the map according to any input or calculated
parameter. For more information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on
page 51.
5. Once you have defined the multi-point analysis parameters, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and
calculate it later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the multi-point analysis and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the multi-point analysis without calculating it. You can calculate it later by opening the multi-
point analysis properties and clicking the Calculate button.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the multi-point analysis, the results are displayed in the map window. You can also access
the analysis results in a table format. For more information, see "Accessing Multi-point Analysis Results" on page 561.
You can also organise multi-point analyses in folders under the Multi-point Analysis folder by creating folders under the
Multi-point Analysis folder in the Network explorer. Folders may contain one or more multi-point analyses items. You can
move multi-point analyses items from one folder to another and rename folders.
You can also export the list of point from a multi-point analysis to ASCII text files (TXT and
CSV formats) and MS Excel XML Spreadsheet files (XML format) by selecting Actions >
Export Table. For more information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text
Files and Spreadsheets" on page 85.
2. Move the mouse over the map window and click once to create each point you want to add.
3. Press ESC or click the Pointer button ( ) in the Map toolbar to finish adding points.
To place points more accurately, before clicking the map, you can zoom in on the map. For
information on using the zooming tools, see "Changing the Map Scale" on page 60.
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You can also export the multi-point analysis results table to ASCII text files (TXT and CSV
formats) and MS Excel XML Spreadsheet files (XML format) by selecting Actions > Export.
For more information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and
Spreadsheets" on page 85.
2. Click Close.
Figure 8.10: UMTS intra-carrier handover area between reference cell and potential neighbour
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Figure 8.11: UMTS inter-carrier handover area between reference cell and potential neighbour
In this section, only the concepts that are specific to automatic neighbour allocation in UMTS networks are explained.
"Coverage Conditions" on page 563
"Calculation Constraints" on page 564
"Reasons for Allocation" on page 564
For more information on neighbour planning, see "Neighbour Planning" on page 223
Resolution: Enter the resolution to be used to calculate cells coverage areas during automatic neighbour alloca-
tion.
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Global min RSCP: Enter the minimum RSCP to be provided by the reference cell and the potential neighbour. Atoll
uses the highest value between the Global min RSCP and the following:
If Global min RSCP is not defined, Atoll uses the Min RSCP in individual cells properties
If Global min RSCP is not defined and no Min RSCP is available in a cells properties, Atoll uses the Default min
Pilot RSCP threshold defined on the Calculation Parameters tab of the Network Settings Properties dialog
box.
Min EcIo: Enter the minimum EcIo which must be provided by reference cell A in an overlapping area. Reference
cell A must also be the best server in terms of pilot quality in the overlapping area.
Handover margin: Enter the maximum difference of EcIo between reference cell A and potential neighbour cell B
in the overlapping area. You can select whether Atoll should use a Global value of the handover margin for all
cells, or the handover margins Defined per cell.
DL load contributing to Io: You can select whether Atoll should use a Global value (% Pmax) of the downlink load
for all the cells, or the downlink loads Defined per cell.
Shadowing Taken into Account: If selected, enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
Indoor Coverage: Select this check box to take indoor losses into account in calculations. Indoor losses are defined
per frequency per clutter class.
The neighbour relation fulfils the defined coverage Use coverage conditions is selected
Coverage
conditions and nothing is selected under Force
The neighbour is located on the same site as the Use coverage conditions
Co-Site
reference cell and Co-site cells as neighbours is selected
The neighbour relation between the reference cell Use coverage conditions is selected
Symmetry
and the neighbour is symmetrical and Symmetric relations is selected
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For example, the hexadecimal value "3Fh" would be calculated as shown below:
2
0 16 + 3 16 + 15 = 63
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2. In the row marked with the New Row icon ( ), select one cell of the new exceptional pair in the Cell column and
the second cell of the new exceptional pair from the Cell_2 column.
3. Click in another cell of the table to create the new exceptional pair and add a new blank row to the table.
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Atoll can take into account inter-technology neighbour relations as constraints when allo-
cating scrambling codes to the UMTS neighbours of a GSM transmitter. In order to
consider inter-technology neighbour relations in scrambling code allocation, you must
make the Transmitters folder of the GSM Atoll document accessible in the UMTS Atoll
document. For information on making links between GSM and UMTS Atoll documents, see
"Creating a UMTS Sector From a Sector in the Other Network" on page 611
Additional Overlapping Conditions: Select the Additional Overlapping Conditions check box, if you want to
set overlapping coverage criteria. If cells meet the overlapping conditions to enter the reference cells active
set, they will be not allocated the same scrambling code as the reference cell. Click Define to change the over-
lapping conditions. In the Coverage Conditions dialog box, you can change the following parameters:
Min. Pilot Signal Level: Enter the minimum pilot signal level which must be provided by reference cell A and
possible neighbour cell B.
Min. EcI0: Enter the minimum EcI0 which must be provided by reference cell A in an area with overlapping
coverage. Reference cell A must also be the best server in terms of pilot quality in the area with overlapping
coverage.
EcI0 Margin: Enter the maximum difference of EcI0 between reference cell A and possible neighbour cell B
in the area with overlapping coverage.
DL Load Contributing to I0: You can let Atoll base the interference ratio on the total power used as defined in
the properties for each cell (Defined per Cell) or on a percentage of the maximum power (Global Value).
Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell
Edge Coverage Probability.
Indoor Coverage: Select the Indoor Coverage check box if you want to use indoor losses in the calculations.
Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter class.
Reuse Distance: Select the Reuse Distance check box, if you want to the automatic allocation process to con-
sider the reuse distance constraint. Enter the Default reuse distance within which two cells on the same carrier
cannot have the same primary scrambling code.
A reuse distance can be defined at the cell level (in the cell Properties dialog box or in the
Cells table). If defined, a cell-specific reuse distance will be used instead of the value
entered here.
Exceptional Pairs: Select the Exceptional Pairs check box, if you want to the automatic allocation process to
consider the exceptional pair constraints.
From the Strategy list, you can select an automatic allocation strategy:
Clustered
Distributed per Cell
One Cluster per Site
Distributed per Site
Carrier: Select the Carrier on which you want to run the allocation. You may choose one carrier (Atoll will assign
primary scrambling codes to transmitters using the selected carrier) or all of them.
No. of Codes per Cluster: According to 3GPP specifications, the number of codes per cluster is 8. If you want, you
can change the number of codes per cluster.
When the allocation is based on a distributed strategy (Distributed per Cell or Distributed per Site), this parame-
ter can also be used to define the interval between the primary scrambling codes assigned to cells on a same site.
The defined interval is applied by setting an option in the Atoll.ini file. For more information about setting options
in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
Use a Max of Codes: Select the Use a Max of Codes check box to make Atoll use the maximum number of codes.
For example, if there are two cells using the same domain with two scrambling codes, Atoll will assign the
remaining code to the second cell even if there are no constraints between these two cells (for example, neigh-
bour relations, reuse distance, etc.). If you do not select this option, Atoll only checks the constraints, and allocates
the first ranked code in the list.
Delete Existing Codes: Select the Delete Existing Codes check box if you want Atoll to delete currently allocated
scrambling codes and recalculate all scrambling codes. If you do not select this option, Atoll will keep currently
allocated scrambling codes and will only allocate scrambling codes to cells that do not yet have codes allocated.
Allocate Carriers Identically: Select the Allocate Carriers Identically check box if you want Atoll to allocate the
same primary scrambling code to each carrier of a transmitter. If you do not select this option, Atoll allocates
scrambling codes independently for each carrier.
4. Click Calculate. Atoll begins the process of allocating scrambling codes.
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Once Atoll has finished allocating scrambling codes, the codes are visible under Results. Atoll only displays newly allo-
cated scrambling codes.
The Results table contains the following information.
Site: The name of the base station.
Cell: The name of the cell.
Code: The primary scrambling code proposed for allocation to the cell.
Cluster: The cluster to which the new scrambling code belongs.
Initial Code: The primary scrambling code initially allocated to the cell.
5. Click Commit. The primary scrambling codes are committed to the cells.
You can save automatic scrambling code allocation parameters in a user configuration. For
information on saving automatic scrambling code allocation parameters in a user configu-
ration, see "Saving a User Configuration" on page 102.
If you need to allocate scrambling codes to the cells on a single transmitter, you can allo-
cate them automatically by selecting Allocate Scrambling Codes from the transmitters
context menu.
If you need to allocate scrambling codes to all the cells on group of transmitters, you can
allocate them automatically by selecting Primary Scrambling Codes > Automatic Alloca-
tion from the transmitter groups context menu.
Transmitters and cells involved in a scrambling code collision are not necessarily
located inside the Focus Zone or Computation Zone, when any is defined.
It is highly recommended to run scrambling code audits on a regular basis.
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Neighbours: Select this box to check scrambling code constraints between cells and their neighbours and then
choose the neighbourhood level to take into account:
First Order: Atoll will check that no cell has the same scrambling code as any of its neighbours.
Second Order: Atoll will check that no cell has the same scrambling code as any of its neighbours or any of the
neighbours of its neighbours.
Third Order: Atoll will check that no cell has the same scrambling code as any of its neighbours or any of the
neighbours of its neighbours or any of the neighbours of its second order neighbours.
The report will list the cells and the neighbours that do not meet any of these constraints. In addition, it will indi-
cate the allocated primary scrambling code and the neighbourhood level.
Neighbours in Different Clusters: Select this box to check that neighbour cells have scrambling codes from dif-
ferent clusters. The report will list any neighbour cells that do have scrambling codes from the same cluster.
Domain Compliance: Select this box to check if allocated scrambling codes belong to domains assigned to cells.
The report will list any cells with scrambling codes that do not belong to domains assigned to the cell.
Site Domains Not Empty: Select this box to check for and list base stations for which the allocation domain (i.e.,
the list of possible scrambling codes) is not consistent with the "One cluster per site" strategy. If there is a base
station with N cells, Atoll will check that the domains assigned to the cells contain at least one cluster consisting
of N codes. If you plan to automatically allocate scrambling codes using the "One Cluster per Site" strategy, you
can perform this test beforehand to check the consistency of domains assigned to cells of each base station.
One Cluster per Site: Select this box to check for and list base stations whose cells have scrambling codes coming
from more than one cluster.
Distance: Select this box and set a reuse distance to check for and list the cell pairs that do not respect the reuse
distance condition. For any cell pair, Atoll uses the lowest of the reuse distance values defined in the properties
of the two cells and the value that you set in the Code and Cluster Audit dialog box. Cell pairs that do not respect
the reuse distance condition are listed in increasing order of the distance between them. The primary scrambling
code and the reuse distance are also listed for each cell pair.
Exceptional Pairs: Select this box to check for and display pairs of cells that are listed as exceptional pairs but still
use the same scrambling code.
5. Click OK. Atoll displays the results of the audit in a text file called CodeCheck.txt, which it opens at the end of the audit.
For each selected criterion, Atoll gives the number of detected inconsistencies and details each of them.
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7. Click to add the parameter to the Grouping Fields list. The selected parameter is added to the list of parameters
on which the transmitters will be grouped.
8. If you do not want the transmitters to be sorted by a certain parameter, select it in the Grouping Fields list and click
. The selected parameter is removed from the list of parameters on which the transmitters will be grouped.
9. Arrange the parameters in the Grouping Fields list in the order in which you want the transmitters to be grouped:
If a transmitter has more than one cell, Atoll cannot arrange the transmitter by cell. Trans-
mitters that cannot be grouped by cell are arranged in a separate folder under the Trans-
mitters folder.
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A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the <GUID> and </GUID> tags in the following files:
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion was saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
"<prediction_name>.XML" files (one per prediction) created in the following folder
if coverage predictions were calculated with Display type = "Value intervals":
C:\<path_to_doc>\<doc_name>.studies\{<Unique_ID>}
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. You can also display
the results grouped in the Network explorer by one or more characteristics by clicking the Group By button, or you
can display the results sorted by clicking the Sort button. For information on filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98;
for information on grouping, see "Advanced Grouping of Data Objects" on page 95; for information on sorting, see
"Advanced Sorting" on page 97.
6. Click the Conditions tab. Select "(Cells Table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going
to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the UL load
factor and the DL total power defined in the cell properties.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
You must select a Terminal, Service, and Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 241. You must
also select which Carrier is to be considered.
If you want the scrambling code collision zone prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken
into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
7. Click the Display tab.
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For a scrambling code collision zone prediction, the Display Type "Discrete Values" based on the Field "Transmitter"
is selected by default. Each pixel where there is scrambling code collision is displayed with the same colour as that
defined for the interfered transmitter. In the explorer window, the coverage prediction results are first arranged by
interfered transmitter and then by interferer. For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display
Properties of Objects" on page 51.
You can also set parameters to display the following results:
The number of interferers for each transmitter: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "No. of Inter-
ferers per Transmitter" as the Field. In the explorer window, the coverage prediction results are arranged by inter-
fered transmitter.
The total number of interferers on one pixel: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "No. of Interferers"
as the Field. In the explorer window, the coverage prediction results are arranged according to the number of
interferers.
8. Click the Calculate button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar to calculate the scrambling code collision zone predic-
tion. The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
1. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the toolbar. The Point Analysis window appears.
2. At the top of the Point Analysis window, select the SC Collisions view.
3. At the top of the SC Collisions view, select "Cells Table" from Load conditions.
4. If you are making a scrambling code collision analysis to verify a coverage prediction, you can recreate the conditions
of the coverage prediction:
a. Select the same Terminal, Service, and Mobility studied in the coverage prediction.
b. Select the Carrier studied in the coverage prediction.
c. Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculation Options dialog box. You can change the following:
Change the X and Y coordinates to change the present position of the receiver.
Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell Edge Coverage Probability, and, select
"EcI0" from the Shadowing Margin list.
Select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter
class.
d. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box.
If you are making a scrambling code collision analysis to make a prediction on a defined
point, you can use the instructions in this step to define a user.
5. Move the pointer over the map to make a scrambling code collision analysis for the current location of the pointer.
6. Click the map to leave the point analysis pointer at its current position.
To move the pointer again, click the point analysis pointer on the map and drag it to a new position.
7. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the toolbar again to end the point analysis.
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scheduling for HSUPA bearer users. The power control simulation algorithm is described in "The Power Control Simu-
lation Algorithm" on page 575.
This section explains the specific mechanisms that are used to calculate UMTS traffic simulations. For information on working
with traffic simulations in Atoll, see "Simulations" on page 264
As shown in Figure 8.12, the simulation algorithm is divided in three parts. All users are evaluated by the R99 part of the algo-
rithm. HSDPA and HSPA users, unless they have been rejected during the R99 part of the algorithm, are then evaluated by the
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HSDPA part of the algorithm. Finally, HSPA users, unless they have been rejected during the R99 or HSDPA parts of the algo-
rithm, are then evaluated by the HSUPA part of the algorithm.
In the HSDPA portion of the Monte Carlo simulation, Atoll processes MC-HSPA users as DC-
HSPA users if they are connected to more than two carriers. Otherwise, they are consid-
ered as single-cell HSPA users.
On the same hand, a DB-MC-HSPA user will be managed:
Either as a single-cell HSPA user if the best carrier and all the other carriers to
which he is connected are on two different frequency bands.
Or as a DC-HSPA user if the best carrier and at least one of the other carriers are in
the same frequency band.
In the HSUPA portion, Atoll processes all users as single-cell HSPA users.
Therefore, we will only differentiate single-cell and DC-HSPA users in the next sections.
The R99 part of the algorithm simulates power control, congestion and radio resource control performed for R99 bearers for
all users. Atoll considers each user in the order established during the generation of the user distribution and determines his
best server and his active set. Atoll first calculates the required terminal power in order to reach the EbNt threshold
requested by the R99 bearer on UL, followed by the required traffic channel power in order to reach the EbNt threshold
requested by the R99 bearer on DL. After calculating power control, Atoll updates the cell load parameters. Atoll then carries
out congestion and radio resource control, verifying the cell UL load, the total power transmitted by the cell, the number of
channel elements, the Iub throughput and OVSF codes consumed by the cell.
In DC-HSDPA, A-DPCH is only transmitted on one of the two carriers (called the anchor carrier). Therefore, DC-HSPA users
consume the same amount of R99 resources as single-cell HSDPA users. The R99 bearer is allocated to DC-HSPA users on their
best serving cell.
At this point, users can be either connected or rejected. They are rejected if:
The signal quality is not sufficient:
On the downlink, either the pilot signal level is lower than the defined minimum RSCP threshold or the pilot quality
is not high enough (no cell in the user active set): the status is "EcI0 < (EcI0)min"
On the downlink, the power required to reach the user is greater than the maximum allowed: the status is "Ptch >
PtchMax"
On the uplink, there is not enough power to transmit: the status is "Pmob > PmobMax"
Even if constraints above are respected, the network can be saturated:
The maximum uplink load factor is exceeded (at admission or congestion): the status is either "Admission Rejec-
tion" or "UL Load Saturation"
There are not enough channel elements on site: the status is "Ch. Elts Saturation"
The maximum Iub backhaul throughput on site is exceeded: the status is "Iub Throughput Saturation"
There is not enough power for cells: the status is "DL Load Saturation"
There are no more OVSF codes available: the status is "OVSF Code Saturation"
In the HSDPA part, Atoll processes HSDPA and HSPA users. The HSDPA part of the algorithm simulates fast link adaptation,
the scheduling of HSDPA bearer users, and radio resource control on downlink.
For DC-HSPA users, fast link adaptation is done once for each carrier. For a DC-HSPA user, the first carrier is the one selected
in the R99 part according to the carrier selection method chosen in the site equipment, and the second carrier is an adjacent
carrier that provides the best CQI. Therefore, DC-HSPA users have two HSDPA bearers (possibly different ones depending on
the available HSDPA power in each cell), and consume HSDPA resources in both cells. Their throughputs are the sum of the
throughputs provided by the two HSDPA bearers.
HSDPA bearer selection is based on look-up tables, available by double-clicking the corresponding entry in the Reception
Equipment table, found in the Terminals context menu. HSDPA bearer selection depends on reported CQI, UE and cell capa-
bilities as detailed in the following diagramme.
[
Figure 8.13: HSDPA bearer selection
The HSDPA and HS-SCCH powers of a cell are evaluated before calculating HS-PDSCH EcNt. The available HSDPA power (the
power dedicated to HS-SCCH and HS-PDSCH of HSDPA bearer users) of a cell can be either fixed (statically allocated) or dynam-
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ically allocated. If it is dynamically allocated, the power allocated to HSDPA depends on how much power is required to serve
R99 traffic. In other words, the power available after all common channels (including the power for downlink HSUPA channels)
and all R99 traffic have been served is allocated to HS-PDSCH and HS-SCCH of HSDPA bearer users. Similarly, the power per
HS-SCCH can be either fixed or dynamically allocated in order to attain the HS-SCCH EcNt threshold. Using the HS-SCCH and
HSDPA powers, Atoll evaluates the HS-PDSCH power (the difference between the available HSDPA power and the HS-SCCH
power), calculates the HS-PDSCH EcNt and, from that, the corresponding CQI (from the graph CQI=f(HS-PDSCH EcNt) defined
for the terminal reception equipment and the user mobility). Then, Atoll reads the best HSDPA bearer associated to this CQI
(i.e., it reads the Best Bearer=f(HS-PDSCH CQI) from the table defined for the terminal reception equipment and the user
mobility) and checks if it is compatible with the user equipment and cell capabilities. If compatible, Atoll selects the HSDPA
bearer. Otherwise, it downgrades the HSDPA bearer to a lower one until the selected HSDPA bearer is compatible with the
user equipment and cell capabilities. For BE service users, the selected HSDPA bearer is the best HSDPA bearer that the user
can obtain.
For VBR service users, Atoll downgrades the HSDPA bearer to a lower one if the associated peak RLC throughput exceeds the
maximum throughput demand defined for the service. Downgrading occurs until the peak RLC throughput of the selected
HSDPA bearer is lower than the maximum throughput demand. Additionally, the selected HSDPA bearer must provide a peak
RLC throughput higher than the minimum throughput demand defined for the service.
For CBR service users, HS-SCCH-less operation (i.e., HS-DSCH transmissions without any accompanying HS-SCCH) is
performed. In this case, the UE is not informed about the transmission format and has to revert to blind decoding of the trans-
port format used on the HS-DSCH. Complexity of blind detections in the UE is decreased by limiting the transmission formats
that can be used (i.e., the HSDPA bearers available). Therefore, only HSDPA bearers using QPSK modulation and a maximum
of two HS-PDSCH channels can be selected and allocated to the user. Additionally, the selected HSDPA bearer must provide a
peak RLC throughput higher than the minimum throughput demand defined for the service.
Two CQI values are calculated for DC-HSPA users, one for each carrier, and two HSDPA bearers are determined.
CBR service users have the highest priority and are processed first, in the order established during the generation of the user
distribution. The scheduler manages the maximum number of users within each cell and shares the cells available HSDPA
power between the users. Atoll determines the HSDPA bearer for each user. The selected HSDPA bearer must provide a peak
RLC throughput higher than the minimum throughput demand defined for the service. To achieve the highest cell capacity,
the scheduler can hold several packets over a TTI (Transmission Time Interval). Atoll models this "intelligent scheduling" by
allowing several CBR service users to share the same HSDPA bearer. Then, Atoll calculates the HSDPA bearer consumption for
each user and takes into account this parameter when it determines the resources consumed by the user (i.e., the HSDPA
power used, the number of OVSF codes, and the Iub backhaul throughput). Atoll checks if enough codes and Iub backhaul
throughput are available for the user (taking into account the maximum number of OVSF codes defined for the cell and the
maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the downlink). If not, Atoll allocates a lower HSDPA bearer ("down-
grading") which needs fewer OVSF codes and consumes lower Iub backhaul throughput. If no OVSF codes are available, the
user is rejected. At the same time, if the maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the downlink is still
exceeded, the user is rejected.
At this point, CBR service users can be connected or rejected. They are rejected if:
The maximum number of HSDPA bearer users per cell is exceeded: the status is "HSDPA Scheduler Saturation"
The lowest HSDPA bearer they can obtain does not provide a peak RLC throughput higher than the minimum
throughput demand: the status is "HSDPA Resource Saturation"
The HS-SCCH signal quality is not sufficient: the status is "HSDPA Resource Saturation"
There are no more OVSF codes available: the status is "HSDPA Resource Saturation"
The maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the downlink is exceeded: the status is "HSDPA Resource
Saturation"
After processing the CBR service users, Atoll processes the remaining HSDPA bearer users (i.e., HSDPA VBR and BE service
users, and HSPA VBR and BE service users), without exceeding the maximum number of users within each cell.
VBR service users have the highest priority and are managed before BE service users. For each type of service, the scheduler
ranks the users according to the selected scheduling technique:
Max C/I: "n" users (where "n" corresponds to the maximum number of HSDPA bearer users defined for the cell minus
the number of CBR service users in the cell) are scheduled in the same order as in the simulation (i.e., in random
order). Then, they are sorted in descending order by the channel quality indicator (CQI).
Round Robin: Users are scheduled in the same order as in the simulation (i.e., in random order).
Proportional Fair: "n" users (where "n" corresponds to the maximum number of HSDPA bearer users defined for the
cell minus the number of CBR service users in the cell) are scheduled in the same order as in the simulation (i.e., in
random order). Then, they are sorted in descending order according to a random parameter which corresponds to a
combination of the user rank in the simulation and the channel quality indicator (CQI).
Then, users are processed in the order defined by the scheduler and the remaining cells HSDPA power (i.e., the HSDPA power
available after all CBR service users have been served) is shared between them. Atoll checks if enough codes and Iub backhaul
throughput are available for the user (taking into account the maximum number of OVSF codes defined for the cell and the
maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the downlink). If not, Atoll allocates a lower HSDPA bearer ("down-
grading") which needs fewer OVSF codes and consumes lower Iub backhaul throughput.
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For VBR services, if no OVSF codes are available, the user is rejected. At the same time, if the maximum Iub backhaul through-
put allowed on the site in the downlink is still exceeded, the user is rejected.
At this point, VBR service users can be connected or rejected. They are rejected if:
The maximum number of HSDPA bearer users per cell is exceeded: the status is "HSDPA Scheduler Saturation"
The lowest HSDPA bearer they can obtain does not provide a peak RLC throughput higher than the minimum
throughput demand: the status is "HSDPA Resource Saturation"
There are no more HS-SCCH channels available: the status is "HS-SCCH Channels Saturation"
The HS-SCCH signal quality is not sufficient: the status is "HSDPA Resource Saturation"
There are no more OVSF codes available: the status is "HSDPA Resource Saturation"
The maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the downlink is exceeded: the status is "HSDPA Resource
Saturation"
For BE services, if no OVSF codes are available, the user is delayed. At the same time, if the maximum Iub backhaul throughput
allowed on the site in the downlink is still exceeded even by using the lowest HSDPA bearer, the user is delayed.
At this point, BE service users can be connected, rejected, or delayed. They are rejected if the maximum number of HSDPA
bearer users per cell is exceeded (status is "HSDPA Scheduler Saturation") and delayed if:
They cannot obtain the lower HSDPA bearer: the status is "No Compatible Bearer"
The HS-SCCH signal quality is not sufficient: the status is "HSDPA Power Saturation"
There are no more HS-SCCH channels available: the status is "HS-SCCH Channels Saturation"
There are no more OVSF codes available: the status is "OVSF Code Saturation"
The maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the downlink is exceeded: the status is "Iub Throughput
Saturation"
In the HSUPA part, Atoll processes HSPA users who are connected to an HSDPA bearer or were delayed in the previous step.
It manages the maximum number of users within each cell. CBR service users have the highest priority and are processed first,
in the order established during the generation of the user distribution. Then, Atoll considers VBR service users in the order
established during the generation of the user distribution and lastly, it processes BE service users in the order established
during the generation of the user distribution. The HSUPA part of the algorithm simulates an admission control on the HSUPA
bearer users followed by noise rise scheduling and radio resource control.
Atoll first selects a list of HSUPA bearers that are compatible with the user equipment capabilities for each HSUPA bearer user.
For CBR service users, the list is restricted to HSUPA bearers that provide a peak RLC throughput higher than the minimum
throughput demand. Then, during admission control, Atoll checks that the lowest compatible bearer in terms of the required
E-DPDCH EcNt does not require a terminal power higher than the maximum terminal power allowed.
Then, Atoll performs the noise rise scheduling on CBR service users, followed by a radio resource control. The noise rise sched-
uling algorithm attempts to evenly share the remaining cell load between the users admitted in admission control; in terms
of HSUPA, each user is allocated a right to produce interference. The remaining cell load factor on uplink depends on the maxi-
mum load factor allowed on uplink and how much uplink load is produced by the served R99 traffic. From this value, Atoll
calculates the maximum E-DPDCH EcNt allowed and can select an HSUPA bearer. The HSUPA bearer is selected based on the
values in a look-up table, and depends on the maximum E-DPDCH EcNt allowed and on UE capabilities.
You can open the HSUPA Bearer Selection table by clicking the Expand button ( ) to
expand the UMTS Network Settings folder in the Parameters explorer, and then right-
clicking the Reception Equipment folder and selecting Open Table from the context menu.
Atoll selects the best HSUPA bearer from the HSUPA compatible bearers, in other words, the HSUPA bearer with the highest
potential throughput where the required E-DPDCH Ec/Nt is lower than the maximum E-DPDCH EcNt allowed and the required
terminal power is lower than the maximum terminal power. In this section, the potential throughput refers to the ratio
between the peak RLC throughput and the number of retransmissions. When several HSUPA bearers are available, Atoll
selects the one with the lowest required E-DPDCH EcNt.
Several CBR service users can share the same HSUPA bearer. Atoll calculates the HSUPA bearer consumption for each user
and takes into account this parameter when it determines the resources consumed by each user (i.e., the terminal power
used, the number of channel elements and the Iub backhaul throughput).
Finally, Atoll carries out radio resource control on CBR service users. Atoll checks to see if enough channel elements and Iub
backhaul throughput are available for the HSUPA bearer assigned to the user (taking into account the maximum number of
channel elements defined for the site and the maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the uplink). If not,
Atoll allocates a lower HSUPA bearer ("downgrading") which needs fewer channel elements and consumes lower Iub backhaul
throughput. If no channel elements are available, the user is rejected. On the same hand, if the maximum Iub backhaul
throughput allowed on the site in the uplink is still exceeded even by using the lowest HSUPA bearer, the user is rejected.
At this point, CBR service users can be either connected, or rejected. They are rejected if:
The maximum number of HSUPA bearer users per cell is exceeded: the status is "HSUPA Scheduler Saturation".
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The terminal power required to obtain the lowest compatible HSUPA bearer exceeds the maximum terminal power
in the admission control: the status is "Pmob > PmobMax".
The lowest compatible HSUPA bearer they can obtain does not provide a peak RLC throughput higher than the min-
imum throughput demand: the status is "HSUPA Admission Rejection".
There are no more channel elements available: the status is "Ch. Elts Saturation"
The maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the uplink is exceeded: the status is "Iub Throughput
Saturation".
Then, Atoll processes VBR service users. For these users, the list of compatible bearers is restricted to HSUPA bearers that
provide a peak RLC throughput between the maximum and the minimum throughput demands. Atoll performs a new noise
rise scheduling and distributes the remaining cell load factor available after all CBR service users have been served. From this
value, Atoll selects an HSUPA bearer for each VBR service user.
Finally, Atoll carries out radio resource control on VBR service users. Atoll checks to see if enough channel elements and Iub
backhaul throughput are available for the HSUPA bearer assigned to the user (taking into account the maximum number of
channel elements defined for the site and the maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the uplink). If not,
Atoll allocates a lower HSUPA bearer ("downgrading") which needs fewer channel elements and consumes lower Iub backhaul
throughput. If no channel elements are available, the user is rejected. On the same hand, if the maximum Iub backhaul
throughput allowed on the site in the uplink is still exceeded even by using the lowest HSUPA bearer, the user is rejected.
At this point, VBR service users can be either connected, or rejected. They are rejected if:
The maximum number of HSUPA bearer users per cell is exceeded: the status is "HSUPA Scheduler Saturation".
The terminal power required to obtain the lowest compatible HSUPA bearer exceeds the maximum terminal power
in the admission control: the status is "Pmob > PmobMax".
The lowest compatible HSUPA bearer they can obtain does not provide a peak RLC throughput higher than the min-
imum throughput demand: the status is "HSUPA Admission Rejection".
There are no more channel elements available: the status is "Ch. Elts Saturation".
The maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the uplink is exceeded: the status is "Iub Throughput
Saturation".
Then, Atoll processes BE service users. It performs a new noise rise scheduling and distributes the remaining cell load factor
available after all CBR and VBR service users have been served. From this value, Atoll selects an HSUPA bearer for each BE
service user. Then, Atoll checks that each BE service user has obtained the average requested throughput (defined in the
properties of the service).
Finally, Atoll carries out radio resource control, verifying whether enough channel elements and Iub backhaul throughput are
available for the HSUPA bearer assigned to the user (taking into account the maximum number of channel elements defined
for the site and the maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the uplink). If not, Atoll allocates a lower HSUPA
bearer ("downgrading") which needs fewer channel elements and consumes lower Iub backhaul throughput. If no channel
elements are available, the user is rejected. On the same hand, if the maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site
in the uplink is still exceeded even by using the lowest HSDPA bearer, the user is rejected.
At this point, BE service users can be either connected, or rejected. They are rejected if:
The maximum number of HSUPA bearer users per cell is exceeded: the status is "HSUPA Scheduler Saturation".
The terminal power required to obtain the lowest compatible HSUPA bearer exceeds the maximum terminal power
in the admission control: the status is "Pmob > PmobMax".
There are no more channel elements available: the status is "Ch. Elts Saturation"
The maximum Iub backhaul throughput allowed on the site in the uplink is exceeded: the status is "Iub Throughput
Saturation".
Bearer Downgrading
If you select the option "Bearer Downgrading," when creating a simulation, R99, HSDPA and HSUPA service users can be down-
graded under certain circumstances. When the downgrading is allowed, Atoll does not reject R99, HSDPA and HSPA users
directly; it downgrades them first.
The R99 to R99 bearer downgrading occurs when:
The cell resources are insufficient when the user is admitted
The maximum uplink load factor is exceeded
The cell resources are insufficient during congestion control
The maximum uplink load factor is exceeded
There is not enough power for cells
There are not enough channel elements on the site
The maximum Iub backhaul throughput on the site is exceeded
There are no more OVSF codes available
The user maximum connection power is exceeded during power control:
On the downlink, the maximum traffic channel power is exceeded
On the uplink, the maximum terminal power is exceeded
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For all these reasons, the users R99 bearer will be downgraded to another R99 bearer of the same type (same traffic class).
Upon admission and during power control, downgrading is only performed on the user who causes the problem. During
congestion control, the problem is at the cell level and therefore, downgrading is performed on several users according to
their service priority. Users with the lowest priority services will be the first to be downgraded.
If R99 bearer downgrading does not fix the problem, the user will be rejected.
For an HSDPA bearer user, downgrading is triggered upon admission (into the R99 portion) when the best serving cell does
not support HSDPA traffic. When this happens, the HSDPA bearer user will not be able to get an HSDPA bearer and will be
downgraded to an R99 bearer of the same type as the A-DPCH bearer and the user will be processed as an R99 user.
For an HSUPA bearer user, downgrading is triggered upon admission (into the R99 portion) when the best serving cell does
not support HSUPA traffic. When this happens, the HSUPA bearer user will not be able to get an HSUPA bearer and will be
downgraded to an R99 bearer of the same type as the E-DPCCH/A-DPCH bearer and the user will be processed as an R99 user.
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The Sites tab: The Sites tab contains the following information per site:
Max No. of DL and UL CEs: The maximum number of channel elements available on uplink and downlink for R99
bearers requested by the users.
No. of DL and UL CEs Used: The number of channel elements required on uplink and downlink for R99 bearers to
handle the traffic of current simulation.
No. of DL and UL CEs Due to SHO Overhead: The number of extra channel elements due to soft handover, on
uplink and downlink.
Carrier Selection: The carrier selection method defined on the site equipment.
Downlink and Uplink Overhead CEs/Cell: The overhead channel elements per cell on the downlink and on the
uplink, defined on the site equipment.
AS Restricted to Neighbours: Whether the active set is restricted to neighbours of the reference cell. This option
is selected on the site equipment.
Rake Factor: The rake factor, defined on the site equipment, enables Atoll to model a rake receiver on downlink.
MUD Factor: The multi-user detection factor, defined on the site equipment, is used to decrease intra-cell inter-
ference on uplink.
Compressed Mode: Whether compressed mode is supported. This option is defined on the site equipment.
Max Iub Downlink and Uplink Backhaul Throughput (kbps): The maximum Iub backhaul throughput in the down-
link and uplink.
Iub Downlink and Uplink Backhaul Throughput (kbps): The Iub backhaul throughput required on downlink and
uplink to handle the traffic of current simulation.
Overhead Iub Throughput (kbps): the Iub throughput required by the site for common channels in the downlink.
It corresponds to the overhead Iub throughput per cell (defined on the site equipment) multiplied by the number
of cells on the site.
HSDPA Iub Backhaul Overhead (%): This parameter is defined on the site equipment. It corresponds to the per-
centage of the HSDPA bearer peak RLC throughput to be added to the peak RLC throughput. The total value cor-
responds to the Iub backhaul throughput required by the HSDPA bearer users for HS Channels in the downlink.
Nb of Recommended E1/T1/Ethernet Link: The number of E1/T1/Ethernet links required to provide the total Iub
backhaul throughput.
Instantaneous HSDPA Throughput (kbps): The Instantaneous HSDPA Throughput (kbps).
Instantaneous HSDPA MAC Throughput (kbps): The Instantaneous HSDPA MAC throughput (kbps).
DL and UL Throughput for Each Service: The throughput in kbitss for each service. The result is detailed on the
downlink and uplink only when relevant.
The Cells tab: The Cells tab contains the following information, per site, transmitter, and carrier:
Max Power (dBm): The maximum power as defined in the cell properties.
Pilot Power (dBm): The pilot power as defined in the cell properties.
SCH power (dBm): The SCH power as defined in the cell properties.
Other CCH power (dBm): The power of other common channels. It includes the other CCH power and the DL
HSUPA power as defined in the cell properties.
Available HSDPA Power (dBm): The available HSDPA power as defined in the cell properties. This is the power
available for the HS-PDSCH and HS-SCCH. The value is either fixed by the user when the HSDPA power is allocated
statically, or by a simulation when the option HSDPA Power Dynamic Allocation is selected.
AS Threshold (dB): The active set threshold as defined in cell properties
Gain (dBi): The gain as defined in the antenna properties for that transmitter.
Reception Losses (dB): The reception losses as defined in the transmitter properties.
Transmission Losses (dB): The transmission losses as defined in the transmitter properties.
Noise Figure (dB): The noise figure as defined in the transmitter properties
Total Transmitted R99 Power (dBm): The total transmitted R99 power is the power transmitted by the cell on
common channels (Pilot, SCH, other CCH), HSUPA channels (E-AGCH, E-RGCH, and E-HICH) and R99 traffic-dedi-
cated channels.
Transmitted HSDPA Power (dBm): The HSDPA power transmitted by the cell on HSDPA channels. It corresponds
to the HSDPA power used to serve HSDPA bearer users.
Total Transmitted Power (dBm): The total transmitted power of the cell is the sum of the total transmitted R99
power and the transmitted HSDPA power. If HSDPA power is allocated dynamically, the total transmitted power
cannot exceed the maximum power minus the power headroom.
When the constraint "DL load" is set and HSDPA power is statically allocated, the total
transmitted power cannot exceed the maximum DL load (defined either in the cell proper-
ties, or in the simulation). On the other hand, if HSDPA power is allocated dynamically, the
control is carried out on the R99 transmitted power, which cannot exceed the maximum
DL load.
UL Total Noise (dBm): The uplink total noise takes into account the total signal received at the transmitter on a
carrier from intra and extra-cell terminals using the same carrier and adjacent carriers (uplink total interference)
and the thermal noise.
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Max UL Load Factor (%): The maximum uplink load factor that the cell can support. It is defined either in the cell
properties, or in the simulation creation dialog box.
Max DL Load (% Pmax): The maximum percentage of power that the cell can use. It is defined either in the cell
properties, or in the simulation creation dialog box.
UL load factor (%): The uplink cell load factor corresponds to the ratio between the uplink total interference and
the uplink total noise. If the constraint "UL load factor" has been selected, UL cell load factor is not allowed to
exceed the user-defined maximum UL load factor (either in the cell properties, or in the simulation creation dialog
box).
DL Load Factor (%): The DL load factor of the cell i corresponds to the ratio (DL average interference [due to trans-
mitter signals on the same and adjacent carriers] for terminals in the transmitter i area) (DL average total noise
[due to transmitter signals and to thermal noise of terminals] for terminals in the transmitter i area).
UL and DL Noise Rise (dB): The uplink and downlink noise rises are calculated from uplink and downlink load fac-
tors. These data indicate signal degradation due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
DL R99 Load (% Pmax): The percentage of power used for R99 channels is determined by the total transmitted
R99 power-maximum power ratio (power stated in W). When the constraint "DL load" is set and HSDPA power is
allocated dynamically, the DL R99 Load can not exceed the user-defined Max DL Load (defined either in the cell
properties, or in the simulation).
Reuse Factor (UL): The uplink reuse factor is the ratio between the uplink total interference and the intra-cell
interference.
Reuse Efficiency Factor (UL): The uplink reuse efficiency factor is the reciprocal of the uplink reuse factor.
Number of UL and DL Radio Links: The number of radio links corresponds to the number of user-transmitter links
on the same carrier. This data is calculated on uplink and on downlink and indicates the number of users con-
nected to the cell on uplink and downlink. Because of handover, a single user can use several radio links.
Connection Success Rate (%): The connection success rate gives the ratio of connected users over the total
number of users in the cell.
HSDPA Application Throughput (kbps): This is the net HSDPA throughput without coding (redundancy, overhead,
addressing, etc.).
Min. HSDPA Peak RLC Throughput (kbps): The minimum HSDPA peak RLC throughput corresponds to the lowest
of peak RLC throughputs obtained by HSDPA bearer users connected to the cell. For DC-HSPA users, this is the
lower of the two minimum HSDPA peak RLC throughputs.
Max HSDPA Peak RLC Throughput (kbps): The maximum HSDPA peak RLC throughput corresponds to the highest
of peak RLC throughputs obtained by HSDPA bearer users connected to the cell. For DC-HSPA users, this is the
higher of the two maximum HSDPA peak RLC throughputs.
Avg. Instantaneous HSDPA Throughput (kbps): The average instantaneous HSDPA throughput (kbps) is the
average number of kbits per second that the cell supports on downlink to provide one connected user with an
HSDPA bearer. The HSDPA throughput of DC-HSPA users is the sum of their HSDPA throughputs on both cells.
Instantaneous HSDPA Throughput (kbps): The instantaneous HSDPA throughput (kbps) is the number of kbits per
second that the cell supports on downlink to provide simultaneous connected users with an HSDPA bearer. The
HSDPA throughput of DC-HSPA users is the sum of their HSDPA throughputs on both cells.
Instantaneous HSDPA MAC Throughput (kbps): The Instantaneous HSDPA MAC throughput (kbps) that the cell
carries. The HSDPA throughput of DC-HSPA users is the sum of their HSDPA throughputs on both cells.
No. of Simultaneous HSDPA Users: The number of simultaneous HSDPA users corresponds to the number of
HSDPA bearer users that the cell supports at one time, i.e. within one time transmission interval. All these users
are connected to the cell at the end of the HSDPA part of the simulation; they have a connection with the R99
bearer and an HSDPA bearer. DC-HSPA users are considered once in each cell they are connected to.
No. of HSDPA Users: The number of connected and delayed HSDPA bearer users. DC-HSPA users are considered
once in each cell they are connected to.
No. of HSUPA Users: The number of HSUPA bearer users connected to the cell.
HSUPA Application Throughput (kbps): This is the net HSUPA throughput without coding (redundancy, overhead,
addressing, etc.).
HSUPA UL Load Factor (%): The uplink cell load contribution due to HSUPA traffic.
No. of Codes (512 Bits): The number of 512-bit OVSF codes used per cell.
The types of handover as a percentage: Atoll estimates the percentages of handover types for each transmitter.
Atoll only lists the results for the following handover status, no handover (11), softer (12), soft (22), softer-soft
(23) and soft-soft (33) handovers; the other handover status (other HO) are grouped.
R99 UL and DL Throughput (kbps): The uplink and downlink R99 throughputs represent the numbers of kbits per
second delivered by the cell respectively on uplink and on downlink to supply users with a R99 bearer. All the radio
links in the cell, i.e., links due to handover, are taken into account in the throughput calculation.
R99 UL and DL Throughput Without HO (kbps): The uplink and downlink R99 throughputs represent the numbers
of kbits per second delivered by the cell respectively on uplink and on downlink to supply users with a R99 bearer.
Only the links with the best server are taken into account in the calculation of throughput.
Min TCH Pwr (dBm): The minimum power allocated to a traffic channel to supply services.
Max TCH Pwr (dBm): The maximum power allocated to a traffic channel to supply services.
Avg TCH Pwr (dBm): The average power allocated to a traffic channel to supply services.
Non-connected users: The number of rejected and delayed users per cell. Rejected users are sorted by the fol-
lowing values: Pmob > PmobMax, Ptch > PtchMax, EcIo < (EcIo)min., UL Load Saturation, Ch. Elts Saturation,
DL Load Saturation, Code Saturation, Admission Rejection, HSDPA Scheduler Saturation, HSDPA Resource Sat-
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uration, HSUPA Admission Rejection, HSUPA Scheduler Saturation and Iub Throughput Saturation. Delayed
users are regrouped under HSDPA Delayed.
Connection Success Rate (%) For Each Service: For each service, the connection success rate gives the ratio of con-
nected users over the total number of users of that service in the cell.
The Mobiles tab: The Mobiles tab contains the following information:
The Mobiles tab only appears if, when creating the simulation as explained in "Creating
Simulations" on page 265, you select either "Standard information about mobiles" or
"Detailed information about mobiles" under Information to Retain.
X and Y: The coordinates of users who attempt to connect (the geographic position is determined by the second
random trial).
Service: The service assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distribution.
Terminal: The assigned terminal. Atoll uses the assigned service and activity status to determine the terminal and
the user profile.
User Profile: The assigned user profile. Atoll uses the assigned service and activity status to determine the ter-
minal and the user profile.
Mobility: The mobility type assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distribution.
Activity Status: The activity status assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distri-
bution.
Carrier: The carrier used for the mobile-transmitter connection. DC-HSPA users are connected to two carriers.
Details can be displayed per carrier by selecting Actions > Detailed Display.
Frequency Band: the frequency band used for the mobile-transmitter connection.
DL and UL Total Requested Throughput (kbps): For R99 users, the DL and UL total requested throughputs corre-
spond to the DL and UL peak throughputs of the R99 bearer associated to the service.
For HSDPA users, the uplink requested throughput corresponds to the peak throughput of ADPCH R99 radio bear-
er and the downlink requested throughput is the sum of the ADPCH radio bearer peak throughput and the peak
RLC throughput(s) that the selected HSDPA radio bearer(s) can provide. Here, the user is treated as if he is the only
user in the cell and then, Atoll determines the HSDPA bearer the user would obtain by considering the entire HS-
DPA power available of the cell.
For HSPA users, the uplink requested throughput is equal to the sum of the ADPCH-EDPCCH radio bearer peak
throughput and the peak RLC throughput of the requested HSUPA radio bearer. The requested HSUPA radio bear-
er is selected from the HSUPA bearers compatible with the user equipment. Here, the user is treated as if he is the
only user in the cell and then, Atoll determines the HSUPA bearer the user would obtain by considering the entire
remaining load of the cell. The downlink requested throughput is the sum of the ADPCH-EDPCCH radio bearer peak
throughput and the peak RLC throughput(s) that the requested HSDPA radio bearer(s) can provide.
DL and UL Total Obtained Throughput (kbps): For R99 service users, the obtained throughput is the same as the
requested throughput if he is connected without being downgraded. Otherwise, the obtained throughput is lower
(it corresponds to the peak throughput of the selected R99 bearer). If the user is rejected, the obtained throughput
is zero.
In the downlink, HSDPA bearer users can be connected to a single cell or to two cells of the same transmitter when
the user has a DC-HSPA-capable terminal and when the transmitter supports the multi-cell HSDPA mode.
For a single-carrier HSDPA service user connected to an HSDPA bearer, the downlink obtained throughput corre-
sponds to the instantaneous throughput; this is the sum of the A-DPCH radio bearer peak throughput and the peak
RLC throughput provided by the selected HSDPA radio bearer after scheduling and radio resource control. If the
user is delayed (he is only connected to an R99 radio bearer), downlink obtained throughput corresponds to the
downlink peak throughput of the ADPCH radio bearer. Finally, if the user is rejected either in the R99 part or in the
HSDPA part (i.e., because the HSDPA scheduler is saturated), the downlink obtained throughput is zero.
For a dual-carrier HSDPA service user connected to two HSDPA bearers, the downlink obtained throughput corre-
sponds to the instantaneous throughput; this is the sum of the peak throughput provided by the A-DPCH radio
bearer in the anchor cell and the peak RLC throughputs provided by the selected HSDPA radio bearers after sched-
uling and radio resource control. If the user is connected to one cell and delayed in the other cell, the downlink
obtained throughput is the sum of the peak throughput provided by the A-DPCH radio bearer in the anchor cell
and the peak RLC throughput provided by the selected HSDPA radio bearer after scheduling and radio resource
control. If the user is delayed in the two cells (he is only connected to an R99 radio bearer in the anchor cell), the
downlink obtained throughput corresponds to the downlink peak throughput of the ADPCH radio bearer in the
anchor cell. Finally, if the user is rejected either in the R99 part or in the HSDPA part (i.e., because the HSDPA
scheduler is saturated), the downlink obtained throughput is zero.
In the uplink, HSDPA service users can only have a single-carrier connection. When the user is either connected or
delayed, the uplink obtained throughput corresponds to the uplink peak throughput of the ADPCH radio bearer.
If the user is rejected either in the R99 part or in the HSDPA part (i.e., because the HSDPA scheduler is saturated),
the uplink obtained throughput is zero.
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For single-carrier HSPA VBR and BE service users, on downlink, if the user is connected to an HSDPA bearer, the
downlink obtained throughput corresponds to the instantaneous throughput. The instantaneous throughput is
the sum of the ADPCH-EDPCCH radio bearer peak throughput and the peak RLC throughput provided by the se-
lected HSDPA radio bearer after scheduling and radio resource control. If the user is delayed, the downlink ob-
tained throughput corresponds to the downlink peak throughput of ADPCH-EDPCCH radio bearer. If the user is
rejected, the downlink obtained throughput is "0".
For dual-carrier HSPA VBR and BE service users connected to two HSDPA bearers, the downlink obtained through-
put corresponds to the instantaneous throughput; this is the sum of the peak throughput provided by the ADPCH-
EDPCCH radio bearer in the anchor cell and the peak RLC throughputs provided by the selected HSDPA radio bear-
ers after scheduling and radio resource control. If the user is connected to one cell and delayed in the other cell,
the downlink obtained throughput is the sum of the peak throughput provided by the ADPCH-EDPCCH radio bear-
er in the anchor cell and the peak RLC throughput provided by the selected HSDPA radio bearer after scheduling
and radio resource control. If the user is delayed in the two cells (he is only connected to an R99 radio bearer in
the anchor cell), the downlink obtained throughput corresponds to the downlink peak throughput of the ADPCH-
EDPCCH radio bearer in the anchor cell. Finally, if the user is rejected, the downlink obtained throughput is zero.
In uplink, HSPA VBR and BE service users can only have a single-carrier connection. When the user is connected to
an HSUPA bearer, the uplink obtained throughput is the sum of the ADPCH-EDPCCH radio bearer peak throughput
and the peak RLC throughput provided by the selected HSUPA radio bearer after noise rise scheduling. If the user
is rejected, the uplink obtained throughput is zero.
For a connected HSPA CBR service user, the uplink and downlink total obtained throughputs are the sum of the
ADPCH-EDPCCH radio bearer peak throughput and the minimum throughput demand defined for the service. If
the user is rejected, the uplink and downlink total obtained throughputs are "0".
Mobile Total Power (dBm): The mobile total power corresponds to the total power transmitted by the terminal.
Connection Status: The connection status indicates whether the user is connected, delayed or rejected at the end
of the simulation. If connected, the connection status corresponds to the activity status. If rejected, the rejection
cause is given. If delayed (for HSDPA and HSPA users only), the status is "HSDPA delayed".
Best Server: The best server among the transmitters in the mobile active set.
HO Status (Sites/No. Transmitters Act. Set): The HO status is the number of sites compared to the number of
transmitters in the active set.
AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4: The name of the cell that is the best server, the second-best server, and so on is given in a
separate column for each cell in the active set.
Ec/Io AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, (dB): EcIo is given in a separate column for each cell in the active set. The Ec/Io AS 1
column lists the Ec/Io from the best server for the rejected mobiles as well.
Indoor: This field indicates whether indoor losses have been added or not.
Active Compressed Mode: This field indicates whether active compressed mode is supported by the mobile or
not.
The following columns only appear if, when creating the simulation as explained in "Creating Simulations" on
page 265, you select "Detailed information about mobiles" under Information to Retain:
DL and UL Requested Peak RLC Throughputs (kbps): Downlink and uplink requested peak RLC throughputs are
not calculated for R99 users.
For HSDPA users, the uplink peak RLC throughput is not calculated and the downlink requested peak RLC through-
put is the throughput that the selected HSDPA radio bearer(s) can provide.
For HSPA users, the requested uplink peak RLC throughput is the throughput of the requested HSUPA radio bearer.
The requested HSUPA radio bearer is selected from the HSUPA bearers compatible with the user equipment. Here,
the user is treated as if he is the only user in the cell and then, Atoll determines the HSUPA bearer the user would
obtain by considering the entire remaining load of the cell. If the user is connected to one or two HSDPA bearers
in the downlink, the downlink requested peak RLC throughput is the throughput that the requested HSDPA radio
bearer(s) can provide. The requested HSDPA radio bearer is determined as explained in the previous paragraph.
DL and UL Obtained Peak RLC Throughput (kbps): Downlink and uplink obtained peak RLC throughputs are not
calculated for R99 users.
For HSDPA users connected to one or two HSDPA bearers, the uplink obtained peak RLC throughput is not calcu-
lated, and the downlink obtained peak RLC throughput is the throughput provided by the selected HSDPA radio
bearer(s) after scheduling and radio resource control.
For connected HSPA BE and VBR service users, on uplink, if the user is connected to an HSUPA bearer, the obtained
uplink peak RLC throughput is the throughput provided by the selected HSUPA radio bearer after noise rise sched-
uling. On downlink, if the user is connected to one or two HSDPA bearers, the downlink obtained peak RLC
throughput is the throughput provided by the selected HSDPA radio bearer(s) after scheduling and radio resource
control.
For a connected HSPA CBR service user, the uplink and downlink obtained peak RLC throughputs are the uplink
and downlink minimum throughput demands defined for the service.
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HSDPA Application Throughput (kbps): The HSDPA application throughput is the net HSDPA throughput without
coding (redundancy, overhead, addressing, etc.). It is calculated from the instantaneous HSDPA throughput (i.e.,
the DL obtained throughput), the BLER, the HSDPA service scaling factor and the throughput offset.
Served HSDPA Power (dBm): This is the HSDPA power required to provide the HSDPA bearer user with the down-
link obtained throughput.
Required HSDPA Power (dBm): The required HSDPA power is the HSDPA power required to provide the HSDPA
bearer user with the downlink requested throughput. If the HSDPA bearer allocated to the user is the best one,
the required HSDPA power corresponds to the available HSDPA power of the cell. On the other hand, if the HSDPA
has been downgraded in order to be compliant with cell and UE capabilities, the required HSDPA power will be
lower than the available HSDPA power of the cell.
No. of HSUPA Retransmissions (Required): The maximum number of retransmissions in order to have the
requested HSUPA radio bearer with a given BLER.
No. of HSUPA Retransmissions (Obtained): The maximum number of retransmissions in order to have the
obtained HSUPA radio bearer with a given BLER.
HSUPA Application Throughput (kbps): The HSUPA application throughput is the net HSUPA throughput without
coding (redundancy, overhead, addressing, etc.). It is calculated from the UL obtained throughput, the BLER, the
HSUPA service scaling factor and the throughput offset.
Cell TCH Power AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4 (DL) (dBm): The cell power transmitted on the downlink is given for each link
between the mobile and a transmitter in the active set.
DL Ntot AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4 (dBm): The total noise on the downlink for each link between the mobile and a trans-
mitter in the active set.
Load Factor AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4 (DL) (%): The load factor on the downlink for each link between the mobile and a
transmitter in the active set. It corresponds to the ratio between the total interference on the downlink and total
noise at the terminal.
Noise Rise AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4 (DL) (dB): The noise rise on the downlink for each link between the mobile and a
transmitter in the active set.
Reuse Factor AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4 (DL): The DL reuse factor for each link between the mobile and a transmitter in
the active set. It is calculated from the interference received at the terminal from the intra cell area and the total
interference received at the terminal from all the transmitters (intra and extra-cell and inter-carrier).
Iintra AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4 (DL) (dBm): The intra-cell interference for each cell (I) of the active set.
I int ra P DL
DL
tot
ic Fortho P DL
tot
ic PSCH
i i LT
Iextra AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4 (DL) (dBm): The extra-cell interference for each cell (I) of the active set.
I extra
DL
P DL
tot
ic Fortho P DL
tot
ic PSCH
Tx ,iTx LT
Total Loss AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4 (dB): The total attenuation for each link between the mobile and a transmitter in
the active set.
Iub UL Backhaul Throughput (kbps): The Iub backhaul throughput consumed on the uplink by the mobile.
Iub DL Backhaul Throughput (kbps): The Iub backhaul throughput consumed on the downlink by the mobile.
No. of UL CEs: The number of channel elements consumed on the uplink by the mobile.
No. of DL CEs: The number of channel elements consumed on the downlink by the mobile.
Name: The name of the mobile, as assigned during the random user generation.
Clutter: The clutter class on which the mobile is located.
Orthogonality Factor: The orthogonality factor used in the simulation. The orthogonality factor is the remaining
orthogonality of the OVSF codes at reception. The value used is the orthogonality factor set in the clutter classes.
% Pilot Finger: The percentage pilot finger used in the simulation, defined per clutter class or globally for all clutter
classes.
UL SHO Gain (dB): The uplink soft handover gain is calculated if mobile receivers are connected either on DL or on
UL and DL.
DL SHO Gain (dB): The downlink soft handover gain is calculated if mobile receivers are connected either on DL or
on UL and DL.
No. of Codes (512 Bits): The number of OVSF codes used per mobile.
The Mobiles (Shadowing Values) tab: The Mobiles (Shadowing Values) tab contains information on the shadowing
margin for each link between the receiver and up to ten closest potential transmitters:
The Mobiles (Shadowing Values) tab only appears if, when creating the simulation as
explained in "Creating Simulations" on page 265, you select "Detailed information about
mobiles" under Information to Retain.
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No. of DL and UL CEs Due to SHO Overhead: The number of extra channel elements due to soft handover, on
uplink and downlink.
Carrier Selection: The carrier selection method defined on the site equipment.
Downlink and Uplink Overhead CEs/Cell: The overhead channel elements per cell on the downlink and on the
uplink, defined on the site equipment.
AS Restricted to Neighbours: Whether the active set is restricted to neighbours of the reference cell. This option
is selected on the site equipment.
Rake Factor: The rake factor, defined on the site equipment, enables Atoll to model a rake receiver on downlink.
MUD Factor: The multi-user detection factor, defined on the site equipment, is used to decrease intra-cell inter-
ference on uplink.
Compressed Mode: Whether compressed mode is supported. This option is defined on the site equipment.
Max Iub Downlink and Uplink Backhaul Throughput (kbps): The maximum Iub backhaul throughput in the down-
link and uplink.
Iub Downlink and Uplink Backhaul Throughput (kbps): The Iub backhaul throughput required on downlink and
uplink to handle the traffic of current simulation.
Overhead Iub Throughput/Cell (kbps): The Iub throughput required by the cell for common channels in the down-
link, defined on the site equipment.
HSDPA Iub Backhaul Overhead (%): This parameter is defined on the site equipment. It corresponds to the per-
centage of the HSDPA bearer peak RLC throughput to be added to the peak RLC throughput. The total value cor-
responds to the Iub backhaul throughput required by the HSDPA bearer user for HS Channels in the downlink.
Nb of Recommended E1/T1/Ethernet Link: The number of E1/T1/Ethernet links required to provide the total Iub
backhaul throughput.
Instantaneous HSDPA Throughput (kbps): The Instantaneous HSDPA Throughput (kbps).
Instantaneous HSDPA MAC Throughput (kbps): The Instantaneous HSDPA MAC throughput (kbps).
DL and UL Throughput for Each Service: The throughput in kbitss for each service.
The Cells (Average) and Cells (Standard Deviation) tabs: The Cells (Average) and Cells (Standard Deviation) tabs
contains the following average and standard deviation information, respectively, per site, transmitter, and carrier:
Max Power (dBm): The maximum power as defined in the cell properties.
Pilot Power (dBm): The pilot power as defined in the cell properties.
SCH power (dBm): The SCH power as defined in the cell properties.
Other CCH power (dBm): The power of other common channels. It includes the other CCH power and the DL
HSUPA power as defined in the cell properties.
Available HSDPA Power (dBm): The available HSDPA power as defined in the cell properties. This is the power
available for the HS-PDSCH and HS-SCCH. The value is either fixed by the user when the HSDPA power is allocated
statically, or by a simulation when the option HSDPA Power Dynamic Allocation is selected.
AS Threshold (dB): The active set threshold as defined in cell properties
Gain (dBi): The gain as defined in the antenna properties for that transmitter.
Reception Losses (dB): The reception losses as defined in the transmitter properties.
Transmission Losses (dB): The transmission losses as defined in the transmitter properties.
Noise Figure (dB): The noise figure as defined in the transmitter properties
Total Transmitted R99 Power (dBm): The total transmitted R99 power is the power transmitted by the cell on
common channels (Pilot, SCH, other CCH), HSUPA channels (E-AGCH, E-RGCH, and E-HICH) and R99 traffic-dedi-
cated channels.
Transmitted HSDPA Power (dBm): The HSDPA power transmitted by the cell on HSDPA channels. It corresponds
to the HSDPA power used to serve HSDPA bearer users.
Total Transmitted Power (dBm): The total transmitted power of the cell is the sum of the total transmitted R99
power and the transmitted HSDPA power. If HSDPA power is allocated dynamically, the total transmitted power
cannot exceed the maximum power minus the power headroom.
When the constraint "DL load" is set and HSDPA power is statically allocated, the total
transmitted power cannot exceed the maximum DL load (defined either in the cell proper-
ties, or in the simulation). On the other hand, if HSDPA power is allocated dynamically, the
control is carried out on the R99 transmitted power, which cannot exceed the maximum
DL load.
UL Total Noise (dBm): The uplink total noise takes into account the total signal received at the transmitter on a
carrier from intra and extra-cell terminals using the same carrier and adjacent carriers (uplink total interference)
and the thermal noise.
Max UL Load Factor (%): The maximum uplink load factor that the cell can support. It is defined either in the cell
properties, or in the simulation creation dialog box.
Max DL Load (% Pmax): The maximum percentage of power that the cell can use. It is defined either in the cell
properties, or in the simulation creation dialog box.
UL Load Factor (%): The uplink cell load factor corresponds to the ratio between the uplink total interference and
the uplink total noise. If the constraint "UL load factor" has been selected, UL cell load factor is not allowed to
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exceed the user-defined maximum UL load factor (either in the cell properties, or in the simulation creation dialog
box).
UL Load Factor due to HSUPA (%): The uplink cell load caused by HSUPA traffic.
DL Load Factor (%): The DL load factor of the cell i corresponds to the ratio (DL average interference [due to trans-
mitter signals on the same carrier] for terminals in the transmitter i area) (DL average total noise [due to trans-
mitter signals and to thermal noise of terminals] for terminals in the transmitter i area).
UL and DL Noise Rise (dB): The uplink and downlink noise rises are calculated from uplink and downlink load fac-
tors. These data indicate signal degradation due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
DL R99 Load (% Pmax): The percentage of power used for R99 channels is determined by the total transmitted
R99 power-maximum power ratio (power stated in W). When the constraint "DL load" is set and HSDPA power is
allocated dynamically, the DL R99 Load can not exceed the user-defined Max DL Load (defined either in the cell
properties, or in the simulation).
Reuse Factor (UL): The uplink reuse factor is the ratio between the uplink total interference and the intra-cell
interference.
Reuse Efficiency Factor (UL): The uplink reuse efficiency factor is the reciprocal of the uplink reuse factor.
Number of UL and DL Radio Links: The number of radio links corresponds to the number of user-transmitter links
on the same carrier. This data is calculated on uplink and on downlink and indicates the number of users con-
nected to the cell on uplink and downlink. Because of handover, a single user can use several radio links.
Connection Success Rate (%): The connection success rate gives the ratio of connected users over the total
number of users in the cell.
HSDPA Application Throughput (kbps): The HSDPA application throughput is the net HSDPA throughput without
coding (redundancy, overhead, addressing, etc.). It is calculated from the instantaneous HSDPA throughput (i.e.,
the DL obtained throughput), the BLER, the HSDPA service scaling factor and the throughput offset.
Min. HSDPA Peak RLC Throughput (kbps): The minimum HSDPA peak RLC throughput corresponds to the lowest
of peak RLC throughputs obtained by HSDPA bearer users connected to the cell. For DC-HSPA users, this is the
lower of the two minimum HSDPA peak RLC throughputs.
Max HSDPA Peak RLC Throughput (kbps): The maximum HSDPA peak RLC throughput: It corresponds to the
highest of peak RLC throughputs obtained by HSDPA bearer users connected to the cell. For DC-HSPA users, this
is the higher of the two maximum HSDPA peak RLC throughputs.
Avg. Instantaneous HSDPA Throughput (kbps): The average instantaneous HSDPA throughput (kbps) is the
average number of kbits per second that the cell supports on downlink to provide one connected user with an
HSDPA bearer. The HSDPA throughput of DC-HSPA users is the sum of their HSDPA throughputs on both cells.
Instantaneous HSDPA Throughput (kbps): The instantaneous HSDPA throughput (kbps) is the number of kbits per
second that the cell supports on downlink to provide simultaneous connected users with an HSDPA bearer. The
HSDPA throughput of DC-HSPA users is the sum of their HSDPA throughputs on both cells.
Instantaneous HSDPA MAC Throughput (kbps): The Instantaneous HSDPA MAC throughput (kbps) that the cell
carries. The HSDPA throughput of DC-HSPA users is the sum of their HSDPA throughputs on both cells.
No. of Simultaneous HSDPA Users: The number of simultaneous HSDPA users corresponds to the number of
HSDPA bearer users that the cell supports at a time, i.e. within one time transmission interval. All these users are
connected to the cell at the end of the simulation HSDPA part; they have a connection with the R99 bearer and an
HSDPA bearer. DC-HSPA users are considered once in each cell they are connected to.
No. of HSDPA Users: The number of HSDPA users include the connected and delayed HSDPA bearer users. DC-
HSPA users are considered once in each cell they are connected to.
No. of HSUPA Users: The number of HSUPA bearer users connected to the cell.
HSUPA Application Throughput (kbps): This is the net HSUPA throughput without coding (redundancy, overhead,
addressing, etc.).
HSUPA UL Load Factor (%): The uplink cell load caused by HSUPA traffic.
No. of Codes (512 Bits): The number of OVSF codes used per cell.
The types of handover as a percentage: Atoll estimates the percentages of handover types for each transmitter.
Atoll only lists the results for the following handover status, no handover (11), softer (12), soft (22), softer-soft
(23) and soft-soft (33) handovers; the other handover status (other HO) are grouped.
R99 UL and DL Throughput (kbps): The uplink and downlink R99 throughputs represent the numbers of kbits per
second delivered by the cell respectively on uplink and on downlink to supply users with a R99 bearer. All the radio
links in the cell, i.e., links due to handover, are taken into account in the throughput calculation.
R99 UL and DL Throughput Without HO (kbps): The uplink and downlink R99 throughputs represent the numbers
of kbits per second delivered by the cell respectively on uplink and on downlink to supply users with a R99 bearer.
Only the links with the best server are taken into account in the calculation of throughput.
Min TCH Pwr (dBm): The minimum power allocated to a traffic channel to supply services.
Max TCH Pwr (dBm): The maximum power allocated to a traffic channel to supply services.
Avg TCH Pwr: The average power allocated to a traffic channel to supply services.
Non-connected users: The number of rejected and delayed users per cell. Rejected users are sorted by the fol-
lowing reasons: Pmob > PmobMax, Ptch > PtchMax, EcIo < (EcIo)min., UL Load Saturation, Ch. Elts Saturation,
DL Load Saturation, Code Saturation, Admission Rejection, HSDPA Delayed, HSDPA Scheduler Saturation,
HSDPA Resource Saturation, HSUPA Admission Rejection, HSUPA Scheduler Saturation and Iub Throughput Sat-
uration. Delayed users are regrouped under HSDPA Delayed.
Connection Success Rate (%) For Each Service: For each service, the connection success rate gives the ratio of con-
nected users over the total number of users of that service in the cell.
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The Initial Conditions tab: The Initial Conditions tab contains the following information:
The global transmitter parameters:
The spreading width
Whether the power values on the downlink are absolute or relative to the pilot
The default uplink soft handover gain
Whether the MRC in softer/soft is defined or not
The methods used to calculate I0 and Nt
Parameters for compressed mode
The methods used to calculate Nt and CQI for HSDPA.
The input parameters specified when creating the group of simulations:
The maximum number of iterations
The global scaling factor
The generator initialisation value
The uplink and downlink convergence thresholds
The simulation constraints such as maximum power, the maximum number of channel elements, the uplink
load factor and the maximum load
The name of the traffic maps used.
The parameters related to the clutter classes, including the default values.
The AS analysis does not take possible network saturation into account. Therefore, there
is no guarantee that a simulated mobile with the same receiver characteristics can verify
the point analysis, simply because the simulated network can be saturated.
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10. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the toolbar again to end the point analysis.
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All: If you select All to make a statistical analysis of all simulations based on the defined Probability (the probability
must be from 0 to 1). This will make a global analysis of all simulations in a group and with an evaluation of the
network stability in terms of fluctuations in traffic.
Average: Select Average make the coverage prediction on the average of the simulations in the group.
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You can base the evaluation of a quality analysis prediction on a calculated Atoll predic-
tion, if any, or on a manual configuration.
If you base the evaluation of a qualiy analysis prediction on a calculated Atoll pre-
diction, ACP will use the display settings of the calculated Atoll prediction in the
qualiy analysis prediction calculated for that objective.
If you saved the display settings of a qualiy analysis prediction as defaults, or if you
are using a configuration file for ACP, these display settings will be used by default
and will override the display settings of the calculated Atoll prediction. For more
information on changing the display settings of a quality analysis prediction, see
"Changing the Display Properties of ACP Predictions" on page 1397.
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Manual configuration: If you select this option, you can Enable shadowing margin and define a Cell edge cov-
erage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no clutter information is avail-
able, default values are used. Additionally, you can specify:
The Service, Terminal, and Mobility that will be used during the calculation of HSDPA RLC Peak Rate through
gain and losses (i.e., the service body loss, the gain and loss of the terminal antenna, and the terminal noise
factor).
RSCP
Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by RSCP.
Coverage Prediction: If you select a coverage prediction from the Base prediction settings on list, ACP will eval-
uate the coverage by RSCP using the same parameters that were used to calculate the coverage prediction.
Manual configuration: If you select this option, you can Enable shadowing margin and define a Cell edge cov-
erage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no clutter information is avail-
able, default values are used.
Ec/Io
Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by Ec/Io.
Coverage Prediction: If you select a coverage prediction from the Base prediction settings on list, ACP will eval-
uate the coverage by Ec/Io using the same parameters that were used to calculate the coverage prediction.
Manual configuration: If you select this option, you can Enable shadowing margin and define a Cell edge cov-
erage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no clutter information is avail-
able, default values are used. Macro diversity is also taken into account during EcIo calculation. Additionally, you
can specify:
The Service and Terminal that will be used during the calculation of EcIo through gain and losses (i.e., the
service body loss, the gain and loss of the terminal antenna, and the terminal noise factor).
Overlap / 1st-Nth
Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by overlapping zones or by 1st-
Nth difference.
Overlap
Coverage Prediction: If you select a coverage prediction from the Base prediction settings on list, ACP will
evaluate overlapping coverage using the same parameters that were used to calculate the coverage predic-
tion. Only coverage predictions displaying a Number of Servers per pixel can be accessed by the ACP.
Manual configuration: If you select this option, specify a Minimum signal level and an Overlap threshold
margin.
1st-Nth
Coverage Prediction: If you select a coverage prediction from the Base prediction settings on list, ACP will
evaluate coverage by 1st-Nth difference based on the parameters used to calculate the selected prediction.
Only Atoll predictions displaying a "Number of Servers" per pixel can be accessed by the ACP.
Since there is no coverage prediction type in Atoll equivalent to ACPs UMTS 1st-Nth Difference objective, the
parameters recovered by ACP from the selected Atoll prediction are limited to the minimum signal level and
the prediction shading. The number of servers must always be specified manually next to No. servers.
Manual configuration: If you select this option, specify a Minimum signal level and the No. servers.
In both cases, the value you specify next to No. servers determines "Nth" in the UMTS 1st-Nth Difference objec-
tive. For instance if you set No. servers to 4, then the "1st-4th Difference" quality parameter will be automatically
selected by default in the Quality column of the UMTS 1st-Nth Difference properties page.
Allowed values for No. servers range from 3 to 100, with only one value available per technology.
The "1st-2nd Difference" quality parameter (based on No. servers = 2) is provided by default.
HSDPA EcNt
Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by HSDPA EcNt.
Manual configuration: If you select this option, you can Enable shadowing margin and define a Cell edge cov-
erage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no clutter information is avail-
able, default values are used. Additionally, you can specify:
The Service, Terminal, and Mobility that will be used during the calculation of HSDPA EcNt through gain and
losses (i.e., the service body loss, the gain and loss of the terminal antenna, and the terminal noise factor).
RSSI
Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by RSSI.
Manual configuration: If you select this option, you can Enable shadowing margin and define a Cell edge cov-
erage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no clutter information is avail-
able, default values are used. Additionally, you can specify:
The Service and Terminal that will be used during the calculation of RSSI through gain and losses (i.e., the
service body loss, the gain and loss of the terminal antenna, and the terminal noise factor).
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Figure 8.15: ACP Quality Analysis Prediction Types for an UMTS Network
The quality analysis predictions created in ACP are equivalent to those created by different Atoll coverage predictions. The
correspondence table below shows the ACP predictions and their equivalents in Atoll.
HSDPA RLC Peak Rate HSDPA Quality and Throughput Analisys (DL) (4)
"Value Intervals" / "Peak RLC Throughput (kbps)"
(1) For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction by Signal Level" on page 540.
(2)
For more information, see "Studying Pilot Signal Quality" on page 543.
(3) For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction on Overlapping Zones" on page 542.
(4)
For more information, see "HSDPA Coverage Predictions" on page 551.
(5)
For more information, see "Studying the Total Noise Level on the Downlink" on page 548.
Making these predictions available within ACP enables you to quickly validate the optimisation results without having to
commit the results and then calculate a coverage prediction in Atoll. The ACP predictions display results very similar to those
that Atoll would display if you committed the optimisation results and calculated Atoll coverage predictions, however, before
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basing any decision to commit the optimisation results on the predictions produced by ACP, you should keep the following
recommendations in mind:
You should verify the results with a different coverage prediction, such as the pilot pollution analysis.
ACP generated predictions are generated using the entire set of proposed changes. They do not take into account the
change subset defined on the Change Details tab.
Multiple-carrier optimisation is supported in UMTS. However the predictions are provided separately for each carrier.
Even after committing the optimisation results, differences can remain between the ACP predictions and the predic-
tions resulting from Atoll coverage predictions.
You can view the exact RSCP and EcIo values on any pixel by letting the pointer rest over the pixel. The RSCP or EcIo value is
then displayed in tip text.
For ACP overlapping zones predictions, you can:
specify a best server threshold:
by entering a value next to Minimum Signal Level in the Overlap / 1st-Nth properties page,
or by setting the param.umts.overlap.minRxLevel option with the same value in the [ACPTplObjectivePage] sec-
tion of the ACP.ini file.
specify a threshold margin:
by entering a value next to Threshold margin in the Overlap / 1st-Nth properties page,
or by setting the param.umts.overlap.margin option with the same value in the [ACPTplObjectivePage] section of
the ACP.ini file.
For each network quality coverage prediction, ACP offers a prediction showing the initial network state, the final network
state, and a prediction showing the changes between the initial and final states.
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If you are importing more than one file, you can select contiguous files by clicking the first
file you want to import, pressing Shift and clicking the last file you want to import. You can
select non-contiguous files by pressing Ctrl and clicking each file you want to import.
Files with the extension PLN, as well as some FMT files (created with previous versions of
TEMS) are imported directly into Atoll; you will not be asked to define the data structure
using the Import of Measurement Files dialog box.
4. If you already have an import configuration defining the data structure of the imported file or files, you can select it
from the Import configuration list on the Setup tab of the Import of Measurement Files dialog box. If you do not have
an import configuration, continue with step 5.
a. Under Import configuration, select an import configuration from the Import configuration list.
b. Continue with step 8.
When importing a drive test data path file, existing configurations are available in
the Files of type list of the Open dialog box, sorted according to their date of cre-
ation. After you have selected a file and clicked Open, Atoll automatically proposes
a configuration, if it recognises the extension. If several configurations are associ-
ated with an extension, Atoll chooses the first configuration in the list.
The defined configurations are stored, by default, in the file "NumMeasINIFile.ini",
located in the directory where Atoll is installed. For more information on the Num-
MeasINIFile.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can set the following parameters:
Name: By default, Atoll names the new drive test data path after the imported file. You can change this name if
desired.
Under Receiver, set the Height of the receiver antenna and the Gain and Losses.
Under Measurement Conditions,
Units: Select the measurement units used.
Coordinates: By default, Atoll imports the coordinates using the display system of the Atoll document. If the
coordinates used in the file you are importing are different than the coordinates used in the Atoll document,
you must click the Browse button and select the coordinate system used in the drive test data file. Atoll will
then convert the data imported to the coordinate system used in the Atoll document.
6. Click the Setup tab (see Figure 8.16).
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Figure 8.16: The Setup tab of the Import of Measurement Files dialog box
a. Under File, enter the number of the 1st Measurement Row, select the data Separator, and select the Decimal
Symbol used in the file.
b. Click the Setup button to link file columns and internal Atoll fields. The Drive Test Data Setup dialog box appears.
c. Under Measurement point position, select the columns in the imported file that give the X-Coordinates and the
Y-Coordinates of each point in the drive test data file.
You can also identify the columns containing the XY coordinates of each point in the drive
test data file by selecting them from the Field row of the table on the Setup tab.
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If you have correctly entered the information under File on the Setup tab, and the
necessary values in the Drive Test Data Setup dialog box, Atoll should recognise all
columns in the imported file. If not, you can click the name of the column in the
table in the Field row and select the column name. For each field, you must ensure
that each column has the correct data type in order for the data to be correctly
interpreted. The default value under Type is "<Ignore>". If a column is marked with
"<Ignore>", it will not be imported.
The data in the file must be structured so that the columns identifying the scram-
bling code group and the scrambling code are placed before the data columns for
each cell. Otherwise Atoll will not be able to properly import the file.
7. If you want to save the definition of the data structure so that you can use it again, you can save it as an import con-
figuration:
a. On the Setup tab, under Import configuration, click Save. The Configuration dialog box appears.
b. By default, Atoll saves the configuration in a file called "NumMeasINIfile.ini" found in Atolls installation folder. If
you cannot write into that folder, you can click the Browse button to choose a different location.
c. Enter a Configuration Name and an Extension of the files that this import configuration will describe (for example,
"*.csv").
d. Click OK.
Atoll will now select this import configuration automatically every time you import a drive test data path file with
the selected extension. If you import a file with the same structure but a different extension, you will be able to
select this import configuration from the Configuration list.
You do not have to complete the import procedure to save the import configura-
tion and have it available for future use.
When importing a CW measurement file, you can expand the NumMeasINIfile.ini
file by clicking the Expand button ( ) in front of the file under Import configura-
tion to display all the available import configurations. When selecting the appro-
priate configuration, the associations are automatically made in the table at the
bottom of the dialog box.
You can delete an existing import configuration by selecting the import configura-
tion under Import configuration and clicking the Delete button.
8. Click Import, if you are only importing a single file, or Import All, if you are importing more than one file. The mobile
data is imported into the current Atoll document.
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Fast Display forces Atoll to use the lightest symbol to display the points. This is par-
ticularly useful when you have a very large number of points.
You can not use Advanced Display if the Fast Display check box has been selected.
You can sort drive test data paths in alphabetical order in the Network explorer by
right-clicking the Drive Test Data Path folder and selecting Sort Alphabetically
from the context menu.
You can save the display settings (such as colours and symbols) of a drive test data
path in a user configuration file to make them available for use on another drive
test data path. To save or load the user configuration file, click the Actions button
on the Display tab of the path properties dialog box and select Save or Load from
the Display Configuration submenu.
You can apply a filter on all the drive test data paths in the Drive Test Data folder
by selecting Filter from the context menu of the folder.
If you want to use the measurement points that you permanently deleted, you
must import the drive test data path again.
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You can update heights (of the DTM, and clutter heights) and the clutter class of drive test
data points after adding new geographic maps or modifying existing ones by selecting
Refresh Geo Data from the context menu of the Drive Test Data folder.
Figure 8.17: Selecting Measured Signal Levels for which Errors will be Calculated
4. Click OK. A new point prediction is created for the selected drive test data path.
5. Right-click the drive test data path. The context menu appears.
6. Select Calculations > Calculate All the Predictions from the context menu.
If you chose to have Atoll calculate the errors between measured and predicted signal levels, new columns are added to the
drive test data table for the predicted point signal level from the serving cell and the errors between the measured and
predicted values.
Figure 8.18: Drive Test Data Table after Point Signal Level Prediction (with Error Calculations)
New columns are also added for the predicted point signal level from each neighbour cell and the errors between the
predicted and measured values. The values stored in these columns can be displayed in the Drive Test Data analysis tool. For
more information on the Drive Test Data analysis tool, see "Analysing Measurement Variations Along the Path" on page 602.
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The propagation model used to calculate the predicted point signal levels is the one assigned to the transmitter for the main
matrix. For more information on propagation models, see Chapter 4: Radio Calculations and Models.
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3. When you have finished setting the parameters for the coverage prediction, click OK.
You can create a new coverage prediction by repeating step 1 and step 2 for each new coverage prediction.
4. When you have finished creating new coverage predictions for these drive test data, right-click the drive test data. The
context menu appears.
5. Select Calculations > Calculate All the Predictions from the context menu.
A new column for each coverage prediction is added in the table for the drive test data. The column contains the
predicted values of the selected parameters for the transmitter. The propagation model used is the one assigned to
the transmitter for the main matrix (for information on the propagation model, see Chapter 4: Radio Calculations and
Models).
You can display the information in these new columns in the Drive Test Data window. For more information on the
Drive Test Data window, see "Analysing Measurement Variations Along the Path" on page 602.
8.5.4.5 Extracting a Field From a Drive Test Data Path for a Transmitter
You can extract a specific field for a specific transmitter on each point of an existing drive test data path. The extracted infor-
mation will be added to a new column in the table for the drive test data.
To extract a field from a drive test data path:
1. In the Network explorer, expand the Drive Test Data folder, right-click the drive test data from which you want to
extract a field, and select Focus on a Transmitter from the context menu. The Field Selection for a Given Transmitter
dialog box appears.
2. Select a transmitter from the On the Transmitter list.
3. Click the For the Fields list. The list opens.
4. Select the check box beside the field you want to extract for the selected transmitter.
Atoll can display the best server and up to six other servers in the active set. If you want to
display for example, the point signal level, remember to select the check box for the point
signal level for all servers in the For the Fields list. The new column will then display the
point signal level for the selected transmitter for all servers if a value exists.
5. Click OK. Atoll creates a new column in the drive test data path table for the selected transmitters and with the
selected values.
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To analyse measurement variations using the Drive Test Data analysis tool.
1. In the Network explorer, expand the Drive Test Data folder, right-click the drive test data you want to analyse, and
select Open the Analysis Tool from the context menu. The Drive Test Data window appears (see Figure 8.19).
2. Click Display at the top of the Drive Test Data window. The Display Parameters dialog box appears (see Figure 8.20).
You can change the display status or the colour of more than one field at a time. You can
select contiguous fields by clicking the first field, pressing Shift and clicking the last field
you want to import. You can select non-contiguous fields by pressing Ctrl and clicking each
field. You can then change the display status or the colour by right-clicking on the selected
fields and selecting the choice from the context menu.
The selected fields are displayed in the Drive Test Data window.
4. You can display the data in the drive test data path in two ways:
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If you open the table for the drive test data you are displaying in the Drive Test Data
window, Atoll will automatically display in the table the data for the point that is
displayed in the map and in the Drive Test Data window (see Figure 8.19 on page 603).
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4. Click OK. Atoll creates new CW measurements for transmitters satisfying the parameters set in the CW Measurement
Extraction dialog box.
For more information about CW measurements, see the Model Calibration Guide.
Before starting a co-planning project in Atoll, the Atoll administrator must perform the
pre-requisite tasks that are relevant for your project as described in the Administrator
Manual.
Sectors of both networks can share the same sites database. You can display base stations (sites and sectors), geographic data,
and coverage predictions, etc., of one network in the other networks Atoll document. In addition, you can optimise the
settings of the two networks using the Atoll Automatic Cell Planning (ACP) module.
You can also study inter-technology handovers by performing inter-technology neighbour allocations, manually or automati-
cally. Inter-technology neighbours are allocated on criteria such as the distance between sectors or overlapping coverage.
In this section, the following are explained:
"Switching to Co-planning Mode" on page 605
"Working with Coverage Predictions in Co-Planning Mode" on page 607
"Creating a UMTS Sector From a Sector in the Other Network" on page 611
"Planning Neighbours in Co-planning Mode" on page 611
"Using ACP in a Co-planning Project" on page 612
"Ending Co-planning Mode" on page 613
Before starting a co-planning project, make sure that your main and linked documents
have the same geographic coordinate systems.
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a. Click the main documents map window. The main documents map window becomes active and the explorer win-
dow shows the contents of the main document.
b. Select Document > Link With > Browse. The Link With dialog box appears.
c. Select the document to be linked.
d. Click Open.
The selected document is opened in the same Atoll session as the main document and the two documents are linked.
The explorer window of the main document now contains a folder named Transmitters in [linked document], where
[linked document] is the name of the linked document and another folder named Predictions in [linked document].
By default, only the Transmitters and Predictions folders of the linked document appear
in the main document. If you want the Sites folder of the linked document to appear in the
main document as well, you can set an option in the Atoll.ini file. For information on setting
options in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
As soon as a link is created between the two documents, Atoll switches to co-planning mode and Atolls co-planning features
are now available.
When you are working on a co-planning document, Atoll facilitates working on two different but linked documents by
synchronising the display in the map window between both documents. Atoll syncronises the display for the following:
Geographic data: Atoll synchronises the display of geographic data such as clutter classes and the DTM. If you select
or deselect one type of geographic data, Atoll makes the corresponding change in the linked document.
Zones: Atoll synchronises the display of filtering, focus, computation, hot spot, printing, and geographic export zones.
If you select or deselect one type of zone, Atoll makes the corresponding change in the linked document.
Map display: Atoll co-ordinates the display of the map in the map window. When you move the map, or change the
zoom level in one document, Atoll makes the corresponding changes in the linked document.
Point analysis: When you use the Point Analysis tool, Atoll co-ordinates the display on both the working document
and the linked document. You can select a point and view the profile in the main document and then switch to the
linked document to make an analysis on the same profile but in the linked document.
After you have switched to co-planning mode as explained in "Switching to Co-planning Mode" on page 605, transmitters and
predictions from the linked document are displayed in the main document. If you want, you can display other items or folders
from the explorer window of the linked document to the explorer window of the main document (e.g., you can display GSM
sites and measurement paths in a UMTS document).
To display sites from the linked document in the main document:
1. Click the linked documents map window. The linked documents map window becomes active and the explorer
window shows the contents of the linked document.
2. Select the Network explorer.
3. Right-click the Sites folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Make Accessible In from the context menu, and select the name of the main document from the submenu that
opens.
The Sites folder of the linked document is now available in the main document. The explorer window of the main document
now contains a folder named Sites in [linked document], where [linked document] is the name of the linked document. If you
want the Sites folder of the linked document to appear in the main document automatically, you can set an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For information on setting options in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
The same process can be used to link other folders in one document, folders such as CW Measurements, Drive Test Data,
Clutter classes, Traffic Maps, and DTM, etc., in the other document.
Once the folders are linked, you can access their properties and the properties of the items in the folders from either of the
two documents. Any changes you make in the linked document are taken into account in the both the linked and main docu-
ments. However, the only changes in the working document that are taken into account in the linked document are changes
made to the linked folders (e.g., the Transmitters and Predictions folders).
If you close the linked document, Atoll displays a warning icon ( ) in the main documents explorer window, and the linked
items are no longer accessible from the main document. You can load the linked document in Atoll again by right-clicking the
linked item in the explorer window of the main document, and selecting Open Linked Document.
The administrator can create and set a configuration file for the display parameters of linked and main document transmitters
in order to enable you to distinguish them on the map and to be able to select them on the map using the mouse. If such a
configuration file has not been set up, you can choose different symbols, sizes and colours for the linked and the main docu-
ment transmitters. For more information on folder configurations, see "Folder Configurations" on page 106. You can also set
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the tip text to enable you to distinguish the objects and data displayed on the map. For more information on tip text, see
"Associating a Tip Text to an Object" on page 54.
In order to more easily view differences between the networks, you can also change the order of the folders or items in the
explorer window. For more information on changing the order of items in the explorer window, see "Changing the Order of
Layers" on page 50.
Figure 8.21 shows an example of UMTS transmitters with labels, and GSM transmitter data displayed in tip text.
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To force Atoll to recalculate all path loss matrices before calculating coverage predictions:
1. Click the Force Calculate button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar.
When you click the Force Calculate button, Atoll first removes existing path loss matrices, recalculates them and then
calculates unlocked coverages predictions defined in the main and linked Predictions folders.
To prevent Atoll from calculating coverage predictions in the linked Predictions folder, you
can set an option in the Atoll.ini file. For information on setting options in the Atoll.ini file,
see the Administrator Manual.
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Figure 8.24: GSM coverage by transmitter high transparency with full interior coloured by BCCH, with BCCH/BSIC
information available in tip text
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Figure 8.25: New sector Before and after applying the configuration
The azimuths and mechanical tilts of secondary antennas or remote antennas are not
included when you select Update Folder Configuration and have to be set up manually.
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Min EcIo: Enter the minimum EcIo which must be provided by reference cell A in an overlapping area. Reference
cell A must also be the best server in terms of pilot quality in the overlapping area.
Handover margin: Enter the maximum difference of Ec/Io between reference cell A and possible neighbour cell B
in the overlapping area. You can select whether Atoll should use a Global value of the handover margin for all the
cells, or the handover margins Defined per cell.
Max EcIo: If you want, you can select this check box then enter the maximum difference of EcIo between refer-
ence cell A and potential neighbour cell B in the overlapping area.
The Max Ec/Io field is not available when UMTS is the target technology.
DL load contributing to Io: You can select whether Atoll should use a Global value (% Pmax) of the downlink load
for all the cells, or the downlink loads Defined per cell.
Shadowing Taken into Account: If selected, enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
Indoor Coverage: Select this check box to take indoor losses into acccount in calculations. Indoor losses are
defined per frequency per clutter class.
The neighbour relation fulfils the defined coverage Use coverage conditions is selected
Coverage
conditions and nothing is selected under Force
The neighbour is located on the same site as the Use coverage conditions is selected
Co-Site
reference transmitter/cell and Co-site neighbours is selected
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For every pair of carriers that is not defined, Atoll assumes that there is no inter-carrier interference.
d. Press ENTER to create the carrier pair and to create a new row in the table.
When you have more than one frequency band, the carriers must be numbered
sequentially, contiguously (i.e., you cannot skip numbers in a range of carriers, and the
range of carriers in one band cannot overlap the range of carriers in another), and
uniquely (i.e., you can only use each number once).
For example: Band 2100: First carrier: 0; Last carrier 1 and Band 900: First carrier: 2 and
Last carrier: 2
3. When you have finished adding frequency bands, click the Close button ( ).
For example, if you wish to define the UTRA Band I and UARFCNs corresponding to the centre frequencies of the carriers
(10562, 10587, 10612), you can set:
Name: UTRA Band I
DL start frequency: 2110
First carrier: 10562
Last carrier: 10612
Step: 25
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You can also access the properties dialog box of each individual frequency band by double-clicking the left margin of the row
with the frequency band.
You must select either the RSCP Active check box or the EcI0 Active check box or both.
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EbNt UL and DL Target Increase: When compressed mode is activated, EbNt requirements in UL and DL are
increased. In order to take this into account, Atoll adds UL and DL EbNt target increase values to the UL and DL
EbNt requirements set for each radio bearer.
HSDPA: Under HSDPA, you can define how total noise is calculated and how the CQI (Channel Quality Indicator) is
evaluated for HSDPA.
Nt: You can select "Total noise" and Atoll will calculate Nt as the noise generated by all transmitters plus thermal
noise or you can select "Without useful signal" and Atoll will calculate Nt as the total noise less the signal of the
studied cell.
CQI: You can select Based on CPICH quality and Atoll will measure the CQI based on the pilot EcNt or you can
select Based on HS-PDSCH quality and Atoll will measure the CQI based on the HS-PDSCH EcNt. Depending on
the option selected, you will have to define either a CQI=f(CPICH Ec/Nt) graph, or a CQI=f(HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt) graph
in the Properties dialog box of the terminal equipment. The calculated CQI will be used to determine the best
bearer.
A minimum pilot RSCP threshold can be defined at the cell level (in the cell Properties
dialog box or in the Cells table). If defined, a cell-specific minimum pilot RSCP threshold will
be used instead of the value entered here.
Receiver: Under Receiver, you can enter the Height of the receiver.
Default max range: The maximum coverage range of transmitters in the network.
3. When you have finished adding network layers, click the Close button ( ).
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The maximum and minimum traffic channel powers can be either absolute values or values
relative to the pilot power; this depends on the option defined on the Global Parameters
tab of the UMTS Network Settings Properties dialog box. These values have to be manu-
ally modified when the option is changed.
DL Spreading Factor (Active Users): Enter or modify the downlink spreading factor for active users. This parameter
is used to estimate the number of OVSF codes required by an active user using the R99 radio bearer.
DL Spreading Factor (Inactive Users): Enter or modify the downlink spreading factor for inactive users. This
parameter is used to estimate the number of OVSF codes required by an inactive user with the R99 radio bearer.
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HSDPA bearers using 64QAM modulation (following improvements introduced by release 7 of the 3GPP UTRA speci-
fications, referred to as HSPA+). These HSDPA bearers can be allocated to users connected to cells with HSPA+ capa-
bilities only.
You can create new HSDPA radio bearers and modify existing ones by using the HSDPA Radio Bearers table.
To open the HSDPA Radio Bearers table:
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the UMTS Network Settings folder and the Radio Bearers folder, right-click the
HSDPA Radio Bearers folder, and select Open Table from the context menu. The HSDPA Radio Bearers table appears
with the following information:
Radio Bearer Index: The bearer index number.
Transport Block Size (Bits): The transport block size in bits.
Number of Used HS-PDSCH Channels: The number of HS-PDSCH channels used.
Peak RLC Throughput (bps): The peak RLC throughput represents the peak throughput without coding (redun-
dancy, overhead, addressing, etc.).
Modulation: The modulation used. You can choose between QPSK, 16QAM or 64QAM.
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MUD factor: Multi-User Detection (MUD) is a technology used to decrease intra-cell interference in the uplink.
MUD is modelled by a coefficient from 0 to 1; this factor is considered in the UL interference calculation. In case
MUD is not supported by equipment, enter 0 as value.
Rake factor: The rake receiver efficiency factor enables Atoll to model the rake receiver on UL. Atoll uses this
factor to calculate the uplink SHO gain and uplink signal quality in simulations, point-to-point handover analysis
and coverage predictions. This parameter is considered in the uplink for softer and softer-softer handovers; it is
applied to the sum of signals received on the same site. The factor value can be from 0 to 1. It models losses due
to the imperfection of signal recombination.
The rake receiver efficiency factor used to model the recombination in downlink can be set
in terminal properties.
Carrier selection: Carrier selection refers to the carrier selection method used during the transmitter admission
control in the mobile active set. The selected strategy is used in simulations when no carrier is specified in the
properties of the service (all the carriers can be used for the service) or when the carrier specified for the service
is not used by the transmitter. The specified carrier selection mode is not taken into account in predictions (AS
analysis, multi-point analysis and coverage predictions). Choose one of the following:
Min. UL Load Factor: The carrier with the minimum UL noise (carrier with the lowest UL load factor) is select-
ed.
Min. DL Total Power: The carrier with the minimum DL total power is selected.
Random: The carrier is randomly chosen.
Sequential: Carriers are sequentially loaded. The first carrier is selected as long as it is not overloaded. Then,
when the maximum uplink load factor is reached, the second carrier is chosen and so on.
Downlink and Uplink Overhead Resources for Common Channels/Cell: The uplink and downlink overhead
resources for common channels/cell correspond to the numbers of channel elements that a cell uses for common
channels in the uplink and downlink. This setting is also used for OVSF code allocation; it indicates the number of
OVSF codes to be allocated to control channels per cell.
AS restricted to neighbours: Select this option if you want the other transmitters in the active set to belong to the
neighbour list of the best server.
Compressed Mode: If you select this option, cells located on sites with this equipment are able to manage com-
pressed mode when radio conditions require it. Compressed mode is generally used to prepare the hard handover
of users with single receiver terminals.
By setting an option in the Atoll.ini file, you can prevent Atoll from allocating inter-carrier
and inter-technology neighbours to cells located on sites whose equipment does not
support the compressed mode. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
Overhead Iub Throughput/Cell (kbps): The overhead Iub throughput per cell corresponds to the Iub throughput
required by the cell for common channels in the downlink.
HSDPA Iub Backhaul Overhead (%): The HSDPA Iub backhaul overhead corresponds to the percentage of the
HSDPA bearer peak RLC throughput to be added to the peak RLC throughput. The total value corresponds to the
Iub backhaul throughput required by the HSDPA bearer user for HS Channels in the downlink.
Throughput Supported per E1/T1/Ethernet Link (kbps): The throughput supported per E1/T1/Ethernet link cor-
responds to the throughput carried by an E1/T1/Ethernet link. This parameter is used to calculate the required Iub
capacity, i.e. the number of E1/T1/Ethernet links required to provide the total throughput.
Dual-band HSDPA: Select Active if the site supports the dual-band HSDPA mode. Otherwise, select Inactive. When
dual-band HSDPA is active, HSDPA bearer users with suitable terminals can simultaneously connect to two co-site
transmitters using different frequency bands. If the two co-site transmitters work on the same frequency band,
then HSDPA bearer users can only connect to the HSDPA cells of one transmitter.
Scheduler Algorithm: The scheduling technique used by the Node B to rank the HSDPA bearer users to be served
when the Node B supports the multi-cell HSDPA mode. You can select the scheduler from the list of schedulers
available in the Schedulers table. For more information, see "Defining HSDPA Schedulers" on page 622.
3. Click the Close button ( ) to close the table.
8.7.6.2 Defining Resource Consumption per UMTS Site Equipment and R99 Radio
Bearer
The number of channel elements and the Iub backhaul throughput consumed by an R99 bearer user depend on the site equip-
ment, on the R99 radio bearer, and on the link direction (up or down). The number of channel elements and the Iub backhaul
throughput consumed can be defined for UMTS simulations.
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To define channel element and Iub backhaul throughput consumption during UMTS simulations:
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the UMTS Network Settings folder and the Radio Resource Management folder,
right-click R99 Resource Consumption, and select Open Table from the context menu. The R99 Resource Consump-
tion table appears.
2. For each equipment-R99 radio bearer pair, enter in the R99 Resource Consumption table the number of UL and DL
channel elements and the UL and DL Iub backhaul throughputs that Atoll will consume during the power control sim-
ulation.
8.7.6.3 Defining Resource Consumption per UMTS Site Equipment and HSUPA Ra-
dio Bearer
The number of channel elements and the Iub backhaul throughput consumed by a HSUPA bearer user in the uplink depend
on the site equipment and on the HSUPA radio bearer. The number of channel elements and the Iub backhaul throughput
consumed can be defined for UMTS simulations.
To define channel element and Iub backhaul throughput consumption during UMTS simulations:
1. Select the Parameters explorer.
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the UMTS Network Settings folder and the Radio Resource Management folder,
right-click HSUPA Resource Consumption, and select Open Table from the context menu. The HSUPA Resource
Consumption table appears.
2. For each equipment-HSUPA radio bearer pair, enter in the HSUPA Resource Consumption table the number of UL
channel elements and the UL Iub backhaul throughput that Atoll will consume during the power control simulation.
You can create a new reception equipment type by right-clicking the Reception Equipment
folder and selecting New from the context menu.
3. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can define the Name of the reception equipment.
4. Click the R99 Bearer Selection tab. On the R99 Bearer Selection tab, you can define downlink and uplink EbNt
requirements. These are the thresholds (in dB) that must be reached to provide users with the service. These param-
eters depend on the mobility type.
Using transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) diversity results in a quality gain on received downlink and uplink EbNt. You can
specify gains on received downlink and uplink EbNt for each diversity configuration. Atoll will consider them when Tx
or Rx diversity configurations are assigned to transmitters.
R99 Bearer: Select an R99 bearer from the list.
Mobility: Select a mobility type from the list.
UL Target (dB): Enter or modify the uplink (EbNt) threshold.
Uplink 2RX Diversity Gain (dB): Enter or modify the two-receiver uplink diversity gain in dB.
Uplink 4RX Diversity Gain (dB): Enter or modify the four-receiver uplink diversity gain in dB.
DL Target (dB): Enter or modify the downlink (EbNt) threshold.
Downlink Open Loop Diversity Gain (dB): Enter or modify the downlink open loop diversity gain in dB.
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Downlink Closed Loop Diversity Gain (dB): Enter or modify the downlink closed loop diversity gain in dB.
5. Click the Quality Graphs tab.
6. Ensure that a Quality Indicator has been chosen for each R99 Bearer. You can edit the values in the DL and UL Quality
Indicator Tables by clicking directly on the table entry, or by selecting the Quality Indicator and clicking the Downlink
Quality Graphs or the Uplink Quality Graphs buttons.
The DL and UL Quality Indicator tables describe the variation of the quality indicator as a function of the measured
parameter (as defined in the Quality Indicators table). The Uplink and Downlink Quality Graphs are used for quality
predictions.
7. Click the HSDPA Bearer Selection tab.
8. Ensure that the values for each Mobility in the CQI Table and the Best HSDPA Bearer Table have been entered. You
can edit the values in the CQI Table and the Best HSDPA Bearer Table by clicking directly on the table entry, or by
selecting the Mobility and clicking the CQI Graph or the Best Bearer Graph buttons.
The CQI table describes the variation of the CPICH CQI as a function of the CPICH Ec/Nt (or the variation of HS-PDSCH
CQI as a function of the HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt); the values displayed depend on the calculation parameter you have selected
in the Global Parameters tab of the UMTS Network Settings Properties dialog box (for more information, see
"Network Settings Properties" on page 615).
The HS-PDSCH CQI table describes the index of the best HSDPA bearer as a function of the HS-PDSCH CQI.
The CQI graphs and best bearer graphs are used in the simulation and in the HSDPA prediction to model fast link adap-
tation (selection of the HSDPA bearer).
The supplier RRM (radio resource management) strategy can be taken into account using the HS-PDSCH CQI table, for
example:
You can define several pieces of reception equipment with a separate table for each. You can reserve low bearer
indexes for poor-performance reception equipment and higher bearer indexes for high-performance equipment.
You can specify a graph for each mobility. Here, you can reserve low bearer indexes for high speeds and higher
bearer indexes for low speeds.
You can also give priority to either one user by assigning him a high bearer index or to all users by assigning them
low bearer indexes.
9. Click the HSDPA Quality Graphs tab.
10. Ensure that a Quality Indicator has been chosen for each Radio Bearer Index. You can edit the values in the DL Quality
Indicator Table by clicking directly on the table entry, or by selecting the Quality Indicator and clicking the Downlink
Quality Graph button.
The HSDPA BLER table describes the variation of the BLER as a function of the HS-PDSCH EcNt. It is used to calculate
the application throughput for the HSDPA coverage prediction.
11. Click the HSUPA Bearer Selection tab.
12. Ensure that, for each Radio Bearer Index and Mobility pair, you have entered a value for the Number of Retransmis-
sions and for the Requested EcNt Threshold. You can edit the values in the Early Termination Probabilities table by
clicking directly on the table entry, or by selecting the Radio Bearer Index and clicking the Early Termination Proba-
bility Graph button.
The Number of Retransmissions and the Requested EcNt Threshold values are used in the simulation and in the
HSUPA prediction to model noise rise scheduling and in the selection of the HSUPA radio bearer.
The Early Termination Probabilities table describes the variation of the early termination probability as a function of
the number of retransmissions. It is used in the HSUPA prediction to calculate the average RLC throughput and the
average application throughput when HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) is used.
13. Click the HSUPA Quality Graphs tab.
14. Ensure that a Quality Indicator has been chosen for each Radio Bearer Index and that there is a value defined for the
Number of Retransmissions. You can edit the values in the UL Quality Indicator Table by clicking directly on the table
entry, or by selecting the Quality Indicator and clicking the Uplink Quality Graph button.
The HSUPA BLER table describes the variation of the BLER as a function of the E-DPDCH EcNt. It is used to calculate
the application throughput for the HSUPA coverage prediction.
15. Click the MIMO tab.
16. Ensure that, for each HSDPA Radio Bearer Index and Mobility pair, you have entered a value for the Number of Trans-
mission Antennas Ports, for the Number of Reception Antennas Ports and for the Transmit Diversity Gain. You can
edit the values in the Max Spatial Multiplexing Gains table by clicking directly on the table entry, or by selecting the
Mobility and clicking the Max Spatial Multiplexing Gain Graph button.
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The Max Spatial Multiplexing Gains table describes the variation of the maximum spatial multiplexing gain as a func-
tion of the HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt (dB).
For more information on the different MIMO systems, see "Multiple Input Multiple Output Systems" on page 623.
17. Click OK to close the reception equipment types Properties dialog box.
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The random parameter is calculated by giving both the user simulation rank and the CQI a
weight of 50%. You can change the default weights by setting the appropriate options in
the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
The Schedulers table lists the available schedulers. You can add, remove, and modify scheduler properties, if you want.
To define schedulers:
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the LTE Network Settings folder, right-click Schedulers, and select Open Table.
The Schedulers table appears.
2. In the table, enter one scheduler per row. For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
For each scheduler, enter:
Name: Enter a name for the scheduler. This name will appear in the cell properties.
Scheduling method: Select the scheduling method used to rank the HSDPA bearer users to be served.
You can open a schedulers properties dialog box by double-clicking the corresponding row in the Schedulers table. In
the properties dialog box, a MUG tab is available for Proportional fair schedulers. On the MUG tab, you can define
the throughput gain due to multi-user diversity. The average cell throughput is higher with multiple users than with a
single user. It is used to calculate the peak gross throughput per cell when the scheduling algorithm is "Proportional
Fair" and if you have set the peak HSDPA throughput option in the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Admin-
istrator Manual.
Note that you can enter MUG graphs for different configurations in terms of numbers of cells to which the users are
connected.
Transmit or receive diversity uses more than one transmission or reception antenna to send or receive more than one copy
of the same signal. The signals are constructively combined (using optimum selection or maximum ratio combining) at the
receiver to extract the useful signal. As the receiver gets more than one copy of the useful signal, the signal level at the receiver
after combination of all the copies is more resistant to interference than a single signal would be. Therefore, diversity
improves the quality at the receiver. It is often used for the regions of a cell that have bad quality conditions.
In Atoll, you can define whether a cell supports transmit diversity by selecting HSPA+ and Transmit Diversity in cell properties
(see "Cell Properties" on page 518). Diversity gains on downlink can be defined in the reception equipment for different
numbers of transmission and reception antenna ports, mobility types and HSDPA bearers. For more information on downlink
diversity gains, see "Creating or Modifying Reception Equipment" on page 620. Additional gain values can be defined per clut-
ter class. For information on setting the additional downlink diversity gain for each clutter class or for all clutter classes, see
"Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 127.
During calculations in Atoll, a user (mobile, pixel, or point receiver) using a MIMO-capable terminal, and connected to a cell
that supports HSPA+ with transmit diversity, will benefit from the downlink diversity HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt gain.
Spatial Multiplexing
Spatial multiplexing uses more than one transmission antenna to send different signals (data streams) on each antenna. The
receiver can also have more than one antenna for receiving different signals. When spatial multiplexing is used with M trans-
mission and N reception antenna ports, the throughput over the transmitter-receiver link can be theoretically increased M or
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N times, depending on which is smaller, M or N. Spatial multiplexing improves the throughput (i.e., the channel capacity) for
a given HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt, and is used for the regions of a cell that have sufficient HS-PDSCH EcNt conditions.
In Atoll, you can define whether a cell supports spatial multiplexing by selecting HSPA+ and Spatial Multiplexing in the cell
properties (see "Cell Properties" on page 518). Spatial multiplexing capacity gains can be defined in the reception equipment
for different numbers of transmission and reception antenna ports, mobility types, and HSDPA bearers. For more information
on spatial multiplexing gains, see "Creating or Modifying Reception Equipment" on page 620.
During calculations in Atoll, a user (mobile, pixel, or point receiver) using a MIMO-capable terminal, and connected to a cell
that supports HSPA+ with spatial multiplexing, will benefit from the spatial multiplexing gain in its throughput depending on
its HS-PDSCH EcNt.
Because spatial multiplexing improves the channel capacity or throughputs, the HS-PDSCH EcNt of a user is determined first.
Once the HS-PDSCH EcNt is known, Atoll determines the corresponding CQI and calculates the user throughput based on the
bearer available at the user location. The obtained user throughput is then increased according to the spatial multiplexing
capacity gain and the Spatial Multiplexing Gain Factor of the users clutter class. The capacity gains defined in Max Spatial
Multiplexing Gain graphs are the maximum theoretical capacity gains using spatial multiplexing. Spatial multiplexing requires
a rich multipath environment, without which the gain is reduced. In the worst case, there is no gain. Therefore, you can define
a Spatial Multiplexing Gain Factor per clutter class whose value can vary from 0 to 1 (0 = no gain, 1 = 100% gain). For infor-
mation on setting the Spatial multiplexing Gain Factor for each clutter class or for all clutter classes, see "Defining Clutter
Class Properties" on page 127.
The spatial multiplexing capacity gain vs. HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt graphs available in Atoll by default have been generated based on
the maximum theoretical spatial multiplexing capacity gains obtained using the following equations:
CC MIMO
G MIMO = ---------------------
-
CC SISO
Ec
-------
TX RX Nt HS PDSCH
Where CC MIMO = Min N Ant N Ant Log 2 1 + ------------------------------------------ is the channel capacity at a given HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt for a
TX RX
Min N Ant N Ant
Ec
MIMO system using N Ant transmission and N Ant reception antenna ports. CCSISO = Log 2 1 + ------- is the chan-
TX RX
Nt HS PDSCH
nel capacity for a single antenna system at a given HS-PDSCH EcNt. HS-PDSCH EcNt is used as a ratio (and not dB) in these
formulas. You can replace the default spatial multiplexing capacity gain graphs with graphs extracted from simulated or meas-
ured values.
The candidate cells are ranked according to the best server indicator ( I BS ). The cell with the highest I BS is selected as the
best serving cell.
Each other cell of the active set is selected among the potential serving cells as follows:
It must use the same carrier as the best serving cell.
The pilot quality difference between the cell and the best serving cell must not exceed the AS-threshold set per cell.
If you have selected to restrict the active set to neighbours, the cell must be a neighbour of the best serving cell. You
can restrict the active set to neighbours by selecting the AS Restricted to Neighbours option in the Site Equipment
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table. For an explanation of how to set the AS Restricted to Neighbours option, see "Creating Site Equipment" on
page 618.
The active set for HSDPA users is different in the following way: HSDPA physical channels do not support soft handover, there-
fore the user is never connected to more than one transmitter at a time.
For a description of the properties of a cell, see "Cell Properties" on page 518. For information on accessing the parameters
defined for a given cell, see "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 523. For more information on defining layers, see "Defining
Network Deployment Layers" on page 616.
You can return to the old best serving cell selection mechanism as in Atoll 3.2.1, by setting
an option in the Atoll.ini file. For more information about setting options in the Atoll.ini file,
see the Administrator Manual.
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Eb/Nt difference between the best server and the second one. This value is used to calculate UL macro-diversity
gains.
2nd - 3rd Best Signal Difference: If you selected "EcI0" as the standard deviation under Standard Deviation, enter
the allowed EcI0 difference between the second-best server and the third one. This value is used to calculate DL
macro-diversity gains. If you selected "EbNt UL" as the standard deviation under Standard Deviation, enter the
allowed Eb/Nt difference between the second-best server and the third one. This value is used to calculate UL
macro-diversity gains.
4. Click Calculate. The calculated shadowing margin is displayed. If you selected "EcI0" or "EbNt UL" as the standard
deviation under Standard Deviation, Atoll also displays the macro-diversity gains for two links and for three links.
5. Click Close to close the dialog box.
Interference received by cells on the uplink: Interference can be received by cells of a UMTS network on the uplink
from external base stations and mobiles in the vicinity.
Interference from external base stations (also called downlink-to-uplink interference) can be created by insufficient
separation between the downlink frequency used by the external network and the uplink frequency used by your
UMTS network. Such interference may also come from co-existing TDD networks.
Interference from external mobiles (also called uplink-to-uplink interference) can be created by the use of same or
nearby frequencies for uplink in both networks. Unless the exact locations of external mobiles is known, it is not possi-
ble to separate interference received from external base stations and mobiles on the uplink. The effect of this inter-
ference is modelled in Atoll using the Additional UL Noise Rise definable for each cell in the UMTS network. This noise
rise is taken into account in uplink interference-based calculations in the simulation. However, this noise rise is not
taken into consideration in predictions (AS Analysis, multi-point analysis and coverage predictions) and does not have
an impact on the calculation of the cell reuse factor. For more information on the Additional UL Noise Rise, see "Cell
Properties" on page 518.
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Interference received from external base stations on mobiles of your UMTS network can be calculated by Atoll. Atoll uses
inter-technology interference reduction factor (IRF) graphs for calculating the interference levels. An IRF graph represents the
variation of the Adjacent Channel Interference Ratio (ACIR) as a function of frequency separation. ACIR is determined from
the Adjacent Channel Suppression (ACS) and the Adjacent Channel Leakage Ratio (ACLR) parameters as follows:
1
ACIR = -------------------------------------
1 1
------------- + -----------------
ACS ACLR
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628
Chapter 9
CDMA2000
Networks
This chapter covers the following topics:
"Planning and Optimising CDMA Base Stations" on
page 631
This chapter provides "Studying CDMA2000 Network Capacity" on page 687
information on using Atoll to
"Optimising Network Parameters Using ACP" on
design, analyse, and
page 700
optimise a CDMA2000
network. "Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data"
on page 704
"Co-planning CDMA Networks with Other Networks" on
page 716
"Advanced Configuration" on page 725
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9 CDMA2000 Networks
Atoll enables you to create and modify all aspects of CDMA2000 1xRTT (1st eXpansion Radio Telephone Technology) and
CDMA2000 1xEV-DO (1xEvolution Data Only) Rev. 0, Rev. A and Rev. B networks. Once you have created the network, Atoll
offers many tools to let you verify the network. Based on the results of your tests, you can modify any of the parameters defin-
ing the network.
Planning the CDMA network and creating the network of base stations is explained in "Planning and Optimising CDMA Base
Stations" on page 631. Allocating neighbours is explained in "Neighbour Planning" on page 223 and allocating PN offsets is
explained in "Planning PN Offsets" on page 679. In this section, you will also find information on how you can display informa-
tion on base stations on the map and how you can use the tools in Atoll to study base stations.
In "Studying CDMA2000 Network Capacity" on page 687, using traffic maps to study network capacity is explained. Creating
simulations using the traffic map information and analysing the results of simulations is also explained.
Using drive test data paths to verify the network is explained in "Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data" on
page 704. Filtering imported drive test data paths, and using the data in coverage predictions is also explained.
The terminology used in CDMA is slightly different from the standard terminology used in Atoll. Therefore, the terminology
used in explanations reflects the standard CDMA terminology with the equivalent Atoll terminology given when references
are made to the user interface.
CDMA Atoll
handoff handover
A n te n n a
- A z im u t h
- M e c h a n i c a l t i lt
TMA
A n te n n a
- H e ig h t
F e e d e r C a b le
T r a n s m it t e r
- N o is e fig u r e
- P ow er
S it e
- X , Y c o o r d in a t e s
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Atoll lets you create one site, transmitter, or cell at a time, or create several at once by creating a station template. Using a
station template, you can create one or more base stations at the same time. In Atoll, a base station refers to a site with its
transmitters, antennas, equipment, and cells.
Atoll allows you to make a variety of coverage predictions, such as signal level or transmitter coverage predictions. The results
of calculated coverage predictions can be displayed on the map, compared, or analysed.
Atoll enables you to model network traffic by allowing you to create services, users, user profiles, environments, and termi-
nals. This data can be then used to make quality coverage predictions, such as effective service area, noise, or handoff status
predictions, on the network.
In this section, the following are explained:
"Creating a CDMA Base Station" on page 632
"Creating a Group of Base Stations" on page 645
"Modifying Sites and Transmitters Directly on the Map" on page 646
"Display Tips for Base Stations" on page 646
"Creating a Dual-Band and Tri-Band CDMA Network" on page 647
"Creating a Repeater" on page 647
"Creating a Remote Antenna" on page 651
"Studying CDMA Base Stations" on page 654
"Planning PN Offsets" on page 679.
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Name: Atoll automatically enters a default name for each new site. You can modify the default name here. If you
want to change the default name that Atoll gives to new sites, see the Administrator Manual.
Position: By default, Atoll places the new site at the centre of the map window. You can modify the location of
the site here.
While this method allows you to place a site with precision, you can also place sites using
the mouse and then position them precisely with this dialog box afterwards. For
information on placing sites using the mouse, see "Moving a Site Using the Mouse" on
page 57.
Altitude: The altitude, as defined by the DTM for the location specified under Position, is given here. You can
specify the actual altitude under Real, if you want. If an altitude is specified here, Atoll will use this value for cal-
culations.
Comments: You can enter comments in this field if you want.
The CDMA2000 tab:
Max Number of Uplink Channel Elements per Carrier: The maximum number of physical radio resources on the
reverse link per carrier for the current site. By default Atoll enters the maximum possible (256).
Max Number of Downlink Channel Elements per Carrier: The maximum number of physical radio resources on
the forward link per carrier for the current site. By default Atoll enters the maximum possible (256).
Max Number of EV-DO Channel Elements per Carrier: The maximum number of EV-DO radio resources on the
reverse link per carrier for the current site. This parameter is used only with CDMA2000 1xEV-DO. By default Atoll
enters the maximum possible (96).
With 1xEV-DO, only one user on the forward link can be served at a given time. This user consumes only one chan-
nel element. On the reverse link, there can be more than one user with each user consuming one channel element,
therefore, the maximum number of EV-DO radio resources applies only to the reverse link.
Equipment: You can select equipment from the list. To create new site equipment, see "Creating Site Equipment"
on page 729.
If no equipment is assigned to the site, Atoll uses the following default values:
Rake efficiency factor = 1
MUD factor = 0
Carrier selection = reverse link minimum noise
Forward link and reverse link overhead resources for common channels = 0
The option AS Restricted to Neighbours is not selected, the option Pool of Shared CEs is not selected, the
option Power Pooling Between Transmitters is not selected and Atoll uses one channel element on the
forward link or reverse link for any service during power control simulation.
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erties dialog box has three additional tabs: the Cells tab (see "Cell Properties" on page 635), the Propagation tab (see "Assign-
ing Propagation Parameters" on page 187), and the Display tab (see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51).
Name: By default, Atoll names the transmitter after the site it is on, adding an underscore and a number. You can
enter a name for the transmitter, but for the sake of consistency, it is better to let Atoll assign a name. If you want
to change the way Atoll names transmitters, see the Administrator Manual.
Site: You can select the Site on which the transmitter will be located. Once you have selected the site, you can
click the Browse button to access the properties of the site on which the transmitter will be located. For informa-
tion on the site Properties dialog box, see "Site Description" on page 633. You can click the New button to create
a new site on which the transmitter will be located.
Frequency Band: You can select a Frequency Band for the transmitter. Once you have selected the frequency
band, you can click the Browse button to access the properties of the band. For information on the frequency band
Properties dialog box, see "Defining Frequency Bands" on page 725.
Shared antenna: This field is used to identify the transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas located at the
same site or on sites with the same position and that share the same antenna. The entry in the field must be the
same for all transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas sharing the same antenna. When changes are made to
the position offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth, antenna height, or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically syn-
chronises the same changes to all other transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas defined as having a shared
antenna.
Under Antenna Position, you can modify the position of the antennas (main and secondary):
Relative to Site: Select this option if you want to enter the antenna positions as offsets with respect to the site
location, and enter the x-axis and y-axis offsets, Dx and Dy, respectively.
Coordinates: Select this option if you want to enter the coordinates of the antenna, and then enter the x-axis
and y-axis coordinates of the antenna, X and Y, respectively.
Max Range: You can define a maximum coverage range from the transmitter.
Active: If this transmitter is to be active, you must select the Active check box. Active transmitters are displayed
in red in the Transmitters folder of the Network explorer.
Transmission/Reception: Under Transmission/Reception, you can define the total losses and the noise figure in
the Real text boxes. Atoll can calculate losses and noise according to the characteristics of the equipment assigned
to the transmitter; the calculated values are indicated in the Computed text boxes. Atoll always considers the
values in the Real boxes in coverage predictions even if they are different from the values in the Computed boxes.
You can update the values in the Real boxes with the values in the Computed text boxes. For information, see
"Updating the Values for Total Losses and the Transmitter Equipment Noise Figure" on page 163.
You can assign equipment by using the Equipment Specifications dialog box which appears when you click the
Equipment button. For information on the Equipment Specifications dialog box, see "Assigning Equipment to a
Transmitter" on page 639.
Antennas:
Height/Ground: The Height/Ground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to
the altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the transmitter is situated on a building, the height entered must
include the height of building.
Main Antenna: Under Main Antenna, the type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse
button to access the properties of the antenna.
Click the Select button to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match
the currently selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the
operating frequency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on
page 158
Mechanical Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, Electrical Azimuth, Electrical Downtilt, and Additional electrical
downtilt display additional antenna parameters.
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The Additional Electrical Downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
The mechanical and additional electrical downtilts defined for the main antenna
are also used for the calculations of smart antennas.
Under Secondary Antennas, you can select one or more secondary antennas in the Antenna column and enter
their Azimuth, Mechanical Downtilt, Additional Electrical Downtilt, and % Power, which is the percentage of
power reserved for this particular antenna. For example, for a transmitter with one secondary antenna, if you
reserve 40% of the total power for the secondary antenna, 60% is available for the main antenna.
The Additional Electrical Downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
Cell Tab
When you create a transmitter, Atoll automatically creates a cell for the transmitter using the properties of the currently
selected station template.
The cell tab enables you to configure the properties for every cell of a transmitter. For more information on the properties of
a cell, see "Cell Properties" on page 635.
Propagation Tab
Transmitters are taken into account during calculations. Therefore, you must specify their propagation parameters. On the
Propagation tab, you can modify the following: the Propagation model, Radius, and Resolution for both the Main matrix and
the Extended matrix. For information on propagation models, see "Assigning Propagation Parameters" on page 187.
Display Tab
On the Display tab, you can modify how a transmitters are displayed. For information on changing display properties, see
"Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
You can also display the properties of a cell by double-clicking the cell in the Site explorer.
The following 1xEV-DO Rev B options apply to all the 1xEV-DO cells of the transmitter:
Under EV-DO Rev B, the following 1xEV-DO Rev B options are available:
Multi-carrier support: You can define whether the transmitter supports the multi-carrier EV-DO operation. When
multi-carrier EV-DO is active, multi-carrier EV-DO users can simultaneously connect with two or more EV-DO car-
riers of transmitters that support the mode (i.e., multi-carrier EV-DO users receive the data on several separate
carriers. In Atoll, a multi-carrier EV-DO user is referred to as a user with multi-carrier EV-DO-based services and a
multi-carrier terminal.
MUG Table: You can access the MUG (Multi-User Gain) table by clicking the Browse button. The MUG table is a
graph of gain as a function of the number of users. The average cell throughput is higher with multiple users than
with a single user. This is modelled by the MUG graph. It is used to calculate the downlink average cell throughput.
For transmitters that support multi-carrier EV-DO, this MUG graph is used in calculations instead of the MUG
graph set per cell.
Min Ec/Nt (UL): You can enter or modify the minimum Ec/Nt to operate multi-carrier EV-DO in the reverse link.
The following parameters can be set for each individual cell of the transmitter:
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Name: By default, Atoll names the cell after its transmitter, adding the carrier number in parentheses. If you change
transmitter name or carrier, Atoll does not update the cell name. You can enter a name for the cell, but for the sake
of consistency, it is better to let Atoll assign a name. If you want to change the way Atoll names cells, see the Admin-
istrator Manual.
ID: You can enter an ID for the cell. This is a user-definable network-level parameter for cell identification.
Carrier: The number of the carrier and the type of carrier. You can choose 1xRTT or 1xEV-DO as the carrier type.
Order: The display order of a cell within the transmitter. This value is used to determine the order in which information
related to a cell will be displayed in the Network explorer and on the map. This field is automatically filled by Atoll but
you can change these default values to display cells in a user-defined order.
The consistency between values stored in this field is verified by Atoll. However, inconsist-
encies may arise when tools other than Atoll modify the database. You can check for incon-
sistencies in the cell display order and fix them by selecting Data Audit > Cell Display Order
Check in the Document menu.
The following parameters are available for 1xRTT and 1xEV-DO carriers:
Active: If this cell is active, you must select the Active check box.
PN Offset Domain: The Pseudo Noise (PN) offset domain to which the cell belongs. The PN offset domain is a set
of groups, with each group containing several PN offsets.
Co-PN Reuse Distance (m): The distance within which the PN offset defined for this cell cannot be reused.
PN Offset: The PN offset is a time offset used by a cell to shift a Pseudo Noise sequence.
Ec/Io Threshold (dB): Enter the minimum EcI0 required from the cell to be the best server in the active set.
T_Drop: Enter the minimum EcI0 required from the cell not to be rejected from the active set.
Min RSCP (dBm): The minimum pilot RSCP required for a user to be connected to the cell. The pilot RSCP is com-
pared with this threshold to determine whether or not a user can be connected to the cell.
When this field is empty, Atoll uses the Default Min Pilot RSCP Threshold defined on the
Calculation Parameters tab of the Network Settings Properties dialog box.
Additional UL Noise Rise: This noise rise represents the interference created by mobiles and base stations of an
external network on this cell on the uplink. This noise rise will be taken into account in all uplink interference-
based calculations involving this cell in simulations. It is not used in predictions (AS Analysis and coverage predic-
tions). In predictions, Atoll calculates the uplink total interference from the UL load factor which includes inter-
technology uplink interference. For more information on inter-technology interference, see "Modelling Inter-
technology Interference" on page 735.
Additional DL Noise Rise: This noise rise represents the interference created by mobiles of an external network
on the mobiles served by this cell on the downlink. This noise rise will be taken into account in all downlink inter-
ference-based calculations involving this cell. For more information on inter-technology interference, see "Mod-
elling Inter-technology Interference" on page 735.
Max Number of Intra-carrier Neighbours: The maximum number of intra-carrier neighbours for this cell. This
value is used by the intra-carrier neighbour allocation algorithm.
Max Number of Inter-carrier Neighbours: The maximum number of inter-carrier neighbours for this cell. This
value is used by the inter-carrier neighbour allocation algorithm.
Max Number of Inter-technology Neighbours: The maximum number of inter-technology neighbours for this cell.
This value is used by the inter-technology neighbour allocation algorithm.
Neighbours: You can access a dialog box in which you can set both intra-technology (intra-carrier and inter-carrier)
and inter-technology neighbours by clicking the Browse button. For information on defining neighbours, see
"Editing Neighbours in the Cell Properties" on page 228.
The Browse button may not be visible in the Neighbours box if this is a new cell. You can
make the Browse button appear by clicking Apply.
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By default, the synchronisation power and paging power are set as absolute values. You
can set these values as relative to the pilot power by right-clicking the Network Settings
folder in the Parameters explorer and selecting Properties from the context menu. Then,
on the Global Parameters tab of the Properties dialog box, under DL Powers, you can
select Relative to Pilot. The synchronisation power and paging power values are automat-
ically converted and set as relative to the pilot power.
Max DL Load (% Pmax): The percentage of the maximum forward link power (set in Max Power) not to be
exceeded. This limit will be taken into account during the simulation if the options DL Load and Max DL Load
defined per cell are selected. If these options are not selected during a simulation, this value is not taken into con-
sideration.
Max UL Load Factor (%): The maximum reverse link load factor not to be exceeded. This limit can be taken into
account during the simulation. This limit will be taken into account during the simulation if the options UL Load
Factor and Max UL Load Factor defined per cell are selected. If these options are not selected during a simulation,
this value is not taken into consideration.
Total Power (dBm or %): The total transmitted power on forward link. This value can be a simulation result or can
be entered by the user.
By default, the total power is set as absolute value. You can set this value as a percentage
of the maximum power of the cell by right-clicking the Network Settings folder in the
Parameters explorer and selecting Properties from the context menu. Then, on the Global
Parameters tab of the Properties dialog box, under DL Load, you can select % Pmax. The
total power value is automatically converted and set as a percentage of the maximum
power.
UL Load Factor (%): The reverse link cell load factor. This factor corresponds to the ratio between the reverse link
total interference and the reverse link total noise. This is the global value of reverse link load factor including the
reverse link inter-technology interference. This value can be a simulation result or can be entered by the user.
Power Reserved for Pooling (dB): The power reserved for pooling is the maximum amount of power that can be
allocated to this cell by other transmitters on the site using the same carrier. This value is only used if the site
equipment allows power pooling between transmitters.
The following parameters are available for 1xEV-DO carriers:
Max Power (dBm): The power transmitted by a 1xEV-DO cell when there is at least one user. For 1xEV-DO carriers,
the transmitter equipment always transmits at maximum power (the DL maximum power) unless it has no user to
support. When there is no user, the transmitter equipment transmits a very low level of power during idle traffic
slots (DL maximum power + Idle gain).
Idle Power Gain (dB): The gain applied to the DL power when there is no active user connected to the cell. It must
be a negative value.
MUG Table: You can access the MUG (Multi-User Gain) table by clicking the Browse button. The MUG table is a
graph of gain as a function of the number of users. The average cell throughput is higher with multiple users than
with a single user. This is modelled by the MUG graph.
In transmitters that support multi-carrier EV-DO, this MUG graph is used in calculations instead of the MUG graph
set per cell.
Noise Rise Threshold (dB): The noise rise threshold. The noise rise threshold and the acceptable noise rise margin
are considered in the simulation during reverse link congestion. Atoll ensures that the cell reverse link noise rise
is within a range defined by the noise rise threshold plus the margin and the noise rise threshold minus the margin.
Acceptable Noise Rise Margin (dB): The acceptable noise rise margin.
DRC Error Rate (%): The error rate as a percentage received by the cell on the Data Rate Control (DRC) channel.
The cell may receive the DRC channel from a mobile incorrectly. If this happens, the mobile will not be scheduled
for data transmission. This value is taken into account during rate control when Atoll calculates the average cell
throughput on the forward link.
EV-DO Timeslots Dedicated to BCMCS (%): The percentage of timeslots dedicated to Broadcast/Multicast Services
(BCMCS). This parameter is taken into account during rate control when Atoll calculates the cell average forward
link throughput.
EV-DO Timeslots Dedicated to Control Channels (%): The percentage of timeslots dedicated to control channels
(control, pilot, and ACK channels). This parameter is taken into account during rate control when Atoll calculates
the cell average forward link throughput.
BCMCS Throughput (kbps): The BCMCS throughput. Two throughput values are available: 204.8 kbps and
409.6 kbps. This parameter is taken into account during rate control when Atoll calculates the cell average for-
ward link throughput.
Max UL Load Factor (%): The maximum reverse link load factor not to be exceeded. This limit can be taken into
account during the simulation.
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Total Power (dBm): The total transmitted power on forward link. This value can be a simulation result or can be
entered by the user.
UL Load Factor (%): The reverse link cell load factor. This factor corresponds to the ratio between the reverse link
total interference and the reverse link total noise. This is the global value for the reverse link load factor including
the reverse link inter-technology interference. This value can be a simulation result or can be entered by the user.
Max No. of EV-DO Users: The maximum number of EV-DO carrier users that this cell can support at any given time.
Multi-carrier EV-DO users are counted once in each cell they are connected to.
Alternatively, you can create a new site by entering its coordinates and properties as
described in "Site Description" on page 633, by right-clicking the Sites folder and selecting
New from the context menu.
If you are creating several sites at the same time, or modifying several existing sites, you
can do it quickly by editing or pasting the data directly in the Sites table. You can open
the Sites table by right-clicking the Sites folder in the Network explorer and selecting
Open Table from the context menu. For information on copying and pasting data, see
"Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
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If you are creating several transmitters at the same time, or modifying several
existing transmitters, you can do it more quickly by editing or pasting the data
directly in the Transmitters table. You can open the Transmitters table by right-
clicking the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and selecting Open Table
from the context menu. For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying
and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
If you want to add a transmitter to an existing site on the map, you can add the
transmitter by right-clicking the site and selecting New Transmitter from the con-
text menu.
If you are creating or modifying several cells at the same time, you can do it more
quickly by editing the data directly in the Cells table. You can open the Cells table
by right-clicking the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and selecting
Cells > Open Table from the context menu. You can either edit the data in the table,
paste data into the table (see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82), or
import data into the table (see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 86).
If you want to add a cell to an existing transmitter on the map, you can add the cell
by right-clicking the transmitter and selecting New Cell from the context menu.
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Any loss related to the noise due to a transmitters repeater is included in the calculated
reception losses.
4. Click OK.
To place the station more accurately, you can zoom in on the map before you click
the New Station button. For information on using the zooming tools, see "Changing
the Map Scale" on page 60.
If you let the pointer rest over the station you have placed, Atoll displays its tip text
with its exact coordinates, allowing you to verify that the location is correct.
When you place a new station using a station template as explained in "Placing a New Station Using a Station Template" on
page 640, the site is created at the same time as the station. However, you can also place a new station on an existing site.
To place a station on an existing site:
1. In the Network explorer, clear the display check box beside the Hexagonal Design folder.
2. In the Radio Planning toolbar, select a template from the list.
General Tab
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The Additional electrical downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
Under Path loss matrices, you can modify the following: the Main propagation model, the Main radius, and the Main
resolution, and the Extended propagation model, the Extended radius, and the Extended resolution. For information
on propagation models, see Chapter 4: Radio Calculations and Models.
Under Comments, you can add additional information. The information you enter will be the default information in
the Comments field of any transmitter created using this station template.
Transmitter Tab
Active: Select this option to specify whether the transmitter is active. Active transmitters are displayed in red in the
CDMA Transmitters folder of the Network explorer.
Click the Equipment button to modify the tower-mounted amplifier (TMA), feeder cables, or transmitter equipment.
For information on the Equipment Specifications dialog box, see "Assigning Equipment to a Transmitter" on page 639.
The Total losses (transmission and reception) and Noise figure (reception) in the Computed columns is calculated
from the information that was entered in the Equipment Specifications dialog box. The Total losses (transmission and
reception) Noise figure (reception) in the Real columns can be edited. Any value that you enter must be positive.
Any loss related to the noise due to the repeater of a transmitter is included in the calcu-
lated losses. Atoll always considers the values in the Real boxes in coverage predictions
even if they are different from the values in the Computed boxes.
CDMA Tab
On this tab, you can modify the specifications of the Carriers (each corresponding to a cell) that each transmitter supports.
Carrier: You can select the numbers for each sector of the station template. To select the carriers to be added to the
sectors of a base station created using this station template, click the Browse button and select the carriers to be cre-
ated for each sector of the station.
PN Offset: Define the Reuse Distance and the Domain of the pseudo noise offset.
Power: Specify the Pilot, the Paging, and the Synchro powers, and the Idle Power Gain.
Simulation Constraints: Specify the Max Power, the Max DL Load (defined as a percentage of the maximum
power), and the Max UL Load Factor.
Load Conditions: Specify the Total Transmitted Power and the UL Load Factor.
Active Set: Specify the Min Ec/Io and the T-Drop.
Additional Interference: Set the DL Noise Rise and the UL Noise Rise. For more information on inter-technology
interference, see "Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 735.
You can also modify the Number of Uplink and Downlink Channel Elements and select the Equipment.
For information on carriers and cells, see "Cell Properties" on page 635.
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CDMA2000 Tab
Use this tab to specify additional carrier parameters (each corresponding to a cell) that each transmitter supports. For infor-
mation on carriers and cells, see "Cell Properties" on page 635.
Power Reserved for Pooling: Specify the power that is reserved for pooling.
1xRTT: Specify the Pilot Power, the Paging Power, and the Synchro Power.
1xEV-DO: Specify the Idle Power Gain, the Max. Number of EV-DO Channel Elements per Carrier, and you can modify
the MUG (multi-user gain) table.
Rev. 0: Specify the Noise Rise Threshold, the Acceptable Noise Rise Margin, and the DRC Error Rate.
Rev. A: Set the Timeslot BCMCS, the Timeslot Control Channels, and the BCMCS Throughput.
Rev. B: Select whether Multi-carrier EV-DO is supported and you can enter a MUG=f(No. Users) graph and define the
min Ec/Nt (UL).
Neighbours Tab
On this tab, you can modify the Max Number of Intra- and Inter-Carrier Neighbours and the Max Number of Inter-
technology Neighbours. For information on defining neighbours, see "Neighbour Planning" on page 223.
This tab only appears if you have defined additional fields in the Sites table, or if you have defined an additional field in the
Station Template Properties dialog box.
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To place the station more accurately, you can zoom in on the map before you select
Duplicate from the context menu. For information on using the zooming tools, see
"Changing the Map Scale" on page 60.
If you let the pointer rest over the station you have placed, Atoll displays tip text
with its exact coordinates, allowing you to verify that the location is correct.
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A new base station is placed on the map. If the duplicate base station was placed on a new site, the site, transmitters,
and cells of the new base station have the same names as the site, transmitters, and cells of the original base station
with each name marked as "Copy of." The site, transmitters, and cells of the duplicate base station have the same
settings as those of the original base station. If the duplicate base station was placed on an existing site, the transmit-
ters, and cells of the new base station have the same names as the transmitters, and cells of the original base station
with each name preceded by the name of the site on which the duplicate was placed.
All the remote antennas and repeaters of any transmitter on the original site are also duplicated.
Any duplicated remote antennas and repeaters will retain the same donor transmitter as
the original. If you want the duplicated remote antenna or repeater to use a transmitter
on the duplicated base station, you must change the donor transmitter manually.
You can also place a series of duplicate base stations by pressing and holding Ctrl in step 6. and clicking to place each
duplicate base station.
For more information on the site, transmitter, and cell properties, see "Definition of a Base Station" on page 632.
2. Click the Point Analysis Tool ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The Point Analysis Tool window appears and the
5. In the Profile view toolbar, click the Geographic Profile button ( ) to view the geographic profile between the trans-
mitter and the receiver.
In the Profile view window, the altitude is reported on the vertical axis and the receiver-transmitter distance on the
horizontal axis. Atoll displays the profile between the transmitter and the receiver with clutter heights. An ellipsoid
indicating the Fresnel zone is also displayed. The distance between the transmitter and the receiver is displayed at the
top of the Profile view.
6. In the Profile view toolbar, click the Geographic Profile button ( ) again to view the radio signal path between the
transmitter and the receiver.
In the Profile view window, the altitude is reported on the vertical axis and the receiver-transmitter distance on the
horizontal axis. A blue ellipsoid indicates the Fresnel zone between the transmitter and the receiver, with a green line
indicating the line of sight (LOS). Atoll displays the angle of the LOS read from the vertical antenna pattern. Along the
profile, if the signal meets an obstacle, the obstacle causes attenuation with diffraction displayed by a red vertical line
(if the used propagation model is able to calculate diffraction). The main diffraction edge is the one that intersects the
Fresnel ellipsoid the most. Propagation models that use a 3 knife-edge Deygout diffraction method may also display
two additional diffraction edges. The total attenuation is displayed above the main diffraction edge.
The results of the analysis are displayed at the top of the Profile view:
The received signal strength from the selected transmitter for the cell with the highest reference signal power
The propagation model used
The shadowing margin and the indoor loss (if selected)
The distance between the transmitter and the receiver.
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You can change the following options from the Profile view toolbar:
Transmitter: Select the transmitter from the list. You can click the Properties button ( ) to open the transmitter
properties dialog box.
Carriers: Select the carrier to be analysed.
Options: Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculation Options dialog box. In this dialog box, you can:
Change the X and Y coordinates to change the current position of the receiver.
Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
Select Signal level, Path loss, or Total losses from the Result type list.
You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency
per clutter class.
Link Budget: Click the Link Budget button ( ) to display a dialog box with the link budget.
Detailed Report: Click the Detailed Report button ( ) to display a text document with details on the displayed
profile analysis. The detailed report is only available for the Standard Propagation Model.
7. To end the point analysis, click the Point Analysis button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar again.
When you import data into your current Atoll document, the coordinate system of the
imported data must be the same as the display coordinate system used in the document.
If you cannot change the coordinate system of your source data, you can temporarily
change the display coordinate system of the Atoll document to match the source data. For
information on changing the coordinate system, see "Setting a Coordinate System" on
page 41.
The table you copy from must have the same column layout as the table you are pasting
data into.
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For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
Importing data: If you have data in text or comma-separated value (CSV) format, you can import it into the tables in
the current document. If the data is in another Atoll document, you can first export it in text or CSV format and then
import it into the tables of your current Atoll document. When you are importing, Atoll allows you to select what
values you import into which columns of the table.
When you create a group of base stations by importing data, you must import site data in the Sites table, transmitter
data in the Transmitters table, and cell data in the Cells table, in that order.
For information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 85. For infor-
mation on importing table data, see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 86.
You can quickly create a series of base stations for study purposes using the Hexagonal
Design tool on the Radio Planning toolbar. For information, see "Placing a New Station
Using a Station Template" on page 640.
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Broad-band repeaters are not modelled. Atoll assumes that all carriers from the 3G donor
transmitter are amplified.
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d. Enter a Gain Increment. Atoll uses the increment value when you increase or decrease the repeater amplifier gain
using the buttons to the right of the Amplification box ( ) on the General tab of the repeater Properties dialog
box.
e. Enter the maximum power that the equipment can transmit on the downlink in the Maximum Downlink Power
column. This parameter enables Atoll to ensure that the downlink power after amplification does not exceed the
limit of the equipment.
f. If desired, enter a Maximum Uplink Power, an Internal Delay and Comments. These fields are for information
only and are not used in calculations.
To modify repeater equipment:
1. Select the Parameters explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Radio Network Equipment folder.
3. In the Radio Network Equipment folder, right-click Repeater Equipment. The context menu appears.
4. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Repeater Equipment table appears.
5. Change the parameters in the row containing the repeater equipment you want to modify.
2. Click the arrow next to New Repeater or Remote Antenna button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
3. Select Repeater from the menu.
4. Click the map to place the repeater. The repeater is placed on the map, represented by a symbol ( ) in the same
colour as the donor transmitter, repeater, or remote antenna. If the repeater is inactive, it is displayed by an empty
icon. By default, the repeater has the same azimuth as the donor. Its tip text and label display the same information
as displayed for the donor. As well, its tip text identifies the repeater and the donor. In the Explorer window, the
repeater is found in the Transmitters folder of the Network explorer under its donor transmitter, repeater, or remote
antenna.
For information on defining the properties of the new repeater, see "Defining the Properties of a Repeater" on
page 649.
When the donor is a transmitter, you can see to which base station the repeater is
connected by clicking it; Atoll displays a link to the donor transmitter. You can hide
the link by clicking it again.
When the donor is a repeater or a remote antenna, Atoll displays a spider-type link
showing the entire chain down to the donor transmitter. The same spider-type link
is displayed when you click any of the items belonging to the chain is clicked (i.e.,
donor transmitter, any repeater, or any remote antenna).
The table you copy data from must have the same column layout as the table you are
pasting data into.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
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If the donor is a remote antenna or another repeater, then "RepZ" is preceded by "RemA_"
or "RepB_" where "A" and "B" identify the donor remote antenna and the donor repeater.
You can change the Donor by selecting it from the Donor list. The Donor can be a transmitter, a remote antenna,
or another repeater. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties dialog box of the selected donor.
You can change the Site on which the repeater is located. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties dialog
box of the selected site.
You can enter a value in the Shared antenna (coverage side) field for the repeater. This field is used to identify the
transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas that are located at the same site or on sites with the same position
and that share an antenna. The entry in the field must be the same for all such transmitters, repeaters, and remote
antennas. When changes are made to the position offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth, antenna height, or mechanical tilt of
one antenna, Atoll automatically synchronises the same changes to all other transmitters, repeaters, and remote
antennas defined as having a shared antenna.
Under Antenna Position, you can define the position of the repeater, if it is not located on the site itself:
Relative to Site: Select Relative to Site, if you want to define the position of the repeater relative to the site
itself and then enter the XY offsets.
Coordinates: Select Coordinates, if you want to define the position of the repeater by its XY coordinates.
You can select equipment from the Equipment list. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties dialog box of
the equipment.
You can change the Amplifier Gain. Amplification gain is used in the link budget to evaluate the repeater total gain.
4. Click the Donor Side tab. You can modify the following parameters:
Under Donor-Repeater Link, select a Link Type.
If you select Microwave Link, enter the Propagation Losses and continue with step 5.
If you select Air, select a Propagation Model and enter the Propagation Losses or click Calculate to determine
the actual propagation losses between the donor and the repeater. If you do not select a propagation model,
the propagation losses between the donor transmitter and the repeater are calculated using the ITU 526-5
propagation model.
When you create an off-air repeater, it is assumed that the link between the donor transmitter and the repeat-
er has the same frequency as the network.
If you want to create a remote antenna, you must select Optical Fibre Link.
If you selected Air under Donor-Repeater Link, enter the following information under Antenna:
Model: The type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse button to access the proper-
ties of the antenna.
Click the Select button to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match
the currently selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the
operating frequency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on
page 158
Height/Ground: The Height/Ground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to
the altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the repeater is situated on a building, the height entered must
include the height of building.
Mechanical Azimuth and Mechanical Downtilt display additional antenna parameters.
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You can click the Calculate button to update the mechanical azimuth and mechanical
downtilt values after changing the repeater donor side antenna height or the repeater
location. If you choose another site or change site coordinates in the General tab, click
Apply before clicking the Calculate button.
If you selected Air under Donor-Repeater Link, enter the following information under Feeders:
i. Select a Type of feeder from the list. You can click the Browse button to access the properties of the feeder.
ii. Enter the Length of the feeder cable at Transmission and at Reception.
5. Click the Coverage Side tab. You can modify the following parameters:
Select the Active check box. Only active repeaters (displayed in red in the Transmitters folder in the Network
explorer) are calculated.
Under Total Gain, enter the gain in the forward and reverse links (DL/UL) or click Calculate to determine the actual
gain in the forward and reverse links. If you have modified any parameter in the General, Donor Side, or Coverage
Side tabs, click Apply before clicking the Calculate button.
In the forward link, the total gain is applied to each power (pilot power, SCH power, etc.).
In the reverse link, the total gain is applied to each terminal power.
The total gain takes into account losses between the donor transmitter and the repeater, donor characteristics
(donor antenna gain, reception feeder losses), amplifier gain, and coverage characteristics (coverage antenna
gain, transmission feeder losses).
Under Antennas, you can modify the following parameters:
Height/Ground: The Height/Ground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to
the altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the repeater is situated on a building, the height entered must
include the height of building.
Main Antenna: Under Main Antenna, the type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse
button to access the properties of the antenna.
Click the Select button to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match
the currently selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the
operating frequency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on
page 158
Mechanical Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, Electrical Azimuth, Electrical Downtilt, and Additional electrical
downtilt display additional antenna parameters.
Under Secondary Antennas, you can select one or more secondary antennas in the Antenna column and enter
their Azimuth, Mechanical Downtilt, Additional Electrical Downtilt, and % Power.
The Additional Electrical Downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
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You can prevent Atoll from updating the UL and DL total gains of selected repeaters by
creating a custom Boolean field named "FreezeTotalGain" in the Repeaters table and
setting the value of the field to "True." Afterwards, when you select Repeaters > Calculate
Gains from the Transmitters context menu, Atoll will only update the UL and DL total gains
for repeaters with the custom field "FreezeTotalGain" set to "False".
You can update the propagation losses of all off-air repeaters by selecting Repeaters > Calculate Donor Side Propa-
gation Losses from the Transmitters context menu.
You can select a repeater on the map and change its azimuth (see "Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using the
Mouse" on page 57) or its position relative to the site (see "Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site Using
the Mouse" on page 58).
Ensure that the remote antennas donor transmitter does not have any antennas.
2. Click the arrow next to New Repeater or Remote Antenna button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
3. Select Remote Antenna from the menu.
4. Click the map to place the remote antenna. The remote antenna is placed on the map, represented by a symbol ( )
in the same colour as the donor transmitter. If the remote antenna is inactive, it is displayed by an empty icon. By
default, the remote antenna has the same azimuth as the donor transmitter. Its tip text and label display the same
information as displayed for the donor transmitter. As well, its tip text identifies the remote antenna and the donor
transmitter.
For information on defining the properties of the new remote antenna, see "Defining the Properties of a Remote
Antenna" on page 652.
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When the donor is a transmitter, you can see to which base station the repeater is
connected by clicking it; Atoll displays a link to the donor transmitter. You can hide
the link by clicking it again.
When the donor is a repeater or a remote antenna, Atoll displays a spider-type link
showing the entire chain down to the donor transmitter. The same spider-type link
is displayed when you click any of the items belonging to the chain is clicked (i.e.,
donor transmitter, any repeater, or any remote antenna).
The table you copy data from must have the same column layout as the table you are
pasting data into.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
If the donor is a repeater or another remote antenna, then "RemZ" is preceded by "RepA_"
or "RemB_" where "A" and "B" identify the donor repeater and the donor remote antenna.
You can change the Donor by selecting it from the Donor list. The Donor can be a transmitter, another remote
antenna or a repeater. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties dialog box of the selected donor.
You can change the Site on which the remote antenna is located. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties
dialog box of the selected site.
You can enter a value in the Shared Antenna (coverage side) field for the remote antenna. This field is used to
identify the transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas that are located at the same site or on sites with the
same position and that share an antenna. The entry in the field must be the same for all such transmitters,
repeaters, and remote antennas. When changes are made to the position offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth, antenna height,
or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically synchronises the same changes to all other transmitters,
repeaters, and remote antennas defined as having a shared antenna.
Under Antenna Position, you can define the position of the remote antenna, if it is not located on the site itself:
Relative to Site: Select Relative to Site, if you want to define the position of the remote antenna relative to
the site itself and then enter the XY offsets.
Coordinates: Select Coordinates, if you want to define the position of the remote antenna by its XY coordi-
nates.
4. Click the Donor Side tab. You can modify the following parameters:
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Under Donor-Repeater Link, select Optical Fibre Link and enter the Fibre Losses.
5. Click the Coverage Side tab. You can modify the following parameters:
Select the Active check box. Only active remote antennas (displayed in red in the Transmitters folder in the Net-
work explorer) are calculated.
Under Total Gain, enter the gain in the forward and reverse links (DL/UL) or click Calculate to determine the actual
gain in the forward and reverse links. If you have modified any parameter in the General, Donor Side, or Coverage
Side tabs, click Apply before clicking the Calculate button.
In the forward link, the total gain is applied to each power (pilot power, SCH power, etc.).
In the reverse link, the total gain is applied to each terminal power.
The total gain takes into account losses between the donor transmitter and the remote antenna.
Under Antennas, you can modify the following parameters:
Height/Ground: The Height/Ground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to
the altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the remote antenna is situated on a building, the height entered
must include the height of the building.
Main Antenna: Under Main Antenna, the type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse
button to access the properties of the antenna.
Click the Select button to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match
the currently selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the
operating frequency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on
page 158
Mechanical Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, Electrical Azimuth, Electrical Downtilt, and Additional electrical
downtilt display additional antenna parameters.
Under Secondary Antennas, you can select one or more secondary antennas in the Antenna column and enter
their Azimuth, Mechanical Downtilt, Additional Electrical Downtilt, and % Power.
The Additional Electrical Downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
You can prevent Atoll from updating the UL and DL total gains of selected remote antennas
by creating a custom Boolean field named "FreezeTotalGain" in the Remote Antennas
table and setting the value of the field to "True." Afterwards, when you select Remote
Antennas > Calculate Gains from the Transmitters context menu, Atoll will only update
the UL and DL total gains for remote antennas with the custom field "FreezeTotalGain" set
to "False."
You can select a remote antenna on the map and change its azimuth (see "Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using
the Mouse" on page 57) or its position relative to the site (see "Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site
Using the Mouse" on page 58).
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The General tab allows you to specify the following settings for the prediction:
Name: Specify the assigned Name of the coverage prediction.
Resolution: Specify the display resolution. To improve memory consumption and optimise the calculation times, you
should set the display resolutions of coverage predictions according to the precision required. The following table lists
the levels of precision that are usually sufficient:
City Centre 5m
City 20 m
County 50 m
State 100 m
The resolution specified here is only for display purposes. The calculated resolution is independently specified in the
propagation settings. For more information, see "Assigning Propagation Parameters" on page 187.
A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the <GUID> and </GUID> tags in the following files:
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion was saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
"<prediction_name>.XML" files (one per prediction) created in the following folder
if coverage predictions were calculated with Display type = "Value intervals":
C:\<path_to_doc>\<doc_name>.studies\{<Unique_ID>}
Receiver height: This displays the height of the receiver defined in the Calculation Parameters tab of the Network
Settings Properties dialog box
Comments: Specify an optional description of comment for the prediction.
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on
filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98. The Group By and Sort buttons are not available when making a so-called
"global" coverage prediction (e.g., signal level coverage prediction).
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The Group By and Sort buttons are not available when making a so-called "global" cover-
age prediction (e.g., signal level coverage prediction).
The coverage prediction parameters on the Conditions tab allow you to define the signals that will be considered for each
pixel.
At the top of the Conditions tab, you can specify the range to be considered for the current prediction.
Server: Select either All, Best Signal Level or Second Best Signal Level:
Select All to consider all servers.
Select Best Signal Level or Second Best Signal Level to also specify an Overlap margin.
Selecting All or Best Signal Level will give you the same results because Atoll displays the results of the best server
in either case. Selecting Best Signal Level requires a longer calculation time.
Shadowing taken into account: Select this option to consider shadowing in the prediction. For more information, see
"Modelling Shadowing" on page 732. If you select this option, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability.
Indoor coverage: Select this option to consider indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter class.
Carrier: Select the carrier to be studied or select the "Best" carrier of a frequency band or of all frequency bands. In
CDMA2000, 1xEV-DO always transmits at full power, unlike 1xRTT. Therefore, if you select "Best", the values displayed
will always be for the maximum power transmitted by the cell, in other words, the power for the 1xEV-DO carrier.
For more information, see the following sections:
"Signal Level Coverage Predictions" on page 655
"CDMA Coverage Predictions" on page 658
On the Display tab, you can modify how the results of the coverage prediction will be displayed.
Under Display Type, select "Value Intervals."
Under Field, select "Best Signal Level." "Best Signal Level." Selecting "All" or "Best Signal Level" on the Conditions
tab will give you the same results because Atoll displays the results of the best server in either case. Selecting "Best
Signal Level" necessitates, however, the longest time for calculation.
You can change the value intervals and their displayed colour. For information on changing display properties, see
"Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
You can create tip text with information about the coverage prediction by clicking the Browse button next to the
Tip Text box and selecting the fields you want to display in the tip text.
You can select the Add to Legend check box to add the displayed value intervals to the legend.
If you change the display properties of a coverage prediction after you have calculated it,
you may make the coverage prediction invalid. You will then have to recalculate the cover-
age prediction to obtain valid results.
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You can use the same procedure to study the signal level coverage of several sites by
grouping the transmitters. For information on grouping transmitters, see "Basic Grouping
of Data Objects" on page 94.
If you want to study only sites by their status, at this step you could group them by
status.
2. Specify the propagation parameters as explained in "Assigning Propagation Parameters" on page 187.
3. In the CDMA Transmitters folder, right-click the group of transmitters you want to study and select Calculations >
Create a New Prediction from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialog box appears.
The Prediction Types dialog box lists the coverage predictions available. They are divided into Standard Predictions,
supplied with Atoll, and Customised Predictions. Unless you have already created some customised predictions, the
Customised Predictions list will be empty.
4. Select Coverage by Signal Level (DL) and click OK. The Coverage by Signal Level (DL) Properties dialog box appears.
5. Configure the parameters in the Properties dialog box as described in "CDMA Prediction Properties" on page 654.
The coverage prediction parameters on the Conditions tab allow you to define the signals that will be considered for
each pixel.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window. The signal level
coverage prediction can be found in the Predictions folder in the Network explorer. Atoll automatically locks the results of a
coverage prediction as soon as it is calculated, as indicated by the icon ( ) beside the coverage prediction in the Predictions
folder. When you click the Calculate button ( ), Atoll only calculates unlocked coverage predictions ( ).
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Choose to display the results by best signal level. The coverage prediction results will be in the form of thresholds. For
information on adjusting the display, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
Selecting "All" or "Best Signal Level" on the Conditions tab will give you the same results because Atoll displays the
results of the best server in either case. Selecting "Best Signal Level" necessitates, however, the longest time for calcu-
lation.
5. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
You can run a specific prediction study displaying a coverage by pilot signal level for a given
terminal, service, mobility and carrier as explained in "Studying Pilot Signal Quality" on
page 659.
When creating a coverage prediction by discrete values, you can not export the values per
pixel.
5. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
You can also predict which server is the second best server on each pixel by selecting
"Second best signal level" on the Conditions tab setting "Discrete Values" as the Display
Type and "Transmitter" as the Field on the Display tab.
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By changing the parameters selected on the Conditions tab and by selecting different
results to be displayed on the Display tab, you can calculate and display information other
than that which has been explained in the preceding sections.
9.1.8.3.1 Setting the Reverse Link Load Factor and the Forward Link Total Power
If you are setting the reverse link load factor and the forward link total power for a single transmitter, you can set these param-
eters on the Cells tab of the transmitters Properties dialog box. However, you can set the reverse link load factor and the
forward link total power for all cells using the Cells table.
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To set the reverse link load factor and the forward link total power using the Cells table:
1. In the Network explorer, right-click the Transmitters folder and select Cells > Open Table from the context menu. The
Cells table appears.
2. Enter a value in the following columns:
Total Power (dBm)
UL Load Factor (%)
For a definition of the values, see "Cell Properties" on page 635.
To enter the same values in one column for all cells in the table:
1. Enter the value in the first row in the column.
2. Select the entire column.
3. Right-click the selection and select Edit > Fill Down from the context menu or click the Fill Down button ( ) in the
Table toolbar to copy the contents of the top cell of the selection into the other cells.
If you want to copy the contents of the last cell in the selection into all other cells, you can
right-click the selection and select Edit > Fill Up from the context menu or click the Fill Up
button ( ) in the Table toolbar. For more information on working with tables in Atoll, see
"Data Tables" on page 75.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
You must select a Terminal, Service, and Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 241. You must
also select which Carrier is to be considered. You can make the coverage prediction for a specific carrier or for the
"Best (All/Main/Second/Third band)" carrier selected according to the carrier selection method defined for the site
equipment.
If you want the pilot signal quality prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account
check box and enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab.
For a pilot signal quality prediction, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "EcI0 (dB)" is selected by
default. Each pixel is displayed in a colour corresponding to the pilot signal quality. For information on defining display
properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
You can also set parameters to display the following results:
Where at least one transmitter is in the active set: Select "Unique" as the Display Type.
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Where at least one transmitter is in the active set, with information on the best server: Select "Discrete Value"
as the Display Type and "Transmitter" as the Field.
The pilot signal level: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Ec (dBm)" as the Field.
The pilot quality relative to the EcI0 threshold: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "EcI0 Margin
(dB)" as the Field.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
9.1.8.3.3 Studying 1xRTT Forward and Reverse Link Service Areas (EbNt)
Atoll calculates the traffic channel quality on FCH (as defined by EbNt) when using the maximum power allowed.
In the coverage prediction, the forward link service area is limited by the maximum traffic channel power allowable on FCH
per cell and by the pilot quality. The reverse link service area is limited by the maximum terminal power allowable on FCH and
by the pilot quality. On both the forward and reverse links, if the received pilot is below the set threshold on a given pixel,
Atoll will not display the traffic channel quality. Mobile macro-diversity is taken in consideration to evaluate the traffic chan-
nel quality (EbNt). Atoll combines the signal from each transmitter in the probe mobile active set.
To make a coverage prediction on service area (Eb/Nt) forward link or reverse link:
1. In the Network explorer, right-click the Predictions folder and select New Prediction from the context menu. The
Prediction Types dialog box appears.
2. Select one of the following coverage predictions and click OK:
Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (UL)
Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (DL)
The coverage prediction Properties dialog box appears.
3. Configure the general parameters in the Properties dialog box as described in "CDMA Prediction Properties" on
page 654.
4. Click the Conditions tab. Select "(Cells Table)" from Load Conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going
to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the reverse
link load factor and the forward link total power defined in the cell properties.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
You must select a 1xRTT-capable Terminal, a 1xRTT Service, and a Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling"
on page 241. You must also select a 1xRTT Carrier.
If you want the service area (EbNt) coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken
into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab.
For a service area (Eb/Nt) coverage prediction, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "Max EbNt (dB)"
is selected by default. The Field you choose determines which information the service area (EbNt) forward link or
reverse link prediction makes available. Each pixel is displayed in a colour corresponding to the traffic channel quality.
For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
You can also set parameters to display the following results:
The traffic channel quality relative to the EbNt threshold: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and
"EbNt Margin (dB)" as the Field.
The power required to reach the EbNt threshold: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Required
Power (dB)" as the Field.
Where traffic channel quality exceeds the EbNt threshold for each mobility type: On the Conditions tab, select
"All" as the Mobility Type. The parameters on the Display tab are automatically set.
The throughput on the forward or reverse link: Select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "Rate (Kbps)" as
the Field.
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6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
Atoll calculates the pilot channel quality (as defined by EcNt) and, using the calculated EcNt, Atoll calculates the maximum
throughput that can be supplied.
To make a forward link EV-DO throughput coverage prediction:
1. In the Network explorer, right-click the Predictions folder and select New Prediction from the context menu. The
Prediction Types dialog box appears.
2. Select Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (DL) and click OK. The coverage prediction Properties dialog box appears.
3. Configure the general parameters in the Properties dialog box as described in "CDMA Prediction Properties" on
page 654.
4. Click the Conditions tab and select "(Cells Table)" from Load Conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not
going to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the
reverse link load factor and the forward link total power defined in the cell properties.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
You must select an EV-DO-capable Terminal, an EV-DO Service, and a Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Model-
ling" on page 241. You must also select an EV-DO Carrier.
In order to model a multi-carrier EV-DO user, select an EV-DO Rev. B-capable Terminal, an EV-DO Rev. B Service with
the "Best Effort" QoS and "Best (1xEV-DO)" as carrier.
If you want the coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account check
box and enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab.
By default, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "Max EbNt (dB)" is selected when you make a
service area (Eb/Nt) coverage prediction. For a forward link EV-DO throughput coverage prediction, you can, however,
change the display to one of the following:
The EcNt ratio: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "CI (dB)" as the Field.
The throughput on the forward link: Select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "Rate (Kbps)" as the Field.
For multi-carrier EV-DO users, Atoll will calculate the throughput on each carrier and will display the total
throughput (i.e., the sum of the throughputs obtained on each carrier) as prediction results.
The average throughput on the forward link: This information is available when you model EV-DO Rev. A users,
single-carrier and multi-carrier EV-DO Rev. B users. Select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "Average Rate
(Kbps)" as the Field. Atoll calculates the average EV-DO throughput on the forward link using the early termination
probabilities, defined in the terminals reception equipment, to model HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request).
For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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(EbNt). Atoll combines the signal from each transmitter in the probe mobile active set. For multi-carrier EV-DO users, Atoll
considers the best sub-active set.
To make a coverage prediction on service area (Eb/Nt) reverse link:
1. In the Network explorer, right-click the Predictions folder and select New Prediction from the context menu. The
Prediction Types dialog box appears.
2. Select Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (UL) and click OK. The Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (UL) Properties dialog box
appears.
3. Configure the general parameters in the Properties dialog box as described in "CDMA Prediction Properties" on
page 654.
4. Click the Conditions tab. Select "(Cells Table)" from Load Conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going
to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the reverse
link load factor and the forward link total power defined in the cell properties.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
You must select an EV-DO-capable Terminal, an EV-DO Service, and a Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Model-
ling" on page 241. You must also select an EV-DO Carrier.
In order to model a multi-carrier EV-DO user, select an EV-DO Rev. B-capable Terminal, an EV-DO Rev. B Service with
the "Best Effort" QoS and "Best (1xEV-DO)" as carrier.
If you want the service area (EbNt) coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken
into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab.
For a service area (Eb/Nt) coverage prediction, the Display Type "Value Intervals" based on the Field "Max EbNt (dB)"
is selected by default. The Field you choose determines which information the service area (EbNt) reverse link predic-
tion makes available. Each pixel is displayed in a colour corresponding to the traffic channel quality with an uplink data
channel throughput of 9.6 kbps for EVDO Rev.0 users and 4.8 kbps for EVDO Rev. A and Rev. B users. For information
on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
You can also set parameters to display the following results:
The traffic channel quality relative to the EbNt threshold: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and
"EbNt Margin (dB)" as the Field.
The power required to reach the EbNt threshold: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Required
Power (dB)" as the Field.
Where traffic channel quality exceeds the EbNt threshold for each mobility type: On the Conditions tab, select
"All" as the Mobility Type. The parameters on the Display tab are automatically set.
The throughput: Select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "Rate (Kbps)" as the Field. For multi-carrier EV-
DO users, Atoll shares the available terminal power between each carrier in order to calculate the throughput
obtained on each carrier. It displays the results for the best configuration among all combinations of carriers, i.e.,
the combination which provides the highest total throughput.
The average EV-DO throughput: This information is available when you model EV-DO Rev. A users, single-carrier
and multi-carrier EV-DO Rev. B users. Select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "Average Throughput
(Kbps)" as the Field. Atoll calculates the average EV-DO throughput on the reverse link using the early termination
probabilities, defined in the terminals reception equipment, to model HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request).
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
You must select a Terminal, Service, and Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 241. You must
also select which Carrier is to be considered. You can make the coverage prediction for a specific carrier or for the
"Best (All/Main/Second/Third band)" carrier selected according to the carrier selection method defined for the site
equipment.
If you want the effective service area prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into
account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab.
For an effective service area prediction, the Display Type "Unique" is selected by default. The coverage prediction will
display where a service actually is available for the probe mobile. In the calculations, Atoll considers 1xRTT users with
the peak FCH throughput, EVDO Rev. A users with a data channel throughput of 9.6 kbps in the reverse link and 38.4
kbps in the forward link, and EVDO Rev. B users with a data channel throughput of 4.8 kbps in the reverse and the
forward links. For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on
page 51.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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4. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Reception Equipment table appears.
"Standard" is the default reception equipment type for all terminals.
5. Double-click the reception equipment type for which you want to verify the correspondence between the measured
quality and the quality indicator. The reception equipment types Properties dialog box appears.
6. Click the Quality Graphs tab.
7. Ensure that a Quality Indicator has been chosen for each Service. You can edit the values in the DL and UL Quality
Indicator Tables by clicking directly on the table entry, or by selecting the Quality Indicator and clicking the Downlink
Quality Graphs or the Uplink Quality Graphs buttons. The graph gives the variation of the quality indicator as a func-
tion of the measured parameter.
8. Click OK to close the reception equipment types Properties dialog box.
Once you have ensured that the parameters of the quality indicators have been correctly set, you can use the measured qual-
ity to create a quality coverage prediction. How you define a coverage prediction according to the measured quality indicator,
depends several parameters:
The settings made in the Quality Indicators table
The service you want to study
The quality indicator you want to use (BER, BLER, or FER)
The coverage prediction you want to use (Pilot Quality Analysis Downlink, the Service Area Analysis Downlink, or Ser-
vice Area Analysis Uplink).
In the following example, you will create a quality coverage prediction showing BLER, for a user on foot, and with a 1xRTT data
service.
To create a quality coverage prediction showing BLER for a user on foot, and with a 1xRTT data service:
1. In the Network explorer, right-click the Predictions folder and select New Prediction from the context menu. The
Prediction Types dialog box appears.
2. Select Service Area Analysis (EbNt) (DL) and click OK. The coverage prediction Properties dialog box appears.
3. Configure the general parameters in the Properties dialog box as described in "CDMA Prediction Properties" on
page 654.
4. Click the Conditions tab and select "(Cells Table)" from Load Conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not
going to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the
reverse link load factor and the forward link total power defined in the cell properties.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
Terminal: Select the appropriate radio configuration for mobile Internet access from the Terminal list.
Service: Select "1xRTT Data" from the Service list.
Mobility: Select "Pedestrian" from the Mobility list.
Carrier: Select "1xRTT" from the Carrier list.
If you want the service area (EbNt) downlink prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken
into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab.
Select "Value intervals" as the Display Type and "BLER" as the Field. The exact of the field value will depend on the
name given in the Quality Indicators table. For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display
Properties of Objects" on page 51.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
Atoll calculates for each pixel the forward link traffic channel quality (EbNt) (provided when using the maximum traffic chan-
nel power allowed). Then, it calculates the corresponding BLER value from the quality graph (BLER=f(DL EbNt)). The pixel is
coloured if the condition is fulfilled (i.e., if BLER is evaluated as being higher than the specified threshold).
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When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
You must select a Terminal, Service, and Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 241. You must
also select which Carrier is to be considered. You can make the coverage prediction for a specific carrier or for the
"Best" carrier selected according to the carrier selection method defined for the site equipment.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab.
For a forward link total noise prediction, the Display Type "Value Intervals" is selected by default. The Field you choose
determines which information the forward link total noise prediction makes available.
Min noise level
Average noise level
Max noise level
For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
You must select a Terminal, Service, and Mobility as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 241. You must
also select which Carrier is to be considered. You can make the coverage prediction for a specific carrier or for the
"Best (All/Main/Second/Third band)" carrier selected according to the carrier selection method defined for the site
equipment.
If you want the Pilot Pollution Analysis to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account check
box and enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab.
For a Pilot Pollution Analysis, the Display Type "Value Intervals" and the Field "Number of Polluters" are selected by
default. For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
If you were going to base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simu-
lations on which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions
list.
You must select a Terminal and a Service, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 241. You must also select
which Carrier is to be considered. You can make the coverage prediction for a specific carrier or for the "Best (All/
Main/Second/Third band)" carrier selected according to the carrier selection method defined for the site equipment.
If you want the prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account check box and
enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab.
The Display Type "Value Intervals" is selected by default. The Field you choose determines which information the
prediction makes available, Noise Level or Noise Rise. For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the
Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
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OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
You must select a Terminal, Service, and Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 241.
If you want the forward link total noise or forward link noise rise prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the
Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab. The settings you select on the Display tab determine the information that the coverage predic-
tion will display.
To display the handoff status:
i. Select "Discrete Values" from the Display Type list.
ii. Select "Status" from the Field list. The coverage prediction will display the number of cells the probe mobile
is connected to and the number of sites these cells are located on.
To display the number of potential active transmitters:
i. Select "Value Intervals" from the Display Type list.
ii. Select "Potential active transmitter nb" from the Field list. the coverage prediction will display the number of
potential active transmitters.
For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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1. Click the Point Analysis ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The Point Analysis window appears and the pointer
2. Select Reception ( ) from the list at the top of the Point Analysis window (see Figure 9.6).
The predicted signal level from the transmitters is reported in the Reception view in the form of a bar chart, from the
highest predicted signal level on the top to the lowest one on the bottom. The name of the transmitter is followed by
the carrier number (between parentheses). Each bar is displayed in the colour of the transmitter it represents. In the
map window, arrows from the pointer to each transmitter are displayed in the colour of the transmitters they repre-
sent. A thick black line from the pointer to its best server is also displayed in the map window. The best server of the
pointer is the transmitter from which the pointer receives the highest signal level. If you let the pointer rest, the signal
level received from the corresponding transmitter at the pointer location is displayed in the tip text.
3. At the top of the Reception view, select the carrier to be analysed. You can make the prediction for a specific carrier,
or select "Best (All Bands/Specific Band)" to consider the best carrier of all bands or the best carrier of a particular
band.
4. At the top of the Reception view, you can click one of the following buttons:
Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculations Options dialog box. You can change the following:
Change the X and Y coordinates to change the present position of the receiver.
Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell Edge Coverage Probability.
You can select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency
per clutter class.
Click the Copy button ( ) to copy the Reception view. You can then paste the contents of the Reception view
as a graphic into a graphic editing or word-processing programme.
Click the Print button ( ) to print the Reception view.
If you wish to get the details about the received signal levels and quality in the form of a table, you can use the Details view
of the Point Analysis tool (see "Obtaining Numerical Values of Signal Levels and Signal Quality" on page 671).
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You can display a point analysis that uses the settings from an existing prediction by
right-clicking the prediction in the Network explorer and selecting Point Analysis from
the context menu.
1. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the toolbar. The Point Analysis Tool window appears (see Figure 9.8).
2. Select the AS Analysis view at the top of the Point Analysis window.
3. At the top of the AS Analysis view, select "Cells Table" from Load conditions.
4. If you are making an AS analysis to verify a coverage prediction, you can recreate the conditions of the coverage pre-
diction:
a. Select the same Carrier, Terminal, Service, Mobility, DL Rate, and UL Rate studied in the coverage prediction.
If the coverage prediction was for 1xRTT, you must select "FCH" for both the DL Rate and UL Rate. If the coverage
prediction was for EV-DO Rev.0, you must select "9.6 kbps" for the UL Rate. If the coverage prediction was for
EV-DO Rev. A or Rev. B, you must select "4.8 kbps" for the UL Rate.
b. Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculation Options dialog box.
Change the X and Y coordinates to change the present position of the receiver.
Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell Edge Coverage Probability.
Select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter
class.
c. Click OK to close the Calculation Options dialog box.
5. Move the pointer over the map to make an active set analysis for the current location of the pointer.
As you move the pointer, Atoll indicates on the map which is the best server for the current position (see Figure 9.7).
Information on the current position is given in the AS Analysis view of the Point Analysis window. See Figure 9.8 on
page 671 for an explanation of the displayed information.
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7. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the toolbar again to end the point analysis.
You can display a point analysis that uses the settings from an existing prediction by
right-clicking the prediction in the Network explorer and selecting Point Analysis from
the context menu.
1. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar. The Point Analysis window appears and the
c. Click the Options button ( ) in the Details view toolbar. The Calculation Options dialog box appears.
Edit the X and Y coordinates to change the present position of the receiver.
Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
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Select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter
class.
d. Click OK to close the Calculation Options dialog box.
5. Move the pointer over the map to make a detailed analysis for the current location of the pointer.
The Details view displays the following information in the form of a table:
Transmitter: The name of the transmitter from which the received signal levels are displayed. The cells are listed
in decreasing order of RSCP.
Distance (m): The distance from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
Path Loss (dB): The path loss from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
RSCP (dBm): The received pilot signal level from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
Ec/Io (dB): The Ec/Io from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
PN Offset: The PN offset of the transmitter.
For Speech type services:
DL Eb/Nt (dB): The downlink Eb/Nt from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
UL Eb/Nt (dB): The uplink Eb/Nt from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
For 1xRTT Data type services:
DL FCH Eb/Nt (dB): The downlink Eb/Nt over the FCH from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer
on the map.
UL FCH Eb/Nt (dB): The uplink Eb/Nt over the FCH from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on
the map.
DL SCH Eb/Nt (dB): The downlink Eb/Nt over the SCH from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer
on the map.
UL SCH Eb/Nt (dB): The uplink Eb/Nt over the SCH from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on
the map.
For 1xEV-DO Rev.0 Data, 1xEV-DO Rev.A Data, and 1xEV-DO Rev.B Data type services:
C/I (dB): The downlink C/I from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
UL Eb/Nt (dB): The uplink Eb/Nt from the transmitter to the current location of the pointer on the map.
6. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar again to end the point analysis.
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If you have an area in a network that is poorly covered by current transmitters, you have several options for increasing cover-
age. In this example, you can verify if a newly added base station improves coverage.
A signal level coverage prediction of the current network is made as described in "Making a Coverage Prediction by Signal
Level" on page 656. The results are displayed in Figure 9.9. An area with poor coverage is visible on the right side of the figure.
A new site is added, either by creating the site and adding the transmitters, as explained in "Creating a CDMA Base Station"
on page 632, or by placing a station template, as explained in "Placing a New Station Using a Station Template" on page 640.
Once the new base station has been added, the original coverage prediction can be recalculated, but then it would be impos-
sible to compare the results. Instead, the original signal level coverage prediction can be copied by selecting Duplicate from
its context menu. The copy is then calculated to show the effect of the new base station (see Figure 9.10).
Figure 9.10: Signal level coverage prediction of network with new base station
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If you have an area in a network that is poorly covered by current transmitters, you have several options for increasing cover-
age. In this example, you can see how modifying transmitter tilt can improve coverage.
A coverage prediction by transmitter of the current network is made as described in "Making a Coverage Prediction by Trans-
mitter" on page 657. The results are displayed in Figure 9.12. The coverage prediction shows that one transmitter is covering
its area poorly. The area is indicated by a red oval in Figure 9.12.
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You can try modifying the tilt on the transmitter to improve the coverage. The properties of the transmitter can be accessed
by right-clicking the transmitter in the map window and selecting Properties from the context menu. The mechanical and elec-
trical tilt of the antenna are defined on the Transmitter tab of the Properties dialog box.
Once the tilt of the antenna has been modified, the original coverage prediction can be recalculated, but then it would be
impossible to compare the results. Instead, the original coverage prediction by can be copied by selecting Duplicate from its
context menu. The copy is then calculated, to show how modifying the antenna tilt has affected coverage (see Figure 9.13).
As you can see, modifying the antenna tilt increased the coverage of the transmitter. However, to see exactly the change in
coverage, you can compare the two predictions.
To compare two predictions:
1. Right-click one of the two predictions. The context menu appears.
2. From the context menu, select Compare with and, from the menu that opens, select the coverage prediction you want
to compare with the first. The Comparison Properties dialog box appears.
3. Click the General tab. You can change the Name of the comparison and add Comments.
The General tab contains information about the coverage predictions being compared, including their name and reso-
lution.
4. Click the Display tab. On the Display tab, you can choose how you want the results of the comparison to be displayed.
You can choose among:
Intersection
Merge
Union
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Difference
In order to see what changes modifying the antenna tilt made, you can choose Union. This will display all pixels
covered by both predictions in one colour and all pixels covered by only one prediction in another colour. The increase
in coverage, seen in only the second coverage prediction, will be immediately clear.
5. Click OK to create the comparison. The comparison in Figure 9.14, shows clearly the increase in coverage due at the
change in antenna tilt.
Figure 9.15: CDMA intra-carrier handover area between a reference cell and a potential neighbour
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Figure 9.16: CDMA inter-carrier handover area between a reference cell and a potential neighbour
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Figure 9.18: CDMA coverage conditions for automatic intra-carrier neighbour allocation
Resolution: Enter the resolution to be used to calculate cells coverage areas during automatic neighbour alloca-
tion.
Global min RSCP: Enter the minimum RSCP to be provided by the reference cell and the potential neighbour. Atoll
uses the highest value between the Global min RSCP and the following:
If Global min RSCP is not defined, Atoll uses the Min RSCP in individual cells properties
If Global min RSCP is not defined and no Min RSCP is available in a cells properties, Atoll uses the Default min
Pilot RSCP threshold defined on the Calculation Parameters tab of the Network Settings Properties dialog
box.
Min EcIo: Enter the minimum EcIo which must be provided by reference cell A in an overlapping area. Reference
cell A must also be the best server in terms of pilot quality in the overlapping area.
T_Drop (Intra-carrier Neighbours tab): Enter the maximum difference of EcIo between reference cell A and
potential neighbour cell B in the overlapping area.
DL load contributing to Io: You can select whether Atoll should use a Global value (% Pmax) of the downlink load
for all the cells, or the downlink loads Defined per cell.
Shadowing Taken into Account: If selected, enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
Indoor Coverage: Select this check box to take indoor losses into acccount in calculations. Indoor losses are
defined per frequency per clutter class.
Figure 9.19: CDMA coverage conditions for automatic inter-carrier neighbour allocation
Resolution: Enter the resolution to be used to calculate cells coverage areas during automatic neighbour alloca-
tion.
Global min RSCP: Enter the minimum RSCP to be provided by the reference cell and the potential neighbour. Atoll
uses the highest value between the Global min RSCP and the following:
If Global min RSCP is not defined, Atoll uses the Min RSCP in individual cells properties
If Global min RSCP is not defined and no Min RSCP is available in a cells properties, Atoll uses the Default min
Pilot RSCP threshold defined on the Calculation Parameters tab of the Network Settings Properties dialog
box.
Margin: Enter the handover margin for all cells.
Shadowing Taken into Account: If selected, enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
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Indoor Coverage: Select this check box to take indoor losses into acccount in calculations. Indoor losses are
defined per frequency per clutter class.
The neighbour relation fulfils the defined coverage Use coverage conditions is selected
Coverage
conditions and nothing is selected under Force
The neighbour is located on the same site as the Use coverage conditions
Co-Site
reference cell and Co-site cells as neighbours is selected
The neighbour relation between the reference cell Use coverage conditions is selected
Symmetry
and the neighbour is symmetrical and Symmetric relations is selected
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You can define the costs of the different types of constraints used in the automatic PN offset allocation algorithm.
To define the different constraint costs:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select PN Offsets > Constraint Costs. The Allocation Constraint Costs dialog box appears. In this dialog box you can
define the following costs of constraint violations for the automatic allocation process (the cost is a value from 0 to 1):
Max 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Order Neighbours: Enter the maximum costs for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd order neighbour con-
straint violations.
Co-planning Share: Enter the cost for inter-technology neighbour constraint violations. In 3GPP2 multi-RAT docu-
ments, this cost applies to CDMA neighbours of the same LTE cell.
Max Reuse Distance: Enter the maximum cost for reuse distance constraint violations.
Exceptional Pair: Enter the cost for exceptional pair constraint violations.
4. Click OK. The allocation constraint costs are stored and will be used in the automatic allocation.
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The allocation algorithm enables you to automatically allocate PN offsets to cells in the current network. You can choose
among several automatic allocation strategies. The actual automatic allocation strategies available will depend on your
network and options selected in the Atoll.ini file. For more information on the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual. For
more information on automatic allocation strategies, see the Technical Reference Guide.
PN Offset per Cell: The purpose of this strategy is to reduce the spectrum of allocated PN offsets the maximum pos-
sible. Atoll will allocate the first possible PN offsets in the domain.
Adjacent PN-Clusters per Site: This strategy consists of allocating one cluster of adjacent PN offsets to each base sta-
tion, then, one PN offset of the cluster to each cell of each transmitter according to its azimuth. When all the clusters
have been allocated and there are still base stations remaining to be allocated, Atoll reuses the clusters at another
base station.
Distributed PN-Clusters per Site: This strategy consists of allocating one cluster of PN offsets to each base station in
the network, then, one PN offset of the cluster to each cell of each transmitter according to its azimuth. With this
strategy, the cluster is made of PN offsets separated as much as possible. When all the clusters have been allocated
and there are still base stations remaining to be allocated, Atoll reuses the clusters at another base station.
Within the context of PN offset allocation, the term "PN-cluster" refers to a sub-group of
PN offsets that Atoll assigns to base stations during the allocation process. Atoll allows you
to change the number of PN offsets in a PN-cluster.
The following example explains the difference between "Adjacent PN-clusters" and
"Distributed PN-clusters".
The PILOT_INC has been set to 4 and the PN-cluster size to 3. There are:
128 PN offsets that can be allocated: they are from 4 to 508 with a separation
interval of 4.
Each PN-cluster consists of three PN offsets. Therefore, there are 42 PN-clusters
available.
If you select "Adjacent PN-cluster per site" as allocation strategy, Atoll will consider PN-
clusters consisted of adjacent PN offsets (e.g., {4,8,12}, {16,20,24}, ..., {496,500,504}).
If you select "Distributed PN-cluster per site" as allocation strategy, Atoll will consider PN-
clusters consisted of PN offsets separated as much as possible (e.g., {4,172,340},
{8,176,344}, ..., {168,336,504}).
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Additional Overlapping Conditions: Select the Additional Overlapping Conditions check box, if you want to
set overlapping coverage criteria. If cells meet the overlapping conditions to enter the reference cells active
set, they will be not allocated the same PN offset as the reference cell. Click Define to change the overlapping
conditions. In the Coverage Conditions dialog box, you can change the following parameters:
Min. Pilot Signal Level: Enter the minimum pilot signal level which must be provided by reference cell A and
possible neighbour cell B.
Min. EcI0: Enter the minimum EcI0 which must be provided by reference cell A in an area with overlapping
coverage. Reference cell A must also be the best server in terms of pilot quality in the area with overlapping
coverage.
T_Drop: Enter or modify the minimum EcI0 required from a transmitter not to be rejected from the active set.
DL Load Contributing to I0: You can let Atoll base the interference ratio on the total power used as defined in
the properties for each cell (Defined per Cell) or on a percentage of the maximum power (Global Value).
Shadowing taken into account: If desired, select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell
Edge Coverage Probability.
Indoor Coverage: Select the Indoor Coverage check box if you want to use indoor losses in the calculations.
Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter class.
Reuse Distance: Select the Reuse Distance check box if you want to the automatic allocation process to con-
sider the reuse distance constraint. Enter the Default reuse distance within which two cells on the same carrier
cannot have the same PN offset.
A reuse distance can be defined at the cell level (in the cell Properties dialog box or in the
Cells table). If defined, a cell-specific reuse distance will be used instead of the value
entered here.
Exceptional Pairs: Select the Exceptional Pairs check box if you want the automatic allocation process to con-
sider the exceptional pair constraints.
From the Strategy list, you can select an automatic allocation strategy:
PN Offset per Cell
Adjacent PN-Clusters per Site
Distributed PN-Clusters per Site
Carrier: Select the Carrier on which you want to run the allocation. You may choose one carrier (Atoll will assign
PN offsets to transmitters using the selected carrier) or all of them.
PN-Cluster Size: The number of PN offsets per cluster. This parameter is used only by the Adjacent PN-Clusters per
Site and Distributed PN-Clusters per Site allocation strategies. It should correspond to the average number of
transmitters located on a site.
Use a Max of Codes: Select the Use a Max of Codes check box to make Atoll use the maximum number of PN off-
sets. For example, if there are two cells using the same domain with two PN offsets, Atoll will assign the remaining
PN offset to the second cell even if there are no constraints between these two cells (for example, neighbour rela-
tions, reuse distance, etc.). If you do not select this option, Atoll only checks the constraints, and allocates the first
ranked PN offset in the list.
Delete Existing PN Offsets: Select the Delete Existing PN Offsets check box if you want Atoll to delete currently
allocated PN offsets and recalculate all PN offsets. If you do not select this option, Atoll will keep currently allo-
cated PN offsets and will only allocate PN offsets to cells that do not yet have PN offsets allocated.
Allocate Carriers Identically: Select the Allocate Carriers Identically check box if you want Atoll to allocate the
same PN offset to each carrier of a transmitter. If you do not select this option, Atoll allocates PN offsets indepen-
dently for each carrier.
5. Click Run. Atoll begins the process of allocating PN offsets.
Once Atoll has finished allocating PN offsets, they are visible under Results. Atoll only displays newly allocated PN
offsets.
The Results table contains the following information.
Site: The name of the base station.
Cell: The name of the cell.
Code: The PN offset allocated to the cell.
6. Click Commit. The PN offsets are committed to the cells.
You can save automatic PN offset allocation parameters in a user configuration. For infor-
mation on saving automatic PN offset allocation parameters in a user configuration, see
"Saving a User Configuration" on page 102.
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If you need to allocate PN offsets to the cells on one transmitter, you can allocate
them automatically by selecting Allocate PN Offsets from the transmitters context
menu.
If you need to allocate PN offsets to all the cells on group of transmitters, you can
allocate them automatically by selecting Cells > PN Offsets > Automatic Allocation
from the transmitter groups context menu.
When you allocate PN offsets to a large number of cells, it is easiest to let Atoll allocate PN offsets automatically, as described
in "Automatically Allocating PN Offsets to CDMA Cells" on page 681. However, if you want to add a PN offset to one cell or to
modify the PN offset of a cell, you can do it by accessing the properties of the cell.
To allocate a PN offset to a CDMA cell manually:
1. On the map, right-click the transmitter to whose cell you want to allocate a PN offset. The context menu appears.
2. Select Properties from the context menu. The transmitters Properties dialog box appears.
3. Select the Cells tab.
4. Enter a PN offset in the cells column.
5. Click OK.
Transmitters and cells involved in a PN offset collision are not necessarily located
inside the Focus Zone or Computation Zone, when any is defined.
It is highly recommended to run PN offset audits on a regular basis.
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Exceptional Pairs: If you select the Exceptional Pairs check box, Atoll will check for and display pairs of cells that
are listed as exceptional pairs but still use the same PN offsets.
5. Click OK. Atoll displays the results of the audit in a text file called CodeCheck.txt, which opens at the end of the audit.
For each selected criterion, Atoll gives the number of detected inconsistencies and details each of them.
In Atoll, you can search for PN offsets and PN offset groups using the Find on Map tool. Results are displayed in the map
window in red.
If you have already calculated and displayed a coverage prediction by transmitter based on the best server, with the results
displayed by transmitter, the search results will be displayed by transmitter coverage. PN offsets and PN offset groups and
any potential problems will then be clearly visible. For information on coverage predictions by transmitter, see "Making a
Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on page 657.
To find PN offsets or PN offset groups using the Find on Map tool:
1. Click Tools > Find on Map. The Find on Map window appears.
2. From the Find list, select "PN offset."
3. Select what you what you want to search for:
PN Offset: If you want to find a PN offset, select PN Offset and select it from the list.
PN Offset Group: If you want to find a PN offset group, select PN Offset Group and select it from the list.
4. Select the carrier you want to search on from the For carrier list, or select "(All)" to search in all carriers.
5. Click Search. Transmitters with cells matching the search criteria are displayed in red. Transmitters that do not match
the search criteria are displayed as grey lines.
To restore the initial transmitter colours, click the Reset Display button in the Find on Map tool.
You can use the display characteristics of transmitters to display PN offset-related information.
To display PN offset-related information on the map:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box appears.
4. Click the Display tab.
You can display the following information per transmitter:
PN Offset: To display the PN offset of a transmitters cell, select "Discrete values" as the Display Type and "Cells:
PN Offset" as the Field.
Ranges of PN Offsets: To display ranges of PN offsets, select "Value intervals" as the Display Type and "Cells: PN
Offset" as the Field.
PN Offset domain: To display the PN offset domain of a transmitters cell, select "Discrete values" as the Display
Type and "Cells: PN Offset Domain" as the Field.
You can display the following information in the transmitter label or tip text:
PN Offset: To display the PN offset of a transmitters cell in the transmitter label or tip text, "Cells: PN Offset" from
the Label or Tip Text Field Definition dialog box.
PN Offset domain: To display the PN offset domain of a transmitters cell in the transmitter label or tip text, "Cells:
PN Offset Domain" from the Label or Tip Text Field Definition dialog box.
5. Click OK.
For information on display options, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
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You can group transmitters in the Network explorer by their PN offset or by their PN offset domain.
To group transmitters by PN offset:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box appears.
4. On the General tab, click Group by. The Group dialog box appears.
5. Under Available Fields, scroll down to the Cell section.
6. Select the parameter you want to group transmitters by:
PN Offset
PN Offset Domain
7. Click to add the parameter to the Group these fields in this order list. The selected parameter is added to the list
of parameters on which the transmitters will be grouped. For more information on grouping objects, see "Advanced
Grouping of Data Objects" on page 95.
8. Click OK to save your changes and close the Group dialog box.
If a transmitter has more than one cell, Atoll cannot arrange the transmitter by cell. Trans-
mitters that cannot be grouped by cell are arranged in a separate folder under the Trans-
mitters folder.
You can use a histogram to analyse the use of allocated PN offsets in a network. The histogram represents the PN offsets as a
function of the frequency of their use.
To display the PN offset histogram:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select PN Offset > PN Offset Distribution. The Distribution Histograms dialog box appears.
Each bar represents a PN offset, its height depending on the frequency of its use.
4. Move the pointer over the histogram to display the frequency of use of each PN offset. The results are highlighted
simultaneously in the Zoom on selected values list.
You can zoom in on values by clicking and dragging in the Zoom on selected values list. Atoll will zoom in on the
selected values.
You can make a PN offset collision zone prediction to view areas covered by cells using the same PN offset. For each pixel,
Atoll checks if the best serving cell and the cells that fulfil all criteria to enter the active set (without any active set size limita-
tion) have the same PN offset. If so, Atoll considers that there is a PN offset collision.
To make a PN offset collision zone prediction:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select New Prediction from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialog box appears.
4. Select PN Offset Collision Zones (DL) and click OK.
5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the assigned Name of the coverage prediction, the Reso-
lution, and you can add a Comment. The Receiver height corresponds to the height of the receiver defined in the Cal-
culation Parameters tab of the Network Settings Properties dialog box.
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A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the <GUID> and </GUID> tags in the following files:
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion was saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
"<prediction_name>.XML" files (one per prediction) created in the following folder
if coverage predictions were calculated with Display type = "Value intervals":
C:\<path_to_doc>\<doc_name>.studies\{<Unique_ID>}
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. You can also display
the results grouped in the Network explorer by one or more characteristics by clicking the Group By button, or you
can display the results sorted by clicking the Sort button. For information on filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98;
for information on grouping, see "Advanced Grouping of Data Objects" on page 95; for information on sorting, see
"Advanced Sorting" on page 97.
6. Click the Conditions tab. Select "(Cells Table)" from Load Conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going
to be based on load conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the reverse
link load factor and the forward link total power defined in the cell properties.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load Conditions list.
You must select a Terminal, Service, and Mobility, as defined in "Service and User Modelling" on page 241. You must
also select which Carrier is to be considered.
If you want the PN offset collision zone prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into
account check box and enter a percentage in the Cell Edge Coverage Probability text box.
You can also select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
7. Click the Display tab.
For a PN offset collision zone prediction, the Display Type "Discrete Values" based on the Field "Transmitter" is
selected by default. Each pixel with PN offset collision is displayed with the same colour as that defined for the inter-
fered transmitter. In the Explorer window, the coverage prediction results are ordered first by interfered transmitter
and then by interferer. For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects"
on page 51.
You can also set parameters to display the following results:
The number of interferers for each transmitter: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Number of
Interferers per Transmitter" as the Field. In the Explorer window, the coverage prediction results are arranged by
interfered transmitter.
The total number of interferers on one pixel: Select "Value Intervals" as the Display Type and "Number of Inter-
ferers" as the Field. In the Explorer window, the coverage prediction results are arranged according to the number
of interferers.
8. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can run it immediately or you can save it and run it later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
The PN Offset Collision tab of the Point Analysis window gives you information on the reception for any point on the map
where there is PN offset collision. PN offset collision occurs when the best serving cell and the cells that fulfil all criteria to
enter the active set (without any active set size limitation) have the same PN offset. When there is a PN offset collision, Atoll
displays the pilot quality (EcI0) received from interfered and interferer transmitters.
Analysis is based on the UL load percentage and the DL total power of cells. The analysis is provided for a user-definable probe
receiver which has a terminal, a mobility and a service.
You can make a PN offset collision analysis to review the PN offset collision zone coverage prediction. In this case, before you
make the PN offset collision analysis, you should ensure that the coverage prediction you want to use in the PN offset collision
analysis is displayed on the map.
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1. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the toolbar. The Point Analysis Tool window appears.
2. Click the PN Offset Collision tab.
3. At the top of the PN Offset Collision tab, select "Cells Table" from Load Conditions.
4. If you are making a PN offset collision analysis to verify a coverage prediction, you can recreate the conditions of the
coverage prediction:
a. Select the Terminal, Service, and Mobility studied in the coverage prediction.
b. Right-click the Point Analysis window and select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box ap-
pears.
Change the X and Y coordinates to change the present position of the receiver.
Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell Edge Coverage Probability.
Select the Indoor Coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter
class.
c. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box.
If you are making a PN offset collision analysis to make a coverage prediction on a defined
point, you can use the instructions in this step to define a user.
5. Move the pointer over the map to make a PN offset collision analysis for the current location of the pointer.
6. Click the map to leave the point analysis pointer at its current position.
To move the pointer again, click the point analysis pointer on the map and drag it to a new position.
7. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the toolbar again to end the point analysis.
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Mobility type: In CDMA, information about receiver mobility is important to efficiently manage the active set: a
mobile used by a driver moving quickly or a pedestrian will not necessarily be connected to the same transmitters.
EcI0 requirements and EbNt targets per radio bearer and per link (forward or reverse) are largely dependent on
mobile speed. For information on creating a mobility type, see "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 247.
Radio configuration: In CDMA, a radio configuration is the user equipment that is used in the network, for example,
a mobile phone, a PDA, or a cars on-board navigation device. In Atoll, radio configurations are modelled using termi-
nals. For information on creating a terminal, see "Modelling Terminals" on page 249.
The CDMA2000 1xRTT power control simulation algorithm (see Figure 9.20) simulates the power control, congestion, and
radio resource control performed for CDMA2000 1xRTT users. Atoll considers each user in the order established during the
generation of the user distribution, determines his best server and his active set. Atoll performs the forward link power
control on the FCH and SCH and the reverse link power control on either the pilot channel or on the FCH and SCH, depending
on the option selected under UL 1xRTT Power Control Based On on the Global Parameters tab of the Network Settings Prop-
erties dialog box (see "CDMA Network Settings Properties" on page 726).
After performing power control, Atoll updates the reverse link load factor and the total forward link transmitted power. Atoll
then carries out congestion and radio resource control, verifying the cell reverse link load, the forward link load, and the
number of channel elements and Walsh codes consumed by the cell.
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The SCH throughput on the forward and the reverse links can be downgraded. Atoll will downgrade the forward link SCH
throughput until:
The required forward link quality level on SCH is reached,
The total forward link power of a cell is lower than the maximum power allowed,
The number of channel elements consumed on the forward link by a site is lower than the maximum number of
channel elements allowed,
The number of Walsh codes used by a cell is lower than the maximum number of Walsh codes available per cell.
Atoll will downgrade the reverse link SCH throughput until:
The required reverse link quality level on SCH or on pilot is reached,
The number of channel elements consumed on the reverse link by a site is lower than the maximum number of
channel elements allowed.
Downgraded SCH throughputs cannot be lower than the FCH peak throughput. When downgrading the SCH throughput does
not solve the problem, the SCH is not allocated to the mobile. In this case, if the requirements of a mobile cannot be met by
using the FCH alone, the mobile is rejected.
At this point, users can be either connected or rejected. They are rejected if:
The signal quality is not sufficient:
On the forward link, either the pilot signal level is lower than the defined minimum RSCP threshold or the pilot
quality is not high enough (no cell in the user active set): status is "EcI0 < (EcI0)min."
On the reverse link, there is not enough power to transmit: the status is "Pmob > PmobMax."
On the forward link, the quality of the received signal is not high enough on the traffic channel: the status is "Ptch >
PtchMax."
The network is saturated:
The maximum reverse link load factor is exceeded (at admission or during congestion control): the status is either
"Admission Rejection" or "UL Load Saturation."
There are not enough available channel elements on the site: the status is "Ch. Elts Saturation."
There is not enough power for cells: the status is "DL Load Saturation."
There are no more Walsh codes available: the status is "Walsh Code Saturation."
The CDMA2000 1xEV-DO simulation algorithm (see Figure 9.21) simulates the power and rate controls, congestion, and radio
resource control performed for CDMA2000 1xEV-DO users (i.e. 1xEV-DO Rev.0, 1xEV-DO Rev. A and 1xEV-DO Rev. B service
users). Atoll considers the guaranteed bit rate service users first, in the order established during the generation of the user
distribution, and then, it processes the variable bit rate service users, in the order established during the generation of the
user distribution. It determines the best server and the active set of each user, and performs the reverse link power control
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on the pilot channel. On the forward link, there is no power control; the transmitter transmits at full power. Instead, Atoll
performs rate control based on the CI ratio calculated for the mobile.
After performing rate and power control, Atoll updates the reverse link load factor. Atoll then carries out congestion and radio
resource control, verifying the cell reverse link load and the number of channel elements and MAC indexes consumed by the
cell.
Guaranteed bit rate service users have the highest priority and are processed first, in the order established during the gener-
ation of the user distribution. Atoll determines the 1xEV-DO bearer for each user in the forward link and in the reverse link.
The selected 1xEV-DO bearer must provide a peak RLC throughput higher than the guaranteed bit rate defined for the service.
To achieve the highest cell capacity, 1xEV-DO Rev. A has a multi-user packet that combines packets from several users into a
single physical-layer packet. Atoll models the multi-user packet by allowing several guaranteed bit rate service users to share
the same 1xEV-DO radio bearer. Then, Atoll calculates the 1xEV-DO bearer consumption for each user and takes into account
this parameter when it determines the resources consumed by the user (i.e., the terminal power used, the number of MAC
indexes, and the number of channel elements). Atoll checks if enough MAC indexes and channel elements are available for
the user (taking into account the maximum number of MAC indexes defined for the cell and the maximum number of channel
elements allowed on the site in the downlink). If not enough indexes or channel elements are available, the user is rejected.
A multi-carrier EV-DO user is managed as several single-carrier users. The user has several allocated 1xEV-DO radio bearers
and consumes resources in each cell he is connected to. In the reverse link, load balancing between carriers is modelled. The
user can simultaneously transmit on all carriers. Atoll shares the available terminal power between each carrier and deter-
mines the uplink 1xEV-DO radio bearer obtained on each carrier, without exceeding the available resources (channel
elements, MAC index, and UL load factor). Atoll selects the best configuration among all combinations of carriers, i.e., the
combination which provides the highest total throughput. If, with the selected configuration, the total throughput exceeds
the original throughput demand, Atoll adjusts the 1xEV-DO radio bearers on each carrier until the user obtains the requested
throughput. In the forward link, Atoll performs rate control on each carrier. Atoll calculates the C/I ratio received by the
mobile on each carrier and determines the downlink 1xEV-DO radio bearer obtained on each carrier. The user downlink
throughput corresponds to the sum of the throughputs obtained on each carrier.
During reverse link power control, if the service supports downgrading, Atoll might downgrade the peak throughput of 1xEV-
DO Rev. 0 service users on the reverse link traffic data channel until the required reverse link quality level is reached. If down-
grading does not allow the quality level to be met, the mobile is rejected.
During congestion control, if the service supports downgrading, Atoll might adjust the peak throughput of 1xEV-DO Rev. 0
service users on the reverse link traffic data channel until the reverse link cell noise rise is between the noise rise threshold
plus the acceptable noise rise margin and the noise rise threshold minus the acceptable noise rise margin. If the noise rise is
too high, Atoll downgrades all 1xEV-DO Rev. 0 users that can be downgraded. When the noise rise is too low, it upgrades all
1xEV-DO Rev. 0 users that can be upgraded. A 1xEV-DO Rev. 0 user can be downgraded or upgraded if the transition flag of
his peak throughput was set to "True" during the generation of the user distribution. 1xEV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B service users
are not downgraded. They are rejected when the cell noise rise threshold is exceeded.
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At this point, users can be either connected or rejected. They are rejected if:
The signal quality is not sufficient:
On the forward link, either the pilot signal level is lower than the defined minimum RSCP threshold or the pilot
quality is not high enough (no cell in the user active set): status is "EcI0 pilot < EcI0 min. pilot".
On the reverse link, there is not enough power to transmit: the status is "Pmob > Pmob max".
The obtained downlink bit rate is lower than the downlink guaranteed bit rate: the status is "Obtained DL throughput
< Guaranteed DL bit rate". This rejection cause applies to guaranteed bit rate service users only.
The network is saturated:
The maximum reverse link load factor is exceeded (at admission or during congestion control): the status is either
"Admission rejection" or "UL load saturation".
There are not enough available channel elements on the site: the status is "channel element saturation".
There are not enough MAC indexes per cell or the maximum number of EV-DO users per cell is exceeded during
the radio resource control: the status is "1xEV-DO resources saturation".
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No. of DL and UL FCH CEs: The number of channel elements used by the FCH on the forward and reverse links by
the site.
No. of DL and UL SCH CEs: The number of channel elements used by the SCH on the forward and reverse links by
the site.
No. EV-DO CEs: The number of channel elements used by EV-DO users.
No. of DL and UL FCH CEs Due to SHO Overhead: The number of extra channel elements due to soft handoff, on
reverse link and forward link for CDMA2000 1xRTT users.
No. of DL and UL SCH CEs Due to SHO Overhead: The number of extra channel elements due to soft handoff, on
reverse link and forward link for CDMA2000 1xRTT users.
No. of EV-DO CEs Due to SHO Overhead: The number of extra channel elements due to soft handoff, on reverse
link and forward link for CDMA2000 1xEV-DO users.
Carrier Selection: The carrier selection method defined on the site equipment.
AS Restricted to Neighbours: Whether the active set is restricted to neighbours of the reference cell. This option
is selected on the site equipment.
Rake Factor: The rake factor, defined on the site equipment, enables Atoll to model a rake receiver on the reverse
link.
MUD Factor: The multi-user detection factor, defined on the site equipment, is used to decrease intra-cell inter-
ference on the reverse link.
Peak UL Throughput per 1xEV-DO service (kbps): The peak uplink throughput in kbitss for each 1xEV-DO data
service (rev. 0, rev. A, rev. B).
Peak DL FCH Throughput per service (Uplink and Downlink) (kbps): The peak throughput in kbitss for speech ser-
vice and each 1xRTT data service on the FCH. The result is detailed on the forward and reverse link only when rel-
evant.
Peak DL SCH Throughput per service (Uplink and Downlink) (kbps): The throughput in kbitss for each 1xRTT data
service on the SCH. The result is detailed on the forward and reverse link only when relevant.
The Cells (1xRTT) tab: The Cells (1xRTT) tab contains the following information, per site, transmitter, and 1xRTT
carrier:
Max Power (dBm): The maximum power as defined in the cell properties.
Pilot Power (dBm): The pilot power as defined in the cell properties.
Synchro Power (dBm): The synchro power as defined in the cell properties.
Paging Power (dBm): The paging power as defined in the cell properties.
Gain (dBi): The gain as defined in the antenna properties for that transmitter.
Reception Loss (dB): The reception loss as defined in the transmitter properties.
Transmission Loss (dB): The transmission loss as defined in the transmitter properties.
Noise Figure (dB): The noise figure as defined in the transmitter properties
Total Transmitted DL Power (dBm): The total transmitted power on the forward link.
Total Transmitted DL FCH Power (dBm): The total power used on the forward link for the FCH.
Total Transmitted DL SCH Power (dBm): The total power used on the forward link for the SCH.
UL Total Noise (dBm): The total noise on the reverse link.
UL Load Factor (%): The cell load factor on the reverse link corresponds to the ratio between the total interference
on the reverse link and the total noise on the reverse link. If the constraint "UL Load Factor" has been selected,
the cell load factor on the reverse link is not allowed to exceed the user-defined maximum load factor on the
reverse link (defined either in the cell properties, or in the simulation creation dialog box).
DL Load Factor (%): The load factor of the cell i on the forward link corresponds to the ratio (average interference
on the forward link [due to transmitter signals on the same carrier] for terminals in the transmitter i area)
(average total noise on the forward link [due to transmitter signals and to thermal noise of terminals] for terminals
in the transmitter i area).
DL Noise Rise (dB): The noise rise on the forward link is calculated from the load factor on the forward link. These
data indicate signal degradation due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
DL Load (% Pmax): The percentage of power used is determined by the total transmitted power-maximum power
ratio (power stated in W). When the constraint "DL load" is set, the DL Load can not exceed the user-defined Max
DL Load (defined either in the cell properties, or in the simulation).
Number of UL and DL Radio Links: The number of radio links corresponds to the number of user-transmitter links
on the same carrier. This data is calculated on the forward and reverse links and indicates the number of users
connected to the cell on the forward and reverse links. Because of handover, a single user can use several radio
links.
Connection Success Rate (%): The connection success rate gives the ratio of connected users over the total
number of users in the cell.
UL Noise Rise (dB): The noise rise on the reverse link is calculated from the load factor on the reverse link. These
data indicate signal degradation due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
UL Reuse Factor: The reverse link reuse factor is the ratio between the reverse link total interference and the intra-
cell interference.
UL Reuse Efficiency Factor: The reuse efficiency factor on the reverse link is the reciprocal of the reuse factor on
the reverse link.
No. of Codes (128 bits): The total number of 128-bit Walsh codes used by cell.
No. of FCH Codes (128 bits): The total number of 128-bit Walsh codes used by the FCH of the cell.
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No. of SCH Codes (128 bits): The total number of 128-bit Walsh codes used by the SCH of the cell.
The Types of Handoff as a Percentage: Atoll estimates the percentages of handoff types for each transmitter.
Atoll only lists the results for the following handoff status, no handoff (11), softer (12), soft (22), softer-soft (23)
and soft-soft (33) handoffs; the other handoff status (other HO) are grouped.
No. of DL and UL FCH CEs: The number of channel elements used by the FCH on the forward and reverse links.
No. of DL and UL SCH CEs: The number of channel elements used by the SCH on the forward and reverse links.
FCH Throughput (Uplink and Downlink) (kbps): The throughput of the FCH on the forward and reverse links.
SCH Throughput (Uplink and Downlink) (kbps): The throughput of the SCH on the forward and reverse links.
Min TCH Pwr (dBm): The minimum power allocated to a traffic channel for supplying services.
Max TCH Pwr (dBm): The maximum power allocated to a traffic channel for supplying services.
Avg TCH Pwr (dBm): The average power allocated to a traffic channel for supplying services.
Rejected Users: The number of rejected users per cell are sorted by the following reasons: Pmob > PmobMax,
Ptch > PtchMax, EcIo < (EcIo)min, UL Load Saturation, Ch. Elts Saturation, DL Load Saturation, Walsh Code Sat-
uration, and Admission Rejection.
Connection Success Rate (%) for Each Service: For each service, the connection success rate gives the ratio of con-
nected users over the total number of users of that service in the cell.
The Cells (1xEV-DO) tab: The Cells (1xEV-DO) tab contains the following information, per site, transmitter, and
1xEV-DO carrier:
Max Power (dBm): The maximum power as defined in the cell properties.
Idle Power Gain (dB): The idle power gain as defined in the cell properties.
Gain (dBi): The gain as defined in the antenna properties for that transmitter.
Reception Loss (dB): The reception loss as defined in the transmitter properties.
Transmission Loss (dB): The transmission loss as defined in the transmitter properties.
Noise Figure (dB): The noise figure as defined in the transmitter properties.
UL Total Noise (dBm): The total noise received by the cell on the reverse link.
UL Load Factor (%): The cell load factor on the reverse link corresponds to the ratio between the total interference
on the reverse link and the total noise on the reverse link. If the constraint "UL Load Factor" has been selected,
the cell load factor on the reverse link is not allowed to exceed the user-defined maximum load factor on the
reverse link (defined either in the cell properties or in the simulation creation dialog box).
UL Noise Rise (dB): The noise rise on the reverse link is calculated from the load factor on the reverse link. These
data indicate signal degradation due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
UL Reuse Factor: The reverse link reuse factor is the ratio between the reverse link total interference and the intra-
cell interference.
UL Reuse Efficiency Factor: The reuse efficiency factor on the reverse link is the reciprocal of the reuse factor on
the reverse link.
Number of UL Radio Links: The number of radio links on the reverse link. Multi-carrier users are counted once in
each cell they are connected to.
No. of Active Users: The number of active users connected to the cell. Multi-carrier users are counted once in each
cell they are connected to.
No. of Inactive Users: The number of inactive users among the users connected to the cell. Multi-carrier users are
counted once in each cell they are connected to.
Connection Success Rate (%): The percentage of connections that are successfully made.
The Types of Handoff as a Percentage: Atoll estimates the percentages of handoff types for each transmitter on
the reverse link. Atoll only lists the results for the following handoff status, no handoff (11), softer (12), soft (22),
softer-soft (23) and soft-soft (33) handoffs; the other handoff status (other HO) are grouped.
UL and DL Throughput (kbps): The throughput on the forward and reverse links.
No. of MAC Index: The number of MAC indexes used by the cell.
Rejected Users: The number of rejected users per cell are sorted by the following reasons: Pmob > PmobMax,
Ptch > PtchMax, EcIo < (EcIo)min, UL Load Saturation, Ch. Elts Saturation, DL Load Saturation, Walsh Code Sat-
uration, Admission Rejection, and 1xEV-DO Resources Saturation.
Connection Success Rate (%) For Each Service: For each service, the connection success rate gives the percentage
of connected users from the total number of users of that service in the cell.
The Mobiles (1xRTT) tab: The Mobiles (1xRTT) tab contains the following information for CDMA2000 1xRTT users:
The Mobiles (1xRTT) tab only appears if, when creating the simulation as explained in
"Creating Simulations" on page 265, you select either "Standard information about
mobiles" or "Detailed information about mobiles" under Information to Retain.
X and Y: The coordinates of users who attempt to connect (the geographic position is determined by the second
random trial).
Service: The service assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distribution.
Terminal: The assigned radio configuration.
User Profile: The assigned user profile.
Mobility: The mobility type assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distribution.
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Activity Status: The activity status assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distri-
bution.
DL and UL Requested Throughput (kbps): The downlink and uplink requested throughputs correspond to the for-
ward and reverse throughputs requested by the user before power control.
DL and UL Obtained Throughput (kbps): The obtained throughputs are the same as the requested throughputs if
the user is connected without being downgraded. If the user has been downgraded, the throughput is calculated
using the downgrading factor. If the user was rejected, the obtained throughput is zero.
Carrier: The carrier used for the mobile-transmitter connection.
Frequency Band: The frequency band used for the mobile-transmitter connection.
Mobile Total Power (dBm): This value corresponds to the total power transmitted by the terminal.
Uplink Pilot Power (dBm): The power transmitted by the terminal on the reverse pilot channel.
Mobile FCH Power (dBm): The power transmitted by the terminal on the FCH channel.
Mobile SCH Power (dBm): power transmitted by the terminal on the SCH channel.
Connection Status: The connection status indicates whether the user is connected or rejected at the end of the
simulation. If connected, the connection status corresponds to the activity status. If rejected, the rejection cause
is given.
Best Server: The best server among the transmitters in the mobile active set.
HO Status (Sites/No. Transmitters Act. Set): The HO status is the number of sites compared to the number of
transmitters in the active set.
AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6: The name of the cell that is the best server, the second-best server, and so on is
given in a separate column for each cell in the active set.
Ec/Io AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (dB): EcI0 is given in a separate column for each cell in the active set. The Ec/
Io AS1 column lists the Ec/Io from the best server for the rejected mobiles as well.
Indoor: This field indicates whether indoor losses have been added or not.
The following columns only appear if, when creating the simulation as explained in "Creating Simulations" on
page 265, you select "Detailed Information About Mobiles" under Information to retain:
DL and UL Downgrading Factor (SCH): The downgrading factor for the SCH on both the forward and the reverse
links. The downgrading factor is used to calculated how much the SCH throughput will be downgraded if the
requested throughput cannot be provided.
DL Ntot AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (dBm): The total noise on the forward link for each link between the mobile
and a transmitter in the active set.
Cell FCH Power AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (DL) (dBm): The cell power transmitted on the FCH forward link is
given for each link between the mobile and a transmitter in the active set.
Cell SCH Power AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (DL) (dBm): The cell power transmitted on the SCH forward link is
given for each link between the mobile and a transmitter in the active set.
Load Factor AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (DL) (%): The load factor on the forward link for each link between the
mobile and a transmitter in the active set. It corresponds to the ratio between the total interference on the for-
ward link and total noise at the terminal.
Noise Rise AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (DL) (dB): The noise rise on the forward link for each link between the
mobile and a transmitter in the active set.
Reuse Factor AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (DL): The forward link reuse factor is the ratio between the forward
link total interference and the intra-cell interference. It is calculated for each link between the mobile and a trans-
mitter in the active set.
Iintra AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (DL) (dBm): The intra-cell interference on the forward link for each cell (I) of
the active set.
DL DL
I Intra ic = 1 F Ortho P tot ic
txi
Iextra AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (DL) (dBm): The extra-cell interference on the forward link for each cell (I) of
the active set.
DL DL
I extra ic = P tot ic
txj j i
Total Loss AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (dB): The total attenuation for each link between the mobile and a trans-
mitter in the active set.
Name: The name of the mobile, as assigned during the random user generation.
Clutter: The clutter class on which the mobile is located.
Orthogonality Factor: The orthogonality factor used in the simulation. The orthogonality factor is the remaining
orthogonality of the Walsh codes at reception. The value used is the orthogonality factor set in the clutter classes.
% Pilot Finger: The percentage pilot finger used in the simulation, defined per clutter class or globally for all clutter
classes.
DL and UL FCH SHO Gain (dB): The soft handoff gain for the FCH on the forward and the reverse link. The soft
handoff gain on the forward link is calculated if mobile receivers are connected either on the forward link or on
the forward link and the reverse link.
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DL and UL SCH SHO Gain (dB): The soft handoff gain for the SCH on the forward and the reverse link. The soft
handoff gain on the forward link is calculated if mobile receivers are connected either on the forward link or on
the forward link and the reverse link.
The Mobiles (1xEV-DO) tab: The Mobiles (1xEV-DO) tab contains the following information for CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
users:
The Mobiles (1xEV-DO) tab only appears if, when creating the simulation as explained in
"Creating Simulations" on page 265, you select either "Standard information about
mobiles" or "Detailed information about mobiles" under Information to Retain.
X and Y: The coordinates of users who attempt to connect (the geographic position is determined by the second
random trial).
Service: The service assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distribution.
Terminal: The assigned radio configuration.
User: The assigned user profile.
Mobility: The mobility type assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distribution.
Activity Status: The activity status assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distri-
bution.
UL Requested Throughput (kbps): The UL Requested Throughput corresponds to the throughput, including the
control channel throughput, requested by the user before power control.
UL Obtained Throughput (kbps): For a 1xEV-DO Rev. 0 service user, the obtained throughput is the same as the
requested throughput if the user is connected without being downgraded. If the user has been downgraded, the
uplink throughput is calculated using the downgrading factor. If the user was rejected, the obtained throughput
is "0".
The uplink total throughput obtained by the 1xEV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B service users depends on the service QoS
class (i.e., whether this is a guaranteed bit rate or a variable bit rate service). For a guaranteed bit rate service user,
when the user is connected, the uplink obtained throughput equals the guaranteed bit rate defined for the service.
For variable bit rate service users, the uplink obtained throughput is the same as the requested throughput. If the
user is rejected, the uplink obtained throughput is throughput is "0".
DL Peak Throughput: The maximum throughput on the forward link depends on the value of CI at the terminal.
Atoll calculates this value from the Peak throughput=f(CI) graph specified in the mobility type properties.
Carrier: The carrier used for the mobile-transmitter connection. Multi-carrier users are connected to several car-
riers. Details can be displayed per carrier by clicking the Actions button and then selecting Detailed Display from
the menu.
Frequency Band: The frequency band used for the mobile-transmitter connection.
Mobile Total Power (dBm): The mobile total power corresponds to the total power transmitted by the terminal.
For constant bit rate service users, the percentage of bearer consumption is taken into account.
Connection Status: The connection status indicates whether the user is connected or rejected at the end of the
simulation. If connected, the connection status corresponds to the activity status. If rejected, the rejection cause
is given.
Best Server: The best server among the transmitters in the mobile active set.
HO Status (Sites/No. Transmitters Act. Set): The HO status is the number of sites compared to the number of
transmitters in the active set.
AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6: The name of the cell that is the best server, the second-best server, and so on is
given in a separate column for each cell in the active set.
Ec/Io AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (dB): EcI0 is given in a separate column for each cell in the active set. The Ec/
Io AS1 column lists the Ec/Io from the best server for the rejected mobiles as well.
DL C/I: The CI for the pilot on the forward link.
Indoor: This field indicates whether indoor losses have been added or not.
The following columns only appear if, when creating the simulation as explained in "Creating Simulations" on
page 265, you select "Detailed information about mobiles" under Information to Retain:
UL Throughput due to TCP (kbps): The uplink throughput due to TCP aknowledgements.
UL Requested Peak Throughput (kbps): The uplink requested peak throughput corresponds to the throughput
requested by the user before power control.
UL Obtained Peak Throughput (kbps): For a 1xEV-DO Rev. 0 service user, the uplink obtained peak throughput is
the same as the requested peak throughput if the user is connected without being downgraded. If the user has
been downgraded, it is calculated using the downgrading factor. If the user was rejected, the obtained peak
throughput is zero.
The uplink peak throughput obtained by the 1xEV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B service users depends on the service QoS
class (i.e., whether this is a guaranteed bit rate or a variable bit rate service). For a guaranteed bit rate service user,
when the user is connected, the uplink obtained peak throughput equals the guaranteed bit rate defined for the
service. For variable bit rate service users, the uplink obtained peak throughput is the same as the uplink request-
ed peak throughput. If the user is rejected, the uplink obtained peak throughput is "0".
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UL Downgrading Factor: The downgrading factor on the reverse link. The downgrading factor is used to calculated
how much the throughput will be downgraded if the requested throughput cannot be provided.
DL Ntot (Data) (dBm): The total noise on the forward link.
DL Load Factor (%): The load factor on the forward link. It corresponds to the ratio between the total interference
on the forward link and total noise at the terminal.
DL Noise Rise (dB): The noise rise on the forward link.
Total Loss AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6 (dB): The total attenuation for each link between the mobile and a trans-
mitter in the active set.
Name: The name of the mobile, as assigned during the random user generation.
Clutter: The clutter class on which the mobile is located.
Orthogonality Factor: The orthogonality factor used in the simulation. The orthogonality factor is the remaining
orthogonality of the Walsh codes at reception. The value used is the orthogonality factor set in the clutter classes.
% Pilot Finger: The percentage pilot finger used in the simulation, defined per clutter class or globally for all clutter
classes.
UL SHO Gain (dB): The soft handoff gain on the reverse link.
Transition flags (Upgrading 9.6k->19.2k, Upgrading 19.2k->38.4k, Upgrading 38.4k->76.8k, Upgrading
76.8k->153.6k, Downgrading 19.2k->9.6k, Downgrading 38.4k->19.2k, Downgrading 76.8k->38.4k, Down-
grading 153.6k->76.8k): The boolean transition flags ("True" or "False") generated by Atoll for each throughput
transition and for each 1xEV-DO user. If the flag for a throughput transition is "True," the throughput can be
upgraded or downgraded if necessary during the uplink load control.
The Mobiles (Shadowing Values) tab: The Mobiles (Shadowing Values) tab contains information on the shadowing
margin for each link between the receiver and up to ten potential transmitters. Atoll selects the transmitters which
have the receiver in their propagation zone and have the lowest path losses. The ten transmitters with the lowest path
losses are selected and sorted in ascending order by path loss.
The Mobiles (Shadowing Values) tab only appears if, when creating the simulation as
explained in "Creating Simulations" on page 265, you select "Detailed information about
mobiles" under Information to Retain.
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One tab gives statistics of the results of the group of simulations. Other tabs in the properties dialog box contain simu-
lation results for all simulations, both averaged and as a standard deviation.
The Statistics tab: The Statistics tab contains the following two sections:
Request: Under Request, you will find data on the connection requests:
Atoll calculates the total number of users who try to connect. This number is the result of the first random
trial; power control has not yet started. The result depends on the traffic description and traffic input.
During the first random trial, each user is assigned a service and an activity status. The number of users per
activity status and the reverse link and forward link throughputs that all users could theoretically generate are
provided.
The breakdown per service (total number of users, number of users per activity status, and reverse link and
forward link throughputs) is given.
Results: Under Results, you will find data on the connection results:
The number of iterations that were run in order to converge.
The number and the percentage of rejected users is given along with the reason for rejection. These figures
are determined at the end of the simulation and depend on the network design.
The number and percentage of users connected to a cell, the number of users per frequency band for multi-
band networks, the number of users per activity status, and the reverse link and forward link throughputs they
generate.
The breakdown per service (total number of users, number of users per frequency band for multi-band
networks, number of users per activity status, and reverse link and forward link throughputs) is given.
The Cells (Average - 1xRTT) and Cells (Standard Deviation - 1xRTT) tabs: The Cells (Average - 1xRTT) and Cells (Stand-
ard Deviation - 1xRTT) tabs contain the following average and standard deviation information, respectively, per site,
transmitter, and 1xRTT carrier:
UL Total Noise (dBm): The total noise on the reverse link takes into account the total signal received at the trans-
mitter on a carrier from intra and extra-cell terminals using the same carrier and adjacent carriers (total interfer-
ence on the reverse link) and the thermal noise.
UL Load Factor (%): The cell load factor on the reverse link corresponds to the ratio between the total interference
on the reverse link and the total noise on the reverse link. If the constraint "UL Load Factor" has been selected,
the cell load factor on the reverse link is not allowed to exceed the user-defined maximum load factor on the
reverse link (defined either in the cell properties, or in the simulation creation dialog box).
UL Noise Rise (dB): The noise rise on the reverse link is calculated from the load factor on the reverse link. These
data indicate signal degradation due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
UL Reuse Factor: The reverse link reuse factor is the ratio between the reverse link total interference and the intra-
cell interference.
UL Reuse Efficiency Factor: The reverse link reuse efficiency factor is the reciprocal of the reverse link reuse factor.
DL Load Factor (%): The forward link load factor of the cell i corresponds to the ratio (forward link average inter-
ference [due to transmitter signals on the same carrier] for terminals in the transmitter i area) (forward link
average total noise [due to transmitter signals and to thermal noise of terminals] for terminals in the transmitter
i area).
DL Noise Rise (dB): The forward link noise rise is calculated from the forward link load factor. These data indicate
signal degradation due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
Total Transmitted DL Power (dBm): The total power transmitted on the forward link.
DL Load (% Pmax): The percentage of power used is determined by the total transmitted power-maximum power
ratio (power stated in W). When the constraint "DL load" is set, the DL Load can not exceed the user-defined Max
DL Load (defined either in the cell properties, or in the simulation).
Number of UL and DL Radio Links: The number of radio links corresponds to the number of user-transmitter links
on the same carrier. This data is calculated on the forward and reverse links and indicates the number of users
connected to the cell on the forward and reverse links. Because of handover, a single user can use several radio
links.
Connection Success Rate (%): The connection success rate gives the ratio of connected users over the total
number of users in the cell.
No. of Codes (128 bits): The average number of 128-bit Walsh codes used per cell.
The types of handoff as a percentage: Atoll estimates the percentages of handoff types for each transmitter. Atoll
only lists the results for the following handoff status, no handoff (11), softer (12), soft (22), softer-soft (23) and
soft-soft (33) handoffs; the other handoff status (other HO) are grouped.
FCH Throughput (Uplink and Downlink) (kbps): The throughput of the FCH on the forward and reverse links.
SCH Throughput (Uplink and Downlink) (kbps): The throughput of the SCH on the forward and reverse links.
Min TCH Pwr (dBm): The minimum power allocated to a traffic channel for supplying services.
Max TCH Pwr (dBm): The maximum power allocated to a traffic channel for supplying services.
Avg TCH Pwr (dBm): The average power allocated to a traffic channel for supplying services.
Rejected Users: The number of rejected users per cell are sorted by the following reasons: Pmob > PmobMax,
Ptch > PtchMax, EcIo < (EcIo)min, UL Load Saturation, Ch. Elts Saturation, DL Load Saturation, Walsh Code Sat-
uration, and Admission Rejection.
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Connection Success Rate (%) for Each Service: For each service, the connection success rate gives the ratio of con-
nected users over the total number of users of that service in the cell.
The Cells (Average - 1xEV-DO) and Cells (Standard Deviation - 1xEV-DO) tabs: The Cells (Average - 1xEV-DO) and Cells
(Standard Deviation - 1xEV-DO) tabs contain the following average and standard deviation information, respectively,
per site, transmitter, and 1xEV-DO carrier:
UL Total Noise (dBm): The total noise on the reverse link takes into account the total signal received at the trans-
mitter on a carrier from intra and extra-cell terminals using the same carrier and adjacent carriers (total interfer-
ence on the reverse link) and the thermal noise.
UL Load Factor (%): The cell load factor on the reverse link corresponds to the ratio between the total interference
on the reverse link and the total noise on the reverse link. If the constraint "UL Load Factor" has been selected,
the cell load factor on the reverse link is not allowed to exceed the user-defined maximum load factor on the
reverse link (defined either in the cell properties, or in the simulation creation dialog box).
UL Noise Rise (dB): The noise rise on the reverse link is calculated from the load factor on the reverse link. These
data indicate signal degradation due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
UL Reuse Factor: The reverse link reuse factor is the ratio between the reverse link total interference and the intra-
cell interference.
UL Reuse Efficiency Factor: The reverse link reuse efficiency factor is the reciprocal of the reverse link reuse factor.
Number of UL Radio Links: The number of radio links on the reverse link.
Connection Success Rate (%): The percentage of connections that are successfully made.
The types of handoff as a percentage: Atoll estimates the percentages of handoff types for each transmitter. Atoll
only lists the results for the following handoff status, no handoff (11), softer (12), soft (22), softer-soft (23) and
soft-soft (33) handoffs; the other handoff status (other HO) are grouped.
UL and DL Throughput (kbps): The throughput on the forward and reverse links.
No. of MAC Index: The number of MAC indexes used by the cell.
Rejected Users: The number of rejected users per cell are sorted by the following reasons: Pmob > PmobMax,
Ptch > PtchMax, EcIo < (EcIo)min, UL Load Saturation, Ch. Elts Saturation, DL Load Saturation, Walsh Code Sat-
uration, Admission Rejection, and 1xEV-DO Resources Saturation.
Connection Success Rate (%) for Each Service: For each service, the connection success rate gives the ratio of con-
nected users over the total number of users of that service in the cell.
The Initial Conditions tab: The Initial Conditions tab contains the following information:
The global transmitter parameters:
The spreading width
Whether the power values on the forward link are absolute or relative to the pilot
The default reverse link soft handoff gain
Whether the MRC in softer/soft is defined or not
The method used to calculate Nt
Whether the reverse link 1xRTT power control is based on the traffic quality or the pilot quality.
The input parameters specified when creating the group of simulations:
The maximum number of iterations
The global scaling factor
The generator initialisation value
The reverse link and forward link convergence thresholds
The simulation constraints such as maximum power, the maximum number of channel elements, the reverse
link load factor and the maximum load
The name of the traffic maps used.
The parameters related to the clutter classes, including the default values.
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The AS analysis does not take possible network saturation into account. Therefore, there
is no guarantee that a simulated mobile with the same receiver characteristics can verify
the point analysis, simply because the simulated network can be saturated.
1. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the toolbar. The Point Analysis window appears.
2. Select the AS Analysis view at the top of the Point Analysis window.
3. At the top of the AS Analysis view, select the simulation or group of simulations you want to base the AS analysis on
from the Load Conditions list.
4. Select the Terminal, Service, Mobility, Carrier, and DL and UL Throughputs.
5. Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculation Options dialog box.
6. Select or clear the following options:
Whether shadowing is to be taken into account (and, if so, the cell edge coverage probability).
Whether indoor coverage is to be taken into account.
7. Click OK to close the Calculation Options dialog box.
8. Move the pointer over the map to make an active set analysis for the current location of the pointer.
As you move the pointer, Atoll indicates on the map which is the best server for the current position (see Figure 9.7
on page 670).
Information on the current position is given in the AS Analysis view of the Point Analysis window. See Figure 9.8 on
page 671 for an explanation of the displayed information.
9. Click the map to leave the point analysis pointer at its current position.
To move the pointer again, click the point analysis pointer on the map and drag it to a new position.
10. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the toolbar again to end the point analysis.
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Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (UL): For information on making a coverage prediction on the reverse link service
area, see "Studying 1xRTT Forward and Reverse Link Service Areas (EbNt)" on page 660 or "Studying 1xEV-DO
Reverse Link Service Area (EbNt)" on page 661.
Effective Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (DL+UL): For information on making a pilot pollution coverage analysis,
see "Studying the Effective Service Area" on page 662.
Coverage predictions on noise and interference:
Coverage by Total Noise Level (DL): For information on making a forward link total noise coverage prediction, see
"Studying Forward Link Total Noise" on page 665.
Pilot Pollution Analysis (DL): For information on making a pilot pollution coverage analysis, see "Studying Pilot
Pollution" on page 665.
A handoff status coverage prediction to analyse macro-diversity performance:
Handoff Zones (DL): For information on making a handoff status coverage prediction, see "Making a Handoff
Status Coverage Prediction" on page 667.
The procedures for the coverage predictions assume that simulation results are not available. When no simulations are avail-
able, you select "(Cells Table)" from the Load Conditions list, on the Conditions tab. However, when simulations are available
you can base the coverage prediction on one simulation or a group of simulations.
To base a coverage prediction on a simulation or group of simulations, when setting the parameters:
1. Click the Conditions tab.
2. From the Load Conditions list, select the simulation or group of simulations on which you want to base the coverage
prediction.
3. If you select a group of simulations from the Load Conditions list, select one of the following:
All: Select All to make a statistical analysis of all simulations based on the defined Probability (the probability must
be from 0 to 1). This will make a global analysis of all simulations in a group and with an evaluation of the network
stability in terms of fluctuations in traffic.
Average: Select Average make the coverage prediction on the average of the simulations in the group.
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You can base the evaluation of a qualiy analysis prediction on a calculated Atoll prediction,
if any, or on a manual configuration.
If you base the evaluation of a qualiy analysis prediction on a calculated Atoll pre-
diction, ACP will use the display settings of the calculated Atoll prediction in the
qualiy analysis prediction calculated for that objective.
If you saved the display settings of a qualiy analysis prediction as defaults, or if you
are using a configuration file for ACP, these display settings will be used by default
and will override the display settings of the calculated Atoll prediction. For more
information on changing the display settings of a quality analysis prediction, see
"Changing the Display Properties of ACP Predictions" on page 1397.
Signal Level
Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by signal level.
Base prediction settings on > "Coverage by Signal Level (DL)": ACP will evaluate coverages by signal level based
on the parameters used to calculate the selected "Coverage by Signal Level (DL)" prediction in Atoll.
Only the coverage predictions displaying a "Best Signal Level" per pixel can be accessed by the ACP.
Base prediction settings on > "Manual configuration": if you select this option, you can Enable shadowing margin
and define a Cell edge coverage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no
clutter information available, default values are used.
EcIo
Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by Ec/Io.
Base prediction settings on > "Pilot Quality Analysis (DL)": ACP will evaluate coverages by signal level based on
the parameters used to calculate the selected "Pilot Quality Analysis (DL)" prediction in Atoll.
Base prediction settings on > Manual configuration: If you select this option, you can Enable shadowing margin
and define a Cell edge coverage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no
clutter information is available, default values are used. Additionally, you can specify:
Service and Terminal that will be used during the calculation of EcIo through gain and losses (i.e., the service
body loss, the gain and loss of the terminal antenna, and the terminal noise factor).
Overlap / 1st-Nth
Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by overlapping zones or by 1st-
Nth difference.
Overlap
Base prediction settings on > "Overlapping Zones (DL)": ACP will evaluate coverages by overlapping based on
the parameters used to calculate the selected "Overlapping Zones (DL)" prediction in Atoll.
Only the Atoll predictions displaying a "Number of Servers" per pixel can be accessed by the ACP.
Base prediction settings on > "Manual configuration": If you select this option, you can set a Minimum signal
level and a Threshold margin.
1st-Nth
Base prediction settings on > "Overlapping Zones (DL)": ACP will evaluate coverages by 1st-Nth difference
based on the parameters used to calculate the selected "Overlapping Zones (DL)" prediction in Atoll.
Since there are no Atoll prediction types equivalent to ACPs CDMA 1xRTT 1st-Nth Difference and CDMA Ev-
DO 1st-Nth Difference objectives, the parameters recovered by ACP from the selected Atoll predictions are
limited to the minimum signal level and the shading. The number of servers must always be specified manually
next to No. servers.
Manual configuration: If you select this option, specify a Minimum signal level and the No. servers.
In both cases, the value you specify next to No. servers determines "Nth" in the CDMA 1xRTT 1st-Nth Differ-
ence and CDMA Ev-DO 1st-Nth Difference objectives. For instance if you set No. servers to 4, then the "1st-
4th Difference" quality parameter will be automatically selected by default in the Quality column of the CDMA
1xRTT 1st-Nth Difference and CDMA Ev-DO 1st-Nth Difference properties pages.
- Allowed values for No. servers range from 3 to 100, with only one value available per technology.
- The "1st-2nd Difference" quality parameter (based on No. servers = 2) is provided by default.
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Figure 9.23: ACP Quality Analysis Prediction Types for a CDMA Network
ACP quality analysis predictions are equivalent to some of Atolls coverage predictions. The following table lists the quality
analysis predictions available in ACP for LTE and the equivalent LTE coverage predictions in Atoll.
(1) For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction by Signal Level" on page 656.
(2) For more information, see "Creating Coverage Predictions on Drive Test Data Paths" on page 710.
(3)
For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction on Overlapping Zones" on page 657.
Making these predictions available within ACP enables you to quickly validate the optimisation results without having to
commit the results and then calculate a coverage prediction in Atoll. ACP predictions display results very similar to those that
Atoll would display if you committed the optimisation results and calculated Atoll coverage predictions, however, before
basing any decision to commit the optimisation results on the predictions produced by ACP, you should keep the following
recommendations in mind:
You should verify the results with a different Atoll coverage prediction, such as the pilot pollution analysis.
ACP-generated predictions are generated using the entire set of proposed changes. They do not take into account the
change subset defined on the Change Details tab.
Multiple-carrier optimisation is supported in CDMA. However the predictions are provided separately for each carrier.
Even after committing the optimisation results, differences can remain between ACP and Atoll predictions.
You can view the exact signal level and EcIo values on any pixel by letting the pointer rest over the pixel. The signal level or
EcIo value is then displayed in tip text.
For ACP overlapping zones predictions, you can:
Specify a best server threshold:
by entering a value next to Minimum Signal Level in the Overlap / 1st-Nth properties page,
or by setting the param.cdma.overlap.minRxLevel option with the same value in the [ACPTplObjectivePage] sec-
tion of the ACP.ini file.
Specify a threshold margin:
by entering a value next to Threshold margin in the Overlap / 1st-Nth properties page,
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or by setting the param.cdma.overlap.margin option with the same value in the [ACPTplObjectivePage] section of
the ACP.ini file.
For each network quality coverage prediction, ACP offers a prediction showing the initial network state, the final network
state, and a prediction showing the changes between the initial and final state.
If you are importing more than one file, you can select contiguous files by clicking the first
file you want to import, pressing Shift and clicking the last file you want to import. You can
select non-contiguous files by pressing Ctrl and clicking each file you want to import.
Files with the extension PLN, as well as some FMT files (created with previous versions of
TEMS) are imported directly into Atoll; you will not be asked to define the data structure
using the Import of Measurement Files dialog box.
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6. If you already have an import configuration defining the data structure of the imported file or files, you can select it
from the Import configuration list on the Setup tab of the Import of Measurement Files dialog box. If you do not have
an import configuration, continue with step 7.
a. Under Import configuration, select an import configuration from the Import configuration list.
b. Continue with step 10.
When importing a drive test data path file, existing configurations are available in
the Files of type list of the Open dialog box, sorted according to their date of cre-
ation. After you have selected a file and clicked Open, Atoll automatically proposes
a configuration, if it recognises the extension. if several configurations are associ-
ated with an extension, Atoll chooses the first configuration in the list.
The defined configurations are stored, by default, in the file "NumMeasINIFile.ini",
located in the directory where Atoll is installed. For more information on the Num-
MeasINIFile.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
7. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can set the following parameters:
Name: By default, Atoll names the new drive test data path after the imported file. You can change this name if
desired.
Under Receiver, set the Height of the receiver antenna and the Gain and Losses.
Under Measurement Conditions,
Units: Select the measurement units used.
Coordinates: By default, Atoll imports the coordinates using the display system of the Atoll document. If the
coordinates used in the file you are importing are different than the coordinates used in the Atoll document,
you must click the Browse button and select the coordinate system used in the drive test data file. Atoll will
then convert the data imported to the coordinate system used in the Atoll document.
8. Click the Setup tab (see Figure 9.24).
Figure 9.24: The Setup tab of the Import of Measurement Files dialog box
a. Under File, enter the number of the 1st Measurement Row, select the data Separator, and select the Decimal
Symbol used in the file.
b. Click the Setup button to link file columns and internal Atoll fields. The Drive Test Data Setup dialog box appears.
c. Under Measurement point position, select the columns in the imported file that give the X-Coordinates and the
Y-Coordinates of each point in the drive test data file.
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You can also identify the columns containing the XY coordinates of each point in the drive
test data file by selecting them from the Field row of the table on the Setup tab.
If you have correctly entered the information under File on the Setup tab, and the
necessary values in the Drive Test Data Setup dialog box, Atoll should recognise all
columns in the imported file. If not, you can click the name of the column in the table in
the Field row and select the column name. For each field, you must ensure that each
column has the correct data type in order for the data to be correctly interpreted. The
default value under Type is "<Ignore>". If a column is marked with "<Ignore>", it will not
be imported.
9. If you want to save the definition of the data structure so that you can use it again, you can save it as an import con-
figuration:
a. On the Setup tab, under Import configuration, click Save. The Configuration dialog box appears.
b. By default, Atoll saves the configuration in a file called "NumMeasINIfile.ini" found in Atolls installation folder. If
you cannot write into that folder, you can click the Browse button to choose a different location.
c. Enter a Configuration Name and an Extension of the files that this import configuration will describe (for example,
"*.csv").
d. Click OK.
Atoll will now select this import configuration automatically every time you import a drive test data path file with
the selected extension. If you import a file with the same structure but a different extension, you will be able to
select this import configuration from the Configuration list.
You do not have to complete the import procedure to save the import configura-
tion and have it available for future use.
When importing a measurement file, you can expand the NumMeasINIfile.ini file
by clicking the Expand button ( ) in front of the file under Import configuration
to display all the available import configurations. When selecting the appropriate
configuration, the associations are automatically made in the table at the bottom
of the dialog box.
You can delete an existing import configuration by selecting the import configura-
tion under Import configuration and clicking the Delete button.
10. Click Import, if you are only importing a single file, or Import All, if you are importing more than one file. The mobile
data are imported into the current Atoll document.
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Fast Display forces Atoll to use the lightest symbol to display the points. This is par-
ticularly useful when you have a very large number of points.
You can not use Advanced Display if the Fast Display check box has been selected.
You can sort drive test data paths in alphabetical order in the Network explorer by
right-clicking the Drive Test Data Path folder and selecting Sort Alphabetically
from the context menu.
You can save the display settings (such as colours and symbols) of a drive test data
path in a user configuration file to make them available for use on another drive
test data path. To save or load the user configuration file, click the Actions button
on the Display tab of the path properties dialog box and select Save or Load from
the Display Configuration submenu.
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b. Underneath each column name, enter the criteria on which the column will be filtered as explained in the follow-
ing table:
7. Click OK to filter the data according to the criteria you have defined.
Filters are combined first horizontally, then vertically. For more information on how filters work, see "Advanced Data
Filtering" on page 99.
You can permanently delete the points that do not fulfil the filter conditions by selecting
the Delete points outside the filter check box.
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The errors between measured and predicted signal levels can be calculated and added to the drive test data table.
6. If you want to calculate errors between measured and predicted signal levels, under Select signal levels for error cal-
culations, select the names of the columns representing measured signal level values in the drive test data table for
which you want to calculate the errors (see Figure 9.27). If you do not want to add this information to the drive test
data table, continue with step 7.
Figure 9.27: Selecting measured signal levels for which errors will be calculated
7. Click OK. A new point prediction is created for the selected drive test data path.
8. Right-click the drive test data path. The context menu appears.
9. Select Calculations > Calculate All the Predictions from the context menu.
If you chose to have Atoll calculate the errors between measured and predicted signal levels, new columns are added to the
drive test data table for the predicted point signal level from the serving cell and the errors between the measured and
predicted values.
Figure 9.28: Drive Test Data table after Point Signal Level Prediction (with error calculations)
New columns are also added for the predicted point signal level from each neighbour cell and the errors between the
predicted and measured values. The values stored in these columns can be displayed in the Drive Test Data analysis tool. For
more information on the Drive Test Data analysis tool, see "Analysing Data Variations Along the Path" on page 713.
The propagation model used to calculate the predicted point signal levels is the one assigned to the transmitter for the main
matrix. For more information on propagation models, see Chapter 4: Radio Calculations and Models.
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7. When you have finished creating new coverage predictions for these drive test data, right-click the drive test data. The
context menu appears.
8. Select Calculations > Calculate All the Predictions from the context menu.
A new column for each coverage prediction is added in the table for the drive test data. The column contains the
predicted values of the selected parameters for the transmitter. The propagation model used is the one assigned to
the transmitter for the main matrix (for information on the propagation model, see Chapter 4: Radio Calculations and
Models).
You can display the information in these new columns in the Drive Test Data window. For more information on the
Drive Test Data window, see "Analysing Data Variations Along the Path" on page 713.
9.4.4.5 Extracting a Field From a Drive Test Data Path for a Transmitter
Assuming some predictions have been calculated along a Drive Test Data path, you can display the statistics between the
measured and the predicted values on a specific measurement path.
To display the statistics for a specific Drive Test Data path:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Drive Test Data folder.
3. Right-click the drive test data from which you want to display comparative statistics. The context menu appears.
4. Select Display Statistics from the context menu. The Measurement and Prediction Fields Selection dialog box
appears.
5. Select one or more transmitters from the For the Transmitters list.
6. Select the fields that contain the previously predicted values that you want to use for predictions. Only one type of
value can be compared at a time (signal level or quality).
7. Select the fields that contain the measured values that you want to use for predictions. Only one type of value can be
compared at a time (signal level or quality). The measured and the selected values have to match up.
8. Enter the minimum and maximum measured values. Statistics are done with drive test data points where the meas-
ured values are within this specified range.
9. Click OK.
Atoll opens a popup in which the global statistics between measurements and predictions are given over all the filtered (or
not) points of the current drive test data path through the mean error, its standard deviation, the root mean square and the
error correlation factor. The statistics are also given per clutter class.
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9.4.4.6 Extracting a Field From a Drive Test Data Path for a Transmitter
You can extract the information from a specific field for a given transmitter on each point of an existing drive test data path.
The extracted information will be added to a new column in the drive test data table.
To extract a field from a drive test data path:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Drive Test Data folder.
3. Right-click the drive test data from which you want to extract a field. The context menu appears.
4. Select Focus on a Transmitter from the context menu. The Field Selection for a Given Transmitter dialog box appears.
5. Select a transmitter from the On the Transmitter list.
6. Click the For the Fields list. The list opens.
7. Select the check box beside the field you want extract for the selected transmitter.
8. Click OK. Atoll creates a new column in the drive test data path table for the selected transmitters and with the
selected values.
5. Click Display at the top of the Drive Test Data window. The Display Parameters dialog box appears (see Figure 9.30).
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You can change the display status or the colour of more than one field at a time. You can
select contiguous fields by clicking the first field, pressing Shift and clicking the last field
you want to import. You can select non-contiguous fields by pressing Ctrl and clicking each
field. You can then change the display status or the colour by right-clicking on the selected
fields and selecting the choice from the context menu.
The selected fields are displayed in the Drive Test Data window.
7. You can display the data in the drive test data path in two ways:
Click the values in the Drive Test Data window.
Click the points on the drive test path in the map window.
The drive test data path appears in the map window as an arrow pointing towards the serving cell, with a number iden-
tifying the best server (see Figure 9.29 on page 713). If the transmitter display type is "Automatic," both the number
and the arrow are displayed in the same colour as the transmitter. For information on changing the display type to
"Automatic," see "Setting the Display Type" on page 52.
8. You can display a second Y-axis on the right side of the window in order to display the values of a variable with dif-
ferent orders of magnitude than the ones selected in the Display Parameters dialog box. You can select the secondary
Y-axis from the right-hand list on the top of the Drive Test Data window. The selected values are displayed in the col-
ours defined for this variable in the Display Parameters dialog box.
9. You can change the zoom level of the Drive Test Data window display in the Drive Test Data window in the following
ways:
Zoom in or out:
i. Right-click the Drive Test Data window.
ii. Select Zoom In or Zoom Out from the context menu.
Select the data to zoom in on:
i. Right-click the Drive Test Data window on one end of the range of data you want to zoom in on.
ii. Select First Zoom Point from the context menu.
iii. Right-click the Drive Test Data window on the other end of the range of data you want to zoom in on.
iv. Select Last Zoom Point from the context menu. The Drive Test Data window zooms in on the data between
the first zoom point and the last zoom point.
10. Click the data in the Drive Test Data window to display the selected point in the map window. Atoll will recentre the
map window on the selected point if it is not presently visible.
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If you open the table for the drive test data you are displaying in the Drive Test Data
window, Atoll will automatically display in the table the data for the point that is
displayed in the map and in the Drive Test Data window (see Figure 9.29 on page 713).
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Before starting a co-planning project in Atoll, the Atoll administrator must perform the
pre-requisite tasks that are relevant for your project as described in the Administrator
Manual.
Sectors of both networks can share the same sites database. You can display base stations (sites and sectors), geographic data,
and coverage predictions, etc., of one network in the other networks Atoll document. In addition, you can optimise the
settings of the two networks using the Atoll Automatic Cell Planning (ACP) module.
You can also study inter-technology handovers by performing inter-technology neighbour allocations, manually or automati-
cally. Inter-technology neighbours are allocated on criteria such as the distance between sectors or overlapping coverage.
In this section, the following are explained:
"Switching to Co-planning Mode" on page 716
"Working with Coverage Predictions in a Co-Planning Project" on page 718
"Creating a CDMA Sector From a Sector in the Other Network" on page 721
"Planning Neighbours in Co-planning Mode" on page 722
"Using ACP in a Co-planning Project" on page 723
"Ending Co-planning Mode" on page 724
Before starting a co-planning project, make sure that your main and linked documents
have the same geographic coordinate systems.
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The selected document is opened in the same Atoll session as the main document and the two documents are linked.
The Explorer window of the main document now contains a folder named Transmitters in [linked document], where
[linked document] is the name of the linked document and another folder named Predictions in [linked document].
By default, only the Transmitters and Predictions folders of the linked document appear
in the main document. If you want the Sites folder of the linked document to appear in the
main document as well, you can set an option in the Atoll.ini file. For information on setting
options in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
As soon as a link is created between the two documents, Atoll switches to co-planning mode and Atolls co-planning features
are now available.
When you are working on a co-planning document, Atoll facilitates working on two different but linked documents by
synchronising the display in the map window between both documents. Atoll syncronises the display for the following:
Geographic data: Atoll synchronises the display of geographic data such as clutter classes and the DTM. If you select
or deselect one type of geographic data, Atoll makes the corresponding change in the linked document.
Zones: Atoll synchronises the display of filtering, focus, computation, hot spot, printing, and geographic export zones.
If you select or deselect one type of zone, Atoll makes the corresponding change in the linked document.
Map display: Atoll co-ordinates the display of the map in the map window. When you move the map, or change the
zoom level in one document, Atoll makes the corresponding changes in the linked document.
Point analysis: When you use the Point Analysis tool, Atoll co-ordinates the display on both the working document
and the linked document. You can select a point and view the profile in the main document and then switch to the
linked document to make an analysis on the same profile but in the linked document.
After you have switched to co-planning mode as explained in "Switching to Co-planning Mode" on page 716, transmitters and
predictions from the linked document are displayed in the main document. If you want, you can display other items or folders
from the Explorer window of the linked document to the Explorer window of the main document (e.g., you can display GSM
sites and measurement paths in a CDMA document).
To display sites from the linked document in the main document:
1. Click the linked documents map window. The linked documents map window becomes active and the Explorer
window shows the contents of the linked document.
2. Select the Network explorer.
3. Right-click the Sites folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Make Accessible In from the context menu, and select the name of the main document from the submenu that
opens.
The Sites folder of the linked document is now available in the main document. The Explorer window of the main document
now contains a folder named Sites in [linked document], where [linked document] is the name of the linked document. If you
want the Sites folder of the linked document to appear in the main document automatically, you can set an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For information on setting options in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
The same process can be used to link other folders in one document, folders such as CW Measurements, Drive Test Data,
Clutter classes, Traffic, and DTM, etc., in the other document.
Once the folders are linked, you can access their properties and the properties of the items in the folders from either of the
two documents. Any changes you make in the linked document are taken into account in the both the linked and main docu-
ments. However, because working document is the main document, any changes made in the main document are not auto-
matically taken into account in the linked document.
If you close the linked document, Atoll displays a warning icon ( ) in the main documents Explorer window, and the linked
items are no longer accessible from the main document. You can load the linked document in Atoll again by right-clicking the
linked item in the Explorer window of the main document, and selecting Open Linked Document.
The administrator can create and set a configuration file for the display parameters of linked and main document transmitters
in order to enable you to distinguish them on the map and to be able to select them on the map using the mouse. If such a
configuration file has not been set up, you can choose different symbols, sizes and colours for the linked and the main docu-
ment transmitters. For more information on folder configurations, see "Folder Configurations" on page 106. You can also set
the tip text to enable you to distinguish the objects and data displayed on the map. For more information on tip text, see
"Associating a Tip Text to an Object" on page 54.
In order to more easily view differences between the networks, you can also change the order of the folders or items in the
Explorer window. For more information on changing the order of items in the Explorer window, see "Changing the Order of
Layers" on page 50.
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Figure 9.31 shows an example of CDMA transmitters with labels and displayed in the Legend window, and GSM transmitter
data displayed in tip text.
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When you click the Force Calculate button, Atoll first removes existing path loss matrices, recalculates them and then
calculates unlocked coverages predictions defined in the main and linked Predictions folders.
To prevent Atoll from calculating coverage predictions in the linked Predictions folder, you
can set an option in the Atoll.ini file. For information on setting options in the Atoll.ini file,
see the Administrator Manual.
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Figure 9.33: New sector Before and after applying the configuration
The azimuths and mechanical tilts of secondary antennas or remote antennas are not
included when you select Apply Configuration and have to be set up manually.
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Figure 9.34: CDMA coverage conditions for automatic inter-technology neighbour allocation (CDMA is source technology)
Resolution: Enter the resolution to be used to calculate cells coverage areas during automatic neighbour alloca-
tion.
Global min RSCP: Enter the minimum RSCP to be provided by the reference cell and the potential neighbour. Atoll
uses the highest value between the Global min RSCP and the following:
If Global min RSCP is not defined, Atoll uses the Min RSCP in individual cells properties
If Global min RSCP is not defined and no Min RSCP is available in a cells properties, Atoll uses the Default min
Pilot RSCP threshold defined on the Calculation Parameters tab of the Network Settings Properties dialog
box.
Min EcIo: Enter the minimum EcIo which must be provided by reference cell A in an overlapping area. Reference
cell A must also be the best server in terms of pilot quality in the overlapping area.
Handover margin: Enter the maximum difference of Ec/Io between reference cell A and possible neighbour cell B
in the overlapping area. You can select whether Atoll should use a Global value of the handover margin for all the
cells, or the handover margins Defined per cell.
Max EcIo: If you want, you can select this check box then enter the maximum difference of EcIo between refer-
ence cell A and potential neighbour cell B in the overlapping area.
DL load contributing to Io: You can select whether Atoll should use a Global value (% Pmax) of the downlink load
for all the cells, or the downlink loads Defined per cell.
Shadowing Taken into Account: If selected, enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
Indoor Coverage: Select this check box to take indoor losses into acccount in calculations. Indoor losses are
defined per frequency per clutter class.
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Figure 9.35: CDMA coverage conditions for automatic inter-technology neighbour allocation (CDMA is target technology)
Similar to "Coverage Conditions when CDMA is the Source Technology" on page 722 without the Max Ec/Io field.
The neighbour relation fulfils the defined coverage Use coverage conditions is selected
Coverage
conditions and nothing is selected under Force
The neighbour is located on the same site as the Use coverage conditions is selected
Co-Site
reference transmitter/cell and Co-site neighbours is selected
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For every pair of carriers that is not defined, Atoll assumes that there is no inter-carrier interference.
d. Press ENTER to create the carrier pair and to create a new row in the table.
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When you have more than one frequency band, the carriers must be numbered
sequentially, contiguously (i.e., you cannot skip numbers in a range of carriers, and the
range of carriers in one band cannot overlap the range of carriers in another), and
uniquely (i.e., you can only use each number once).
For example: Band 1900: First carrier: 0; Last carrier 1 and Band 700: First carrier: 2 and
Last carrier: 2
7. When you have finished adding frequency bands, click the Close button ( ).
For example, if you wish to define the 1900 MHz Band and the corresponding CDMA channel numbers (25, 50, 75), you can
set:
Name: 1900 MHz
DL start frequency: 1930
First carrier: 25
Last carrier: 75
Step: 25
You can also access the properties dialog box of each individual frequency band by double-clicking the left margin of the row
with the frequency band.
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A minimum pilot RSCP threshold can be defined at the cell level (in the cell Properties
dialog box or in the Cells table). If defined, a cell-specific minimum pilot RSCP threshold will
be used instead of the value entered here.
Receiver: Under Receiver, you can enter the Height of the receiver.
Default max range: The maximum coverage range of transmitters in the network.
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3 X N FCH 3 X N FCH
5 X N FCH 5 X N FCH
For 1xRTT, N FCH can be 9.6 or
14.4 kbps on either the forward or 9 X N FCH 9 X N FCH
reverse link.
17 X N FCH 17 X N FCH
19.2 76.8
38.4 153.6
76.8 307.6
153.6 614.4
921.6
1228.8
1843.2
2457.6
9.6 9.6
19.2 19.2
38.4 38.4
76.8 76.8
115.2 115.2
153.6 153.6
230.4 230.4
307.2 307.2
460.8 460.8
614.4 614.4
921.6 921.6
1228.8 1228.8
1848.2 1848.2
2457.6
3072.0
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3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Radio Resource Management folder.
4. Right-click Site Equipment. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table from the context menu. The Site Equipment table appears.
6. In the Equipment table, each row describes a piece of equipment. For information on working with data tables, see
"Data Tables" on page 75. For the new piece of CDMA equipment you are creating, enter the following:
Name: The name you enter will be the one used to identify this piece of equipment.
Manufacturer: The name of the manufacturer of this piece of equipment.
MUD Factor: Multi-User Detection (MUD) is a technology used to decrease intra-cell interference on the reverse
link. MUD is modelled by a coefficient from 0 to 1; this factor is considered in the reverse link interference calcu-
lation. In case MUD is not supported by equipment, enter 0 as value.
Rake Factor: This factor enables Atoll to model the rake receiver on the reverse link. Atoll uses this factor to cal-
culate the reverse link signal quality in simulations, point analysis and coverage predictions. This parameter is con-
sidered on the reverse link for softer and softer-softer handoffs; it is applied to the sum of signals received on the
same site. The factor value can be from 0 to 1. It models losses due to the imperfection of signal recombination.
You can define the rake efficiency factor used to model the recombination on the forward
link in terminal properties.
Carrier Selection: Carrier selection refers to the carrier selection method used during the transmitter admission
control in the mobile active set. The selected strategy is used in simulations when no carrier is specified in the
properties of the service (when all the carriers can be used for the service) or when the carrier specified for the
service is not used by the transmitter. On the other hand, the specified carrier selection mode is always taken into
account in coverage predictions (AS analysis and coverage predictions). Choose one of the following:
Min. UL Load Factor: The carrier with the minimum reverse link noise (carrier with the lowest reverse link load
factor) is selected.
Min. DL Total Power: The carrier with the minimum forward link total power is selected.
Random: The carrier is randomly chosen.
Sequential: Carriers are sequentially loaded. The first carrier is selected as long as it is not overloaded. Then,
when the maximum reverse link load factor is reached, the second carrier is chosen and so on.
Downlink and Uplink Overhead Resources for Common Channels/Cell: The reverse link and forward link over-
head resources for common channels/cell correspond to the number of channel elements that a cell uses for
common channels in the forward and the reverse link. This setting is also used for Walsh code allocation; it indi-
cates the number of Walsh codes to be allocated to control channels per cell.
AS Restricted to Neighbours: Select this option if you want the other transmitters in the active set to belong to
the neighbour list of the best server.
Pool of Shared CEs: Select this option if you want all cells on the site to share channel elements.
Power Pooling Between Transmitters: Select this option if you want all cells on the site to share power on the
traffic channels.
7. Click the Close button ( ) to close the table.
9.6.7.2 Defining Channel Element Consumption per CDMA Site Equipment and
Radio Configuration
The number of channel elements consumed by a user depends on the site equipment, on the radio configuration, and the link
direction (forward or reverse). The number of channel elements consumed can be defined for CDMA simulations.
To define channel element consumption during CDMA simulations:
1. Select the Parameters explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Network Settings folder.
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Radio Resource Management folder.
4. Right-click CE Consumption. The context menu appears.
5. Select Open Table from the context menu. The CE Consumption table appears.
6. For each equipment-radio configuration pair, enter in the CE Consumption table the number of reverse link and for-
ward link channel elements that Atoll will consume during the power control simulation.
7. Click the Close button ( ) to close the table.
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You can create a new reception equipment type by entering a name in the row marked
with the New Row icon ( ) and pressing ENTER.
5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can define the Name of the reception equipment.
6. Click the Quality Graphs tab.
7. Ensure that a Quality Indicator has been chosen for each Service. You can edit the values in the DL and UL Quality
Indicator Tables by clicking directly on the table entry, or by selecting the Quality Indicator and clicking the Downlink
Quality Graphs or the Uplink Quality Graphs buttons.
The DL and UL Quality Indicator tables describe the variation of the quality indicator as a function of the measured
parameter (as defined in the Quality Indicators table). The Uplink and Downlink Quality Graphs are used for quality
coverage predictions.
8. Click the 1xEV-DO Radio Bearer Selection (Downlink) tab.
9. Enter the Required CI (dB), the Modulation used (you can choose between QPSK, 8PSK, 16QAM, or 64QAM) and the
Early Termination Probabilities for each Radio Bearer Index, with Mobility and No. of Slots. The radio bearer index
with the number of timeslots and the modulation indicates the downlink transmission format.
The Required C/I values are used in simulations and in the Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (DL) coverage prediction to
select the downlink 1xEV-DO radio bearer and then to calculate the throughput provided on downlink. A downlink
1xEV-DO radio bearer is selected only if the user terminal supports the modulation required by the radio bearer. 1xEV-
DO Rev. A-capable terminals support 16QAM modulation while 1xEV-DO Rev. B-capable terminals can support
16QAM and 64QAM modulations.
The Early Termination Probabilities are used in the Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (DL) coverage prediction to calculate
the average 1xEV-DO throughput when HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) is used.
10. Click the 1xEV-DO Radio Bearer Selection (Uplink) tab.
11. Enter the following for each Radio Bearer Index with Mobility and No. of Subframes:
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Required EcNt (High Capacity) (dB): The Ec/Nt required for services with high capacity uplink mode.
Required EcNt (Low Latency) (dB): Ec/Nt required for services with low latency uplink mode.
Early Termination Probabilities
Modulation: The modulation used. You can choose between QPSK, 8PSK, 16QAM or 64QAM.
The Required Ec/Nt values are used in simulations and in the Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (UL) coverage prediction
to select the uplink 1xEV-DO radio bearer and then to calculate the throughput provided on uplink. An uplink 1xEV-DO
radio bearer is selected only if the user terminal supports the modulation required by the radio bearer. 1xEV-DO
Rev. A-capable terminals support 16QAM modulation while 1xEV-DO Rev. B-capable terminals support the 16QAM
and 64QAM modulations. The Early Termination Probabilities are used in the Service Area Analysis (Eb/Nt) (UL) cover-
age prediction to calculate the average 1xEV-DO throughput when HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) is used.
12. Click OK to close the reception equipment types Properties dialog box.
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For example, a properly calibrated propagation model calculates a loss leading to a signal level of -70 dBm. You have set a cell
edge coverage probability of 85%. If the calculated shadowing margin is 7 dB for a specific point, the target signal will be equal
to or greater than -77 dBm 85% of the time.
In CDMA projects, the standard deviation of the propagation model is used to calculate shadowing margins on signal levels.
You can also calculate shadowing margins on EcI0 and EbNt values and the macro-diversity gain. For information on setting
the model standard deviation and the EcI0 and EbNt standard deviations for each clutter class or for all clutter classes, see
"Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 127.
Shadowing can be taken into consideration when Atoll calculates the signal level, EcI0, and EbNt for:
A point analysis (see "Studying the Profile Around a Base Station" on page 644)
A coverage prediction (see "Studying Signal Level Coverage of a Single Base Station" on page 656).
Atoll always takes shadowing into consideration when calculating a Monte Carlo-based CDMA simulation.
You can display the shadowing margins and the macro-diversity gain per clutter class. For information, see "Displaying the
Shadowing Margins and Macro-diversity Gain per Clutter Class" on page 733.
9.6.10.1 Displaying the Shadowing Margins and Macro-diversity Gain per Clutter
Class
To display the shadowing margins and macro-diversity gain per clutter class:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Shadowing Margins from the context menu. The Shadowing Margins and Gains dialog box appears (see Figure
9.36).
4. You can set the following parameters:
Cell Edge Coverage Probability: Enter the probability of coverage at the edge of the cell. The value you enter in
this dialog box is for information only.
Standard Deviation: Select the type of standard deviation to be used to calculate the shadowing margin or macro-
diversity gains:
From Model: The model standard deviation. Atoll will display the shadowing margin of the signal level.
EcI0: The EcI0 standard deviation. Atoll will display the EcI0 shadowing margin and the resulting forward
link pilot macro-diversity gains. The macro-diversity gains will be calculated using the values you enter in 1st
- 2nd Best Signal Difference and 2nd - 3rd Best Signal Difference.
UL EbNt: The EbNt reverse link standard deviation. Atoll will display the EbNt reverse link shadowing margin
and the resulting reverse link macro-diversity gains. The macro-diversity gains will be calculated using the
values you enter in 1st - 2nd Best Signal Difference and 2nd - 3rd Best Signal Difference.
DL EbNt: The EbNt forward link standard deviation. Atoll will display the EbNt forward link shadowing
margin.
5. If you select "EcI0" or "EbNt UL" as the standard deviation under Standard Deviation, you can enter the differences
that will be used to calculate the macro-diversity gain under Macro-Diversity Parameters:
1st - 2nd Best Signal Difference: If you selected "EcI0" as the standard deviation under Standard Deviation, enter
the allowed EcI0 difference between the best server and the second one. This value is used to calculate forward
link macro-diversity gains. If you selected "EbNt UL" as the standard deviation under Standard Deviation, enter
the allowed Eb/Nt difference between the best server and the second one. This value is used to calculate reverse
link macro-diversity gains.
2nd - 3rd Best Signal Difference: If you selected "EcI0" as the standard deviation under Standard Deviation, enter
the allowed EcI0 difference between the second-best server and the third one. This value is used to calculate for-
ward link macro-diversity gains. If you selected "EbNt UL" as the standard deviation under Standard Deviation,
enter the allowed EbNt difference between the second-best server and the third one. This value is used to calcu-
late reverse link macro-diversity gains.
6. Click Calculate. The calculated shadowing margin is displayed. If you selected "EcI0" or "EbNt UL" as the standard
deviation under Standard Deviation, Atoll also displays the macro-diversity gains for two links and for three links.
7. Click Close to close the dialog box.
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Interference received by cells on the uplink: Interference can be received by cells of a CDMA network on the uplink
from external base stations and mobiles in the vicinity.
Interference from external base stations (also called downlink-to-uplink interference) can be created by insufficient
separation between the downlink frequency used by the external network and the uplink frequency used by your
CDMA network. Such interference may also come from co-existing TDD networks.
Interference from external mobiles (also called uplink-to-uplink interference) can be created by the use of same or
nearby frequencies for uplink in both networks. Unless the exact locations of external mobiles is known, it is not possi-
ble to separate interference received from external base stations and mobiles on the uplink. The effect of this inter-
ference is modelled in Atoll using the Additional UL Noise Rise definable for each cell in the CDMA network. This noise
rise is taken into account in uplink interference-based calculations in the simulation. However, this noise rise is not
taken into consideration in predictions (AS Analysis and coverage predictions) and does not have an impact on the
calculation of the cell reuse factor. For more information on the Additional UL Noise Rise, see "Cell Properties" on
page 635.
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Interference received from external base stations on mobiles of your CDMA network can be calculated by Atoll. Atoll uses the
inter-technology interference reduction factor (IRF) graphs for calculating the interference levels. An IRF graph represents the
variation of the Adjacent Channel Interference Ratio (ACIR) as a function of frequency separation. ACIR is determined from
the Adjacent Channel Suppression (ACS) and the Adjacent Channel Leakage Ratio (ACLR) parameters as follows:
1
ACIR = -------------------------------------
1 1
------------- + -----------------
ACS ACLR
3. When you have finished defining interference reduction factors, click OK.
You can, if you want, link more than one Atoll document with your main document following the procedure described in
"Switching to Co-planning Mode" on page 716. If the linked documents model networks using different technologies, you can
define the interference reduction factors in your main document for all these technologies, and Atoll will calculate interfer-
ence from all the external base stations in all the linked documents.
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TD-SCDMA
Networks
This chapter covers the following topics:
"Designing a TD-SCDMA Network" on page 739
"Planning and Optimising TD-SCDMA Base Stations" on
This chapter provides page 740
information on using Atoll to
"Studying TD-SCDMA Network Capacity" on page 800
design, analyse, and
optimise a TD-SCDMA "Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data"
network. on page 813
"Co-planning TD-SCDMA Networks with Other
Networks" on page 822
"Advanced Configuration" on page 829
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2016 Forsk. All Rights Reserved
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10 TD-SCDMA Networks
Atoll enables you to create and modify all aspects of a TD-SCDMA network. Once you have created the network, Atoll offers
many tools to let you verify it. Based on the results of your tests, you can modify any of the parameters defining the network.
The process of planning and creating a TD-SCDMA network is outlined in "Designing a TD-SCDMA Network" on page 739.
Creating the network of base stations is explained in "Planning and Optimising TD-SCDMA Base Stations" on page 740.
Allocating neighbours is explained in "Planning Neighbours" on page 790.
In this section, you will also find information on how you can display information about base stations on the map and how you
can use the tools in Atoll to study base stations.
In "Studying TD-SCDMA Network Capacity" on page 800, using traffic maps to study network capacity is explained. Creating
simulations using traffic map information and analysing the results of simulations is also explained.
Using drive test data paths to verify the network is explained in "Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data" on
page 813. Filtering imported drive test data paths, and using the data in coverage predictions is also explained.
The steps involved in planning a TD-SCDMA network are described below. The numbers refer to Figure 10.1.
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4. Allocate neighbours ( 4 ).
"Planning Neighbours" on page 790.
5. Before making more advanced coverage predictions, you need to define cell load conditions ( 5 ).
You can define cell load conditions in the following ways:
You can generate realistic cell load conditions by creating a simulation based on a traffic map ( 5a and 5b ) (see
"Studying TD-SCDMA Network Capacity" on page 800).
You can define them manually either on the Cells tab of each transmitters Properties dialog box or in the Cells
table (see "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 748) ( 5c ).
6. Make TD-SCDMA-specific coverage predictions using the defined cell load conditions ( 6 ).
"Signal Quality Coverage Predictions" on page 771
"HSDPA Coverage Predictions" on page 780.
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This section explains the various parts of the base station process:
"Definition of a Base Station" on page 741.
"Creating or Modifying a Base Station Element" on page 747.
"Placing a New Base Station Using a Station Template" on page 749.
"Managing Station Templates" on page 749.
"Duplicating an Existing Base Station" on page 752.
Name: Atoll automatically enters a default name for each new site. You can modify the default name here. If you
want to change the default name that Atoll gives to new sites, see the Administrator Manual.
Position: By default, Atoll places the new site at the centre of the map window. You can modify the location of
the site here.
While this method allows you to place a site with precision, you can also place sites using
the mouse and then position them precisely with this dialog box afterwards. For
information on placing sites using the mouse, see "Moving a Site Using the Mouse" on
page 57.
Altitude: The altitude, as defined by the DTM for the location specified under Position, is given here. You can
specify the actual altitude under Real, if you want. If an altitude is specified here, Atoll will use this value for cal-
culations.
Comments: You can enter comments in this field if you want.
Equipment: You can select equipment from the list. To create new site equipment, see "Creating Site Equipment"
on page 839. If no equipment is assigned to the site, Atoll considers that the JD factor and MCJD factor have a
value of "0".
Name: By default, Atoll names the transmitter after the site it is on, adding an underscore and a number. You can
enter a name for the transmitter, but for the sake of consistency, it is better to let Atoll assign a name. If you want
to change the way Atoll names transmitters, see the Administrator Manual.
Site: You can select the Site on which the transmitter will be located. Once you have selected the site, you can
click the Browse button to access the properties of the site. For information on the site Properties dialog box, see
"Site Properties" on page 741. You can click the New button to create a new site for the transmitter.
Shared antenna: This field is used to identify the transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas located at the
same site or on sites with the same position and that share the same antenna. The entry in the field must be the
same for all transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas sharing the same antenna. When changes are made to
the position offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth, antenna height, or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically syn-
chronises the same changes to all other transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas defined as having a shared
antenna. This field is also used for dual-band transmitters to synchronise antenna parameters for different fre-
quency bands.
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Frequency band: You can select a Frequency band for the transmitter. Once you have selected the frequency
band, you can click the Browse button to access the properties of the frequency band. For information on the fre-
quency band Properties dialog box, see "Defining Frequency Bands" on page 830.
Under Antenna position, you can modify the position of the antennas (main and secondary):
Relative to site: Select this option if you want to enter the antenna positions as offsets with respect to the site
location, and then enter the x-axis and y-axis offsets, Dx and Dy, respectively.
Coordinates: Select this option if you want to enter the coordinates of the antenna, and then enter the x-axis
and y-axis coordinates of the antenna, X and Y, respectively.
Max Range: You can define a maximum coverage range for the current transmitter.
Active: If this transmitter is to be active, you must select the Active check box. Active transmitters are displayed in red
in the Transmitters folder of the Network explorer.
TransmissionReception: Under TransmissionReception, you can see the total losses and the noise figure of the
transmitter. Atoll calculates losses and noise according to the characteristics of the equipment assigned to the trans-
mitter.
Click the Equipment button to modify the tower-mounted amplifier (TMA), feeder cables, or transmitter equipment.
For information on the Equipment Specifications dialog box, see "Assigning Equipment to a Transmitter" on page 748.
Antennas:
Heightground: The Heightground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to the
altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the transmitter is situated on a building, the height entered must
include the height of building.
Main antenna: Under Main antenna, the type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse
button to access the properties of the antenna.
Click the Select button to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match
the currently selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the
operating frequency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on
page 158
Mechanical Azimuth, Mechanical Downtilt, Electrical Azimuth, Electrical Downtilt, and Additional electrical
downtilt display additional antenna parameters.
The Additional electrical downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
The mechanical and additional electrical downtilts defined for the main antenna
are also used for the calculations of smart antennas.
Diversity: Under Diversity, you can select the No. of ports on the Transmission and Reception sides, as well
as the Type of diversity, if there is more than one port on the Transmission side.
Smart antenna: Under Smart antenna, the available smart antenna equipment are visible in the Equipment
list. You can click the Browse button to access the properties of the smart antenna equipment. When you click
the Browse button, the Smart Antenna Equipment Properties dialog box appears. If you are using a grid of
beams or an adaptive beam, under Smart antenna model, clicking the Parameters button opens the Grid of
Beams (GOB) Modelling or Adaptive Beam Modelling dialog box. Under Patterns, clicking the Combined but-
ton opens a dialog box displaying the combined antenna patterns of all the smart antenna beams and the main
antenna (see Figure 10.2).
For more information on smart antenna equipment, see "Smart Antenna Equipment" on page 836. The smart
antenna has the same height and tilt as the main antenna.
If you have smart antenna equipment based on Grid of Beams (GOB) or Adaptive Beam modelling, it is rec-
ommended to verify that the smart antenna beams be consistent with the main antenna pattern.
You can use the combined antenna pattern display to understand any inconsistencies in smart antenna re-
sults. If the gird of beams and the main antenna do not have the same gains, the smart antenna could provide
worse results than the main antenna for traffic timeslots.
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Under Secondary antennas, you can select one or more secondary antennas in the Antenna column and enter
their Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, and % Power, which is the percentage of power reserved for this partic-
ular antenna. For example, for a transmitter with one secondary antenna, if you reserve 40% of the total
power for the secondary antenna, 60% is available for the main antenna.
The Additional electrical downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna patterns,
see the Technical Reference Guide.
For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
The transmission power is distributed among the main and secondary antennas. This is not
compatible with smart antennas. You must not assign smart antennas to transmitters with
secondary antennas, and vice versa.
In calculations, repeaters and remote antennas are transparent to the donor transmitters
and the served users. For example, beam forming smart antennas on donor transmitters
create beams directly towards the served users, and not towards the repeater or remote
antenna that covers the users. This results in a combined signal level received from the
transmitter using the smart antenna and from the repeater or remote antenna. If this
approach does not match how your equipment works, you must not assign smart antennas
to transmitters with repeaters and remote antennas, and vice versa.
The main antenna is used to transmit the pilot signals. Coverage predictions based on the P-CCPCH signal are
performed using the main antenna. It is also used for traffic signals if there is no smart antenna equipment selected
for the transmitter.
If there is smart antenna equipment assigned to the transmitter, traffic data is transmitted and received using the
smart antenna, while the pilot and other common channels are transmitted using the main antenna.
Cell Tab
When you create a transmitter, Atoll automatically creates a cell for the transmitter using the properties of the currently
selected station template.
The cell tab enables you to configure the properties for every cell of a transmitter. For more information on the properties of
a cell, see "Cell Properties" on page 744.
Propagation Tab
Transmitters are taken into account during calculations. Therefore, you must specify their propagation parameters. On the
Propagation tab, you can modify the following: the Propagation model, Radius, and Resolution for both the Main matrix and
the Extended matrix. For information on propagation models, see "Assigning Propagation Parameters" on page 187.
Display Tab
On the Display tab, you can modify how a transmitters are displayed. For information on changing display properties, see
"Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
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You can also display the properties of a cell by double-clicking the cell in the Site explorer.
The consistency between values stored in this field is verified by Atoll. However, inconsist-
encies may arise when tools other than Atoll modify the database. You can check for incon-
sistencies in the cell display order and fix them by selecting Data Audit > Cell Display Order
Check in the Document menu.
By default, the DwPCH power and the other CCH power are set as absolute values. You can
set these values as relative to the pilot power in the Global Parameters. For more informa-
tion, see "Global Network Settings" on page 830.
P-CCPCH RSCP T_Comp [TS0] (dB): The P-CCPCH RSCP comparative threshold for determining the transmitters to keep
in the list of potential servers. This parameter is used in the baton handover coverage prediction along with P-CCPCH
RSCP T_Add and P-CCPCH RSCP T_Drop parameters set for different mobility types.
Min RSCP (dBm): The minimum P-CCPCH RSCP required for a user to be connected to the cell. The P-CCPCH RSCP is
compared with this threshold to determine whether or not a user can be connected to the cell.
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Timeslot configuration: The configuration of the traffic timeslots in the frame. When the UpPCH channel is present in
the UpPTS timeslot, you can select from five possible timeslot configurations, i.e., (D)UDDDDD, (D)UUDDDD,
(D)UUUDDD, (D)UUUUDD, and (D)UUUUUD. When the UpPCH is shifted to TS1, you can select from two more timeslot
configurations, i.e., (D)UpUDDDD, (D)UpUUDDD. When UpPCH is shifted, TS1 is blocked, i.e., it is not used to carry
traffic. For more information on UpPCH shifting and studying the interference on the UpPCH, see Figure
10.2.8.3.9"Studying UpPCH Interference" on page 778.
There are two switching points in the frame, one after the first mandatory downlink timeslot (D), and the other can
be after 1 to 5 uplink timeslots. The symmetric configuration is selected by default.
Required UL resource units: The number of resource units required in the uplink.
Required DL resource units: The number of resource units required in the downlink. Atoll can calculate the number
of required resource units in the uplink and downlink. For information on calculating network capacity, see "Calcu-
lating TD-SCDMA Network Capacity" on page 800.
Comments: If desired, you can enter any comments in this field.
HSPA Support: The HSPA functionality supported by the cell. You can choose between None (i.e., R99 only), HSDPA,
or HSPA (i.e., HSDPA and HSUPA).
When HSDPA is supported, the following fields are available:
HS-PDSCH power dynamic allocation: If you are modelling dynamic power allocation, you should select this check
box. During simulations, Atoll first allocates power to R99 users and then dynamically allocates the remaining
power of the cell to the HS-PDSCH channels of HSDPA users. At the end of the simulation, you can commit the
calculated HS-PDSCH power and total power values to each cell and timeslot.
In the context of dynamic power allocation, the total power is the maximum power minus
the power headroom.
Available HS-PDSCH power per DL TS (dBm): When you are modelling static power allocation, the HS-PDSCH
power dynamic allocation check box is cleared and the HS-PDSCH power available for each downlink timeslot is
entered in this box. This is the default value of power available per timeslot for the HS-PDSCH channels of HSDPA
users. In case of dynamic HS-PDSCH power allocation, the value entered here represents the maximum power for
the HS-PDSCH of HSDPA users per timeslot.
Power headroom (dB): The power headroom is a reserve of power that Atoll keeps for Dedicated Physical Chan-
nels (DPCH) in case of fast fading. During simulation, HSDPA users will not be connected if the cell power remaining
after serving R99 users is less than the power headroom value.
HS-SCCH dynamic power allocation: If you are modelling dynamic power allocation, you should select this check
box and enter a value in HS-SCCH power per DL TS (dBm). The HS-SCCH power calculated for HS-SCCH channel
during a simulation cannot exceed the value defined in HS-SCCH power per DL TS (dBm). During power control,
Atoll controls HS-SCCH power in order to meet the minimum quality threshold (as defined for each mobility type).
HS-SCCH power per DL TS (dBm): When you are modelling static power allocation, the HS-SCCH dynamic power
allocation check box is cleared and the actual power per HS-SCCH channel is entered in this box. In case of dynamic
HS-SCCH power allocation, the value entered here represents the maximum power for the HS-SCCH channel per
HSDPA user.
Number of HS-SCCH channels: The maximum number of HS-SCCH channels for this cell. Each Packet (HSDPA) and
Packet (HSPA) user consumes one HS-SCCH channel. Therefore, at any given time (over a transmission time
interval), the number of HSDPA users cannot exceed the number of HS-SCCH channels per cell.
HS-SICH dynamic power allocation: If you are modelling dynamic power allocation, you should select this check
box. During power control, Atoll controls HS-SICH power of the HSDPA-capable terminal in order to meet the min-
imum quality threshold (as defined for each mobility type) in the uplink.
Number of HS-SICH channels: The maximum number of HS-SICH channels for this cell. Each Packet (HSDPA) and
Packet (HSPA) user consumes one HS-SICH channel. Therefore, at any given time (over a transmission time
interval), the number of HSPA users cannot exceed the number of HS-SICH channels per cell.
Min number of HS-PDSCH codes per DL TS: The minimum number of OVSF codes available for HS-PDSCH channels
for each downlink timeslot. This value will be taken into account during simulations in order to find a suitable
bearer.
Max number of HS-PDSCH codes per DL TS: The maximum number of OVSF codes available for HS-PDSCH chan-
nels for each downlink timeslot. This value will be taken into account during simulations and coverage predictions
in order to find a suitable bearer.
HSDPA scheduler algorithm: The scheduling technique that will be used to rank the HSDPA users to be served:
Max C/I: "n" HSDPA users (where "n" corresponds to the maximum number of HSDPA users defined) are
scheduled in the same order as in the simulation (i.e., in random order). Then, they are sorted in descending
order by the channel quality indicator (CQI).
Round robin: HSDPA users are scheduled in the same order as in the simulation (i.e., in random order).
Proportional fair: "n" HSDPA users (where "n" corresponds to the maximum number of HSDPA users defined)
are scheduled in the same order as in the simulation (i.e., in random order). Then, they are sorted in descend-
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ing order according to a random parameter which corresponds to a combination of the user rank in the simu-
lation and the channel quality indicator (CQI).
The random parameter is calculated by giving both the user simulation rank and the CQI a
weight of 50%. You can change the default weights by setting the appropriate options in
the Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
Max number of HSDPA users: The maximum number of HSDPA bearer users (i.e., Packet (HSDPA) users and
Packet (HSPA) users users) that this cell can support at any given time.
Number of HSDPA users: The number of HSDPA bearer users is an average and can be used for certain coverage
predictions. You can enter this value yourself, or have the value calculated by Atoll using a simulation.
When HSUPA is supported, the following fields are also available:
DL HSUPA Power: The power (in dBm) allocated to HSUPA DL channels (E-AGCH, E-RGCH, and E-HICH). This value
must be entered by the user.
Max number of HSUPA users: The maximum number of HSUPA bearer users (i.e., Packet (HSPA) users) that this
cell can support at any given time.
Number of HSUPA users: The number of HSUPA bearer users is an average and can be used for certain coverage
predictions. This value can be a simulation result or can be entered by the user.
E-DCH dynamic power allocation: If you are modelling dynamic power allocation, you should select this check box
and enter a value in E-DCH power per DL TS (dBm). The E-DCH power calculated for E-DCH channel during a sim-
ulation cannot exceed the value defined in E-DCH power per DL TS (dBm). During power control, Atoll controls
E-DCH power in order to meet the minimum quality threshold (as defined for each mobility type).
E-DCH power per DL TS (dBm): When you are modelling static power allocation, the E-DCH dynamic power allo-
cation check box is cleared and the actual power per E-DCH channel is entered in this box. In case of dynamic E-
DCH power allocation, the value entered here represents the maximum power for the E-DCH channel per HSUPA
user.
UL load factor due to HSUPA (%): The uplink cell load contribution due to HSUPA. This value can be a simulation
result or can be entered by the user.
Max Number of Intra-technology Neighbours: The maximum number of intra-technology neighbours for this cell. This
value is used by the intra-technology neighbour allocation algorithm.
Max Number of Inter-technology Neighbours: The maximum number of inter-technology neighbours for this cell.
This value is used by the inter-technology neighbour allocation algorithm.
Neighbours: You can access a dialog box in which you can set both intra-technology and inter-technology neighbours
by clicking the Browse button. For information on defining neighbours, see "Editing Neighbours in the Cell Properties"
on page 228.
Timeslots: You can access information about the cells traffic timeslots, i.e, for each of the six traffic timeslots, by
clicking the Browse button.
The Browse buttons ( ) might not be visible in the Neighbours and Timeslot boxes if
this is a new cell. You can make the Browse buttons appear by clicking Apply.
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Available HS-PDSCH power (dBm): When you are modelling static power allocation, the HS-PDSCH dynamic
power allocation check box in the Cells tab is cleared and the HS-PDSCH power available for the downlink timeslot
is entered in this box. This power is available for the HS-PDSCH channels of HSDPA users. In case of dynamic HS-
PDSCH power allocation, the value entered here represents the maximum power for the HS-PDSCH of HSDPA
users.
Min number of HS-PDSCH codes: The minimum number of OVSF codes available for HS-PDSCH channels. This
value will be taken into account during simulations in order to find a suitable bearer. If no value is defined here,
the value defined for the cell is considered for the timeslot.
Max number of HS-PDSCH codes: The maximum number of OVSF codes available for HS-PDSCH channels. This
value will be taken into account during simulations and coverage predictions in order to find a suitable bearer. If
no value is defined here, the value defined for the cell is considered for the timeslot.
Alternatively, you can create a new site by entering its coordinates and properties as
described in "Site Properties" on page 741, by right-clicking the Sites folder and selecting
New from the context menu.
If you are creating several sites at the same time, or modifying several existing sites, you
can do it quickly by editing or pasting the data directly in the Sites table. You can open
the Sites table by right-clicking the Sites folder in the Network explorer and selecting
Open Table from the context menu. For information on copying and pasting data, see
"Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
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5. Click OK.
To modify the properties of an existing transmitter:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Transmitters folder.
3. Right-click the transmitter you want to modify. The context menu appears.
4. Select Properties from the context menu. The transmitters Properties dialog box appears.
5. Modify the parameters described in "Transmitter Properties" on page 741.
6. Click OK. If you are creating a new transmitter, Atoll automatically creates a cell based on the default station template.
For information on creating a cell, see "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 748.
If you are creating several transmitters at the same time, or modifying several
existing transmitters, you can do it more quickly by editing or pasting the data
directly in the Transmitters table. You can open the Transmitters table by right-
clicking the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and selecting Open Table
from the context menu. For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying
and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
If you want to add a transmitter to an existing site on the map, you can add the
transmitter by right-clicking the site and selecting New Transmitter from the con-
text menu.
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7. Click OK.
If you are creating or modifying several cells at the same time, you can do it more
quickly by editing the data directly in the Cells table. You can open the Cells table
by right-clicking the Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and selecting
Cells > Open Table from the context menu. You can either edit the data in the table,
paste data into the table (see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82), or
import data into the table (see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 86).
If you want to add a cell to an existing transmitter on the map, you can add the cell
by right-clicking the transmitter and selecting New Cell from the context menu.
To place the base station more accurately, you can zoom in on the map before you
click the New Station button. For information on using the zooming tools, see
"Changing the Map Scale" on page 60.
If you let the pointer rest over the base station you have placed, Atoll displays its
tip text with its exact coordinates, allowing you to verify that the location is correct.
When you place a new base station using a station template as explained in "Placing a New Base Station Using a Station
Template" on page 749, the site is created at the same time as the base station. However, you can also place a new base
station on an existing site.
To place a base station on an existing site:
1. In the Network explorer, clear the display check box beside the Hexagonal Design folder.
2. In the Radio Planning toolbar, select a template from the list.
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General Tab
The Additional electrical downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
Under Path loss matrices, you can modify the following: the Main propagation model, the Main radius, and the Main
resolution, and the Extended propagation model, the Extended radius, and the Extended resolution. For information
on propagation models, see Chapter 4: Radio Calculations and Models.
Under Comments, you can add additional information. The information you enter will be the default information in
the Comments field of any transmitter created using this station template.
Transmitter Tab
Active: Select this option to specify whether the transmitter is active. Active transmitters are displayed in red in the
CDMA Transmitters folder of the Network explorer.
Click the Equipment button to modify the tower-mounted amplifier (TMA), feeder cables, or transmitter equipment.
For information on the Equipment Specifications dialog box, see "Assigning Equipment to a Transmitter" on page 748.
The Total losses (transmission and reception) and Noise figure (reception) in the Computed columns is calculated
from the information that was entered in the Equipment Specifications dialog box. The Total losses (transmission and
reception) Noise figure (reception) in the Real columns can be edited. Any value that you enter must be positive.
Any loss related to the noise due to the repeater of a transmitter is included in the calcu-
lated losses. Atoll always considers the values in the Real boxes in coverage predictions
even if they are different from the values in the Computed boxes.
Diversity: Select the No. of ports on the Transmission and Reception sides, as well as the Type of diversity, if there is
more than one port on the Transmission side.
TD-SCDMA Tab
On this tab, you can modify the specifications of the Carriers (each corresponding to a cell) that each transmitter supports.
N-frequency mode: Select whether the transmitters created with this template are compatible with N-frequency
mode. If you select this option, the transmitters created using this station template will have at least one master car-
rier with P-CCPCH, DwPCH, and Other CCH powers. If there is more than one carrier on the transmitters, the rest of
the carriers will be slave carriers. Slave carriers will not have any P-CCPCH, DwPCH, or Other CCH powers. If this option
is disabled, the transmitters created using this template will have stand-alone carriers.
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Carrier: You can select the numbers for each sector of the station template. To select the carriers to be added to the
sectors of a base station created using this station template, click the Browse button and select the carriers to be cre-
ated for each sector of the station.
Primary scrambling code: Specify the Reuse distance and the scrambling code Domain.
Power: Specify the Max, P-CCPCH, DwPCH, and the Other CCH powers.
Timeslots: Select a default Timeslot configuration for the cells and set the numbers of UL required resource units and
DL required resource units.
Equipment: Specify a default equipment for the sites.
HSPA Tab
Use this tab to specify additional carrier parameters (each corresponding to a cell) that each transmitter supports. For infor-
mation on carriers and cells, see "Cell Properties" on page 744.
HSPA support: Choose between None (i.e., R99 only), HSDPA, or HSPA (i.e., HSDPA and HSUPA).
If you select HSDPA as HSPA support, you can set the following HSDPA parameters:
HSDPA: Specify the Power headroom.
HS-SICH: Select either Static or Dynamic allocation strategy for HS-SICH power and define the Number of chan-
nels for HS-SICH.
HS-PDSCH: Select either Static or Dynamic allocation strategy for HS-PDSCH power, enter the Fixed power, if you
selected Static power allocation, and enter the Min. and Max number of codes for HS-PDSCH.
HS-SCCH: Select either Static or Dynamic allocation strategy for HS-SCCH power, enter the HS-SCCH power for
HS-SCCH, if you selected Static power allocation, and define the Number of channels for HS-SCCH.
Scheduler: Select the scheduler Algorithm and enter the Max number of users.
When you create an HSDPA-capable base station using a station template, the timeslots of all the cells created auto-
matically are by default set to support R99 and HSDPA.
If you select HSDPA as HSPA support, you can also set the following HSUPA parameters:
HSDPA: Select Dynamic allocation strategy for E-DCH power and enter the Max number of users.
When you create an HSPA-capable base station using a station template, the timeslots of all the cells created automatically
are by default set to support R99 and HSPA.
Neighbours Tab
On this tab, you can modify the Max Number of Intra- and Inter-Carrier Neighbours and the Max Number of Inter-
technology Neighbours. For information on defining neighbours, see "Neighbour Planning" on page 223.
This tab only appears if you have defined additional fields in the Sites table, or if you have defined an additional field in the
Station Template Properties dialog box.
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Placing the duplicate base station on an existing site: In the map window, move the pointer over the existing site
where you would like to place the duplicate. When the pointer is over the site, the site is automatically selected.
The exact coordinates of the pointers current location are visible in the Status bar.
To place the station more accurately, you can zoom in on the map before you select
Duplicate from the context menu. For information on using the zooming tools, see
"Changing the Map Scale" on page 60.
If you let the pointer rest over the station you have placed, Atoll displays tip text
with its exact coordinates, allowing you to verify that the location is correct.
Any duplicated remote antennas and repeaters will retain the same donor transmitter as
the original. If you want the duplicated remote antenna or repeater to use a transmitter
on the duplicated base station, you must change the donor transmitter manually.
You can also place a series of duplicate base stations by pressing and holding Ctrl in step 6. and clicking to place each
duplicate base station.
For more information on the site, transmitter, cell, and timeslot properties, see "Definition of a Base Station" on page 741.
2. Click the Point Analysis Tool ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The Point Analysis Tool window appears and the
pointer changes ( ) to represent the receiver.
3. A line appears on the map connecting the selected transmitter and the current position. You can move the receiver
to change the current position or right-click the receiver to choose one of the following commands from the context
menu:
Coordinates: Select Coordinates to change the receiver position by entering new XY coordinates.
Target Site: Select a site from the list to place the receiver directly on a site.
4. Select the Profile view.
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5. In the Profile view toolbar, click the Geographic Profile button ( ) to view the geographic profile between the trans-
mitter and the receiver.
In the Profile view window, the altitude is reported on the vertical axis and the receiver-transmitter distance on the
horizontal axis. Atoll displays the profile between the transmitter and the receiver with clutter heights. An ellipsoid
indicating the Fresnel zone is also displayed. The distance between the transmitter and the receiver is displayed at the
top of the Profile view.
6. In the Profile view toolbar, click the Geographic Profile button ( ) again to view the radio signal path between the
transmitter and the receiver.
In the Profile view window, the altitude is reported on the vertical axis and the receiver-transmitter distance on the
horizontal axis. A blue ellipsoid indicates the Fresnel zone between the transmitter and the receiver, with a green line
indicating the line of sight (LOS). Atoll displays the angle of the LOS read from the vertical antenna pattern. Along the
profile, if the signal meets an obstacle, the obstacle causes attenuation with diffraction displayed by a red vertical line
(if the used propagation model is able to calculate diffraction). The main diffraction edge is the one that intersects the
Fresnel ellipsoid the most. Propagation models that use a 3 knife-edge Deygout diffraction method may also display
two additional diffraction edges. The total attenuation is displayed above the main diffraction edge.
The results of the analysis are displayed at the top of the Profile view:
The received signal strength from the selected transmitter for the cell with the highest reference signal power
The propagation model used
The shadowing margin and the indoor loss (if selected)
The distance between the transmitter and the receiver.
You can change the following options using the Profile view toolbar:
Transmitter: Select the transmitter from the list. You can click the Properties button ( ) to open the transmitter
properties dialog box.
Carriers: Select the carrier to be analysed. If you are studying a transmitter compatible with the N-frequency
mode, you can analyse its master carrier.
Options: Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculation Options dialog box. In this dialog box, you can:
Change the X and Y coordinates to change the current position of the receiver.
Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
Select Signal level, Path loss, or Total losses from the Result type list.
You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency
per clutter class.
Link Budget: Click the Link Budget button ( ) to display a dialog box with the link budget.
Detailed Report: Click the Detailed Report button ( ) to display a text document with details on the displayed
profile analysis. The detailed report is only available for the Standard Propagation Model.
7. To end the point analysis, click the Point Analysis button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar again.
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When you import data into your current Atoll document, the coordinate system of the
imported data must be the same as the display coordinate system used in the document.
If you cannot change the coordinate system of your source data, you can temporarily
change the display coordinate system of the Atoll document to match the source data. For
information on changing the coordinate system, see "Setting a Coordinate System" on
page 41.
The table you copy data from must have the same column layout as the table you are past-
ing data into.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
Importing data: If you have data in text or comma-separated value (CSV) format, you can import it into the tables in
the current document. If the data is in another Atoll document, you can first export it in text or CSV format and then
import it into the tables of your current Atoll document. When you are importing, Atoll allows you to select what
values you import into which columns of the table.
When you create a group of base stations by importing data, you must import site data in the Sites table, transmitter
data in the Transmitters table, and cell data in the Cells table, in that order.
For information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 85. For infor-
mation on importing table data, see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 86.
You can quickly create a series of base stations for study purposes using the Hexagonal
Design tool on the Radio Planning toolbar. For information, see "Placing a New Base
Station Using a Station Template" on page 749.
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Label: You can display information about each object, such as each site or transmitter, in the form of a label that is
displayed with the object. You can display information from every field in that object types data table, including from
fields that you add. The label is always displayed, so you should choose information that you would want to always be
visible; too much information will lead to a cluttered display. For information on defining the label, see "Associating a
Label to an Object" on page 53.
Tip text: You can display information about each object, such as each site or transmitter, in the form of tip text that is
only visible when you move the pointer over the object. You can choose to display more information than in the label,
because the information is only displayed when you move the pointer over the object. You can display information
from any field in that object types data table, including from fields that you add. For information on defining the tip
text, see "Associating a Tip Text to an Object" on page 54.
Transmitter colour: You can set the transmitter colour to display information about the transmitter. For example, you
can select "Discrete Values" to distinguish transmitters by antenna type, or to distinguish inactive from active sites.
You can also define the display type for transmitters as "Automatic." Atoll then automatically assigns a colour to each
transmitter, ensuring that each transmitter has a different colour than the transmitters surrounding it. For informa-
tion on defining the transmitter colour, see "Setting the Display Type" on page 52.
Transmitter symbol: You can select one of several symbols to represent transmitters. For example, you can select a
symbol that graphically represents the antenna half-power beamwidth ( ). If you have two transmitters on the
same site with the same azimuth, you can differentiate them by selecting different symbols for each ( and ).
For information on defining the transmitter symbol, see "Setting the Display Type" on page 52.
Broadband repeaters are not modelled. Atoll assumes that all carriers of 3G donor
transmitters are amplified.
In calculations, repeaters are transparent to the donor transmitters and the served
users. For example, beamforming smart antennas at donor transmitters create beams
directly towards the served users, and not towards the repeater that covers the users.
This results in a combined signal level received from the transmitter using the smart
antenna and from the repeater. If this approach does not match how your equipment
works, you must not assign smart antennas to transmitters with repeaters and vice
versa.
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2. Click the arrow next to New Repeater or Remote Antenna button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
3. Select Repeater from the menu.
4. Click the map to place the repeater. The repeater is placed on the map, represented by a symbol ( ) in the same
colour as the donor transmitter, repeater, or remote antenna. If the repeater is inactive, it is displayed by an empty
icon. By default, the repeater has the same azimuth as the donor. Its tip text and label display the same information
as displayed for the donor. As well, its tip text identifies the repeater and the donor. In the explorer window, the
repeater is found in the Transmitters folder of the Network explorer under its donor transmitter, repeater, or remote
antenna.
For information on defining the properties of the new repeater, see "Defining the Properties of a Repeater" on
page 758.
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When the donor is a transmitter, you can see to which base station the repeater is
connected by clicking it; Atoll displays a link to the donor transmitter. You can hide
the link by clicking it again.
When the donor is a repeater or a remote antenna, Atoll displays a spider-type link
showing the entire chain down to the donor transmitter. The same spider-type link
is displayed when you click any of the items belonging to the chain is clicked (i.e.,
donor transmitter, any repeater, or any remote antenna).
The table you copy data from must have the same column layout as the table you are
pasting data into.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
If the donor is a remote antenna or another repeater, then "RepZ" is preceded by "RemA_"
or "RepB_" where "A" and "B" identify the donor remote antenna and the donor repeater.
You can change the Donor by selecting it from the Donor list. The Donor can be a transmitter, a remote antenna,
or another repeater. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties dialog box of the selected donor.
You can change the Site on which the repeater is located. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties dialog
box of the selected site.
You can enter a value in the Shared antenna (coverage side) field for the repeater. This field is used to identify the
transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas that are located at the same site or on sites with the same position
and that share an antenna. The entry in the field must be the same for all such transmitters, repeaters, and remote
antennas. When changes are made to the position offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth, antenna height, or mechanical tilt of
one antenna, Atoll automatically synchronises the same changes to all other transmitters, repeaters, and remote
antennas defined as having a shared antenna.
Under Antenna position, you can define the position of the repeater, if it is not located on the site itself:
Relative to site: Select Relative to site, if you want to define the position of the repeater relative to the site
itself and then enter the XY offsets.
Coordinates: Select Coordinates, if you want to define the position of the repeater by its XY coordinates.
You can select equipment from the Equipment list. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties dialog box of
the equipment.
You can change the Amplifier gain. The amplifier gain is used in the link budget to evaluate the repeater total gain.
4. Click the Donor Side tab. You can modify the following parameters:
Under Donor-repeater link, select a Link type.
If you select Microwave link, enter the Propagation losses and continue with step 5.
If you select Air, select a Propagation model and enter the Propagation losses or click Calculate to determine
the actual propagation losses between the donor and the repeater. If you do not select a propagation model,
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the propagation losses between the donor transmitter and the repeater are calculated using the ITU 526-5
propagation model.
When you create an off-air repeater, it is assumed that the link between the donor transmitter and the repeat-
er has the same frequency as the network.
If you want to create a remote antenna, you must select Optical fibre link.
If you selected Air under Donor-repeater link, enter the following information under Antenna:
Model: The type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse button to access the proper-
ties of the antenna.
Click the Select button to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match
the currently selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the
operating frequency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on
page 158
Height/ground: The Height/ground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to
the altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the repeater is situated on a building, the height entered must
include the height of building.
Mechanical Azimuth and Mechanical Downtilt display additional antenna parameters.
You can click the Calculate button to update the mechanical azimuth and mechanical
downtilt values after changing the repeater donor side antenna height or the repeater
location. If you choose another site or change site coordinates in the General tab, click
Apply before clicking the Calculate button.
If you selected Air under Donor-repeater link, enter the following information under Feeders:
i. Select a Type of feeder from the list. You can click the Browse button to access the properties of the feeder.
ii. Enter the Length of the feeder cable at Transmission and at Reception.
5. Click the Coverage side tab. You can modify the following parameters:
Select the Active check box. Only active repeaters (displayed in red in the Transmitters folder in the Network
explorer) are calculated.
Total Gain: enter the gain (in downlink and uplink) or click Calculate to determine the actual gain in both direc-
tions. If you have modified any parameter in the General, Donor Side, or Coverage Side tabs, click Apply before
clicking the Calculate button.
In downlink, the total gain is applied to each power (P-CCPCH power, DwPCH power, etc.).
In uplink, the total gain is applied to each terminal power.
The total gain considers losses between the donor transmitter and the repeater, donor characteristics (donor an-
tenna gain, reception feeder losses), amplifier gain, and coverage characteristics (coverage antenna gain, trans-
mission feeder losses).
Under Antennas, you can modify the following parameters:
Height/ground: The Height/ground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to
the altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the repeater is situated on a building, the height entered must
include the height of building.
Main antenna: Under Main antenna, the type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse
button to access the properties of the antenna.
Click the Select button to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match
the currently selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the
operating frequency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on
page 158
Mechanical Azimuth, Mechanical Downtilt, and Additional Electrical Downtilt display additional antenna
parameters.
Mechanical Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, Electrical Azimuth, Electrical Downtilt, and Additional electrical
downtilt display additional antenna parameters.
Under Secondary antennas, you can select one or more secondary antennas in the Antenna column and enter
their Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, Additional electrical downtilt, and % Power.
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The Additional electrical downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
You can prevent Atoll from updating the UL and DL total gains of selected repeaters by
creating a custom Boolean field named "FreezeTotalGain" in the Repeaters table and
setting the value of the field to "True." Afterwards, when you select Repeaters > Calculate
Gains from the Transmitters context menu, Atoll will only update the UL and DL total gains
for repeaters with the custom field "FreezeTotalGain" set to "False."
You can update the propagation losses of all off-air repeaters by selecting Repeaters > Calculate Donor Side Propa-
gation Losses from the Transmitters context menu.
You can select a repeater on the map and change its azimuth (see "Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using the
Mouse" on page 57) or its position relative to the site (see "Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site Using
the Mouse" on page 58).
In calculations, remote antennas are transparent to the donor transmitters and the
served users. For example, beamforming smart antennas at donor transmitters create
beams directly towards the served users, and not towards the remote antenna that
covers the users. This results in a combined signal level received from the transmitter
using the smart antenna and from the remote antenna. If this approach does not match
how your equipment works, you must not assign smart antennas to transmitters with
remote antennas and vice versa.
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Ensure that the remote antennas donor transmitter does not have any antennas.
2. Click the arrow next to the New Repeater or Remote Antenna button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
3. Select Remote Antenna from the menu.
4. Click the map to place the remote antenna. The remote antenna is placed on the map, represented by the same
symbol and colour as the donor transmitter. If the remote antenna is inactive, it is displayed by an empty icon. By
default, the remote antenna has the same azimuth as the donor transmitter. Its tip text and label display the same
information as displayed for the donor transmitter. As well, its tip text identifies the remote antenna and the donor
transmitter.
For information on defining the properties of the new remote antenna, see "Defining the Properties of a Remote
Antenna" on page 762.
When the donor is a transmitter, you can see to which base station the repeater is
connected by clicking it; Atoll displays a link to the donor transmitter. You can hide
the link by clicking it again.
When the donor is a repeater or a remote antenna, Atoll displays a spider-type link
showing the entire chain down to the donor transmitter. The same spider-type link
is displayed when you click any of the items belonging to the chain is clicked (i.e.,
donor transmitter, any repeater, or any remote antenna).
The table you copy data from must have the same column layout as the table you are
pasting data into.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
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If the donor is a repeater or another remote antenna, then "RemZ" is preceded by "RepA_"
or "RemB_" where "A" and "B" identify the donor repeater and the donor remote antenna.
You can change the Donor by selecting it from the Donor list. The Donor can be a transmitter, another remote
antenna or a repeater. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties dialog box of the selected donor.
You can change the Site on which the remote antenna is located. Clicking the Browse button opens the Properties
dialog box of the selected site.
You can enter a value in the Shared Antenna (coverage side) field for the remote antenna. This field is used to
identify the transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas that are located at the same site or on sites with the
same position and that share an antenna. The entry in the field must be the same for all such transmitters,
repeaters, and remote antennas. When changes are made to the position offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth, antenna height,
or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically synchronises the same changes to all other transmitters,
repeaters, and remote antennas defined as having a shared antenna.
Under Antenna position, you can define the position of the remote antenna, if it is not located on the site itself:
Relative to site: Select Relative to site, if you want to define the position of the remote antenna relative to
the site itself and then enter the XY offsets.
Coordinates: Select Coordinates, if you want to define the position of the remote antenna by its XY coordi-
nates.
4. Click the Donor Side tab. You can modify the following parameters:
Under Donor-repeater link, select Optical fibre link and enter the Fibre losses.
5. Click the Coverage Side tab. You can modify the following parameters:
Select the Active check box. Only active remote antennas (displayed with in red in the Transmitters folder in the
Network explorer) are calculated.
Total Gain: enter the gain (in downlink and uplink) or click Calculate to determine the actual gain in both direc-
tions. If you have modified any parameter in the General, Donor Side, or Coverage Side tabs, click Apply before
clicking the Calculate button.
In downlink, the total gain is applied to each power (P-CCPCH power, DwPCH power, etc.).
In uplink, the total gain is applied to each terminal power.
The total gain considers losses between the donor transmitter and the remote antenna.
Under Antennas, you can modify the following parameters:
Height/ground: The Height/ground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to
the altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the remote antenna is situated on a building, the height entered
must include the height of the building.
Main antenna: Under Main antenna, the type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse
button to access the properties of the antenna.
Click the Select button to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match
the currently selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the
operating frequency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on
page 158
Mechanical Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, Electrical Azimuth, Electrical Downtilt, and Additional electrical
downtilt display additional antenna parameters.
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Under Secondary antennas, you can select one or more secondary antennas in the Antenna column and enter
their Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, Additional electrical downtilt, and % Power.
The Additional electrical downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
You can prevent Atoll from updating the UL and DL total gains of selected remote antennas
by creating a custom Boolean field named "FreezeTotalGain" in the Remote Antennas
table and setting the value of the field to "True." Afterwards, when you select Remote
Antennas > Calculate Gains from the Transmitters context menu, Atoll will only update
the UL and DL total gains for remote antennas with the custom field "FreezeTotalGain" set
to "False."
You can select a remote antenna on the map and change its azimuth (see "Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using
the Mouse" on page 57) or its position relative to the site (see "Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site
Using the Mouse" on page 58).
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The General tab allows you to specify the following settings for the prediction:
Name: Specify the assigned Name of the coverage prediction.
Resolution: Specify the display resolution. To improve memory consumption and optimise the calculation times, you
should set the display resolutions of coverage predictions according to the precision required. The following table lists
the levels of precision that are usually sufficient:
City Centre 5m
City 20 m
County 50 m
State 100 m
The resolution specified here is only for display purposes. The calculated resolution is independently specified in the
propagation settings. For more information, see "Assigning Propagation Parameters" on page 187.
A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the <GUID> and </GUID> tags in the following files:
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion was saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
"<prediction_name>.XML" files (one per prediction) created in the following folder
if coverage predictions were calculated with Display type = "Value intervals":
C:\<path_to_doc>\<doc_name>.studies\{<Unique_ID>}
Receiver height: This displays the height of the receiver defined in the Calculation Parameters tab of the Network
Settings Properties dialog box.
Comments: Specify an optional description of comment for the prediction.
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on
filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98. The Group By and Sort buttons are not available when making a so-called
"global" coverage prediction (e.g., signal level coverage prediction).
The Group By and Sort buttons are not available when making a so-called "global" cover-
age prediction (e.g., signal level coverage prediction).
The coverage prediction parameters on the Conditions tab allow you to define the signals that will be considered for each
pixel. The contents of this tab depends on the type of prediction. For more information, see the following sections:
"Signal Level Coverage Predictions" on page 765
"Signal Quality Coverage Predictions" on page 771
"HSDPA Coverage Predictions" on page 780
On the Display tab, you can modify how the results of the coverage prediction will be displayed.
Under Display Type, select "Value Intervals."
Under Field, select "Best Signal Level." "Best Signal Level." Selecting "All" or "Best Signal Level" on the Condi-
tions tab will give you the same results because Atoll displays the results of the best server in either case.
Selecting "Best Signal Level" necessitates, however, the longest time for calculation.
You can change the value intervals and their displayed colour. For information on changing display properties,
see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
You can create tip text with information about the coverage prediction by clicking the Browse button next to
the Tip Text box and selecting the fields you want to display in the tip text.
You can select the Add to Legend check box to add the displayed value intervals to the legend.
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If you change the display properties of a coverage prediction after you have calculated it,
you may make the coverage prediction invalid. You will then have to recalculate the cover-
age prediction to obtain valid results.
You can use the same procedure to study the signal level coverage of several sites by
grouping the transmitters. For information on grouping transmitters, see "Basic Grouping
of Data Objects" on page 94.
If you want to study only sites by their status, you can group them by status.
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d. In the table, you can configure two propagation models: one for the main matrix, with a shorter radius and a high-
er resolution, and another for the extended matrix, with a longer radius and a lower resolution. By calculating two
matrices you can reduce the time of calculation by using a lower resolution for the extended matrix and you can
obtain more accurate results by using propagation models best suited for the main and extended matrices.
e. In the Main matrix column:
Select a Propagation model.
Enter a Radius and Resolution.
f. If desired, in the Extended matrix column:
Select a Propagation model.
Enter a Radius and Resolution.
g. Close the table.
3. In the Transmitters folder, right-click the group of transmitters you want to study and select Calculations > Create a
New Prediction from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialog box appears.
The Prediction Types dialog box lists the coverage predictions available. They are divided into Standard Predictions,
supplied with Atoll, and Customised Predictions. Unless you have already created some customised coverage predic-
tions, the Customised Predictions list will be empty.
4. Select Coverage by P-CCPCH RSCP (DL) and click OK. The Coverage by P-CCPCH RSCP (DL) Properties dialog box
appears.
5. Configure the parameters in the Properties dialog box as described in "TD-SCDMA Prediction Properties" on page 763.
The coverage prediction parameters on the Conditions tab allow you to define the signals that will be considered for
each pixel. You can set the following options:
Terminal: The terminal to be considered in the coverage prediction. The gain and losses defined in the terminal
properties are used.
Service: The service to be considered in the coverage prediction. The body loss defined in the service properties
is used.
Mobility: The mobility type to be considered in the coverage prediction. The P-CCPCH RSCP T_Add (P-CCPCH RSCP
threshold) defined in the mobility properties is used as the minimum requirement for the coverage prediction.
Carrier: You can select the carrier to be studied, or select "Best".
For each pixel, the serving base station is determined according to the P-CCPCH RSCP from the carrier with the
highest P-CCPCH power, or from the master carrier in case of N-frequency mode compatible transmitters. After-
wards, the coverage prediction is calculated for the selected carrier. If the selected carrier does not exist in a trans-
mitter, there will not be any pixels covered by this transmitter. If you select "Best", Atoll will display the coverage
prediction for the preferred carrier of the selected service. If no preferred carrier is defined in the service proper-
ties, Atoll will display the coverage prediction for the carrier with the highest P-CCPCH power, or the master car-
rier in case of N-frequency mode compatible transmitters.
Timeslot: The coverage prediction by P-CCPCH RSCP is performed for TS0.
If you select the Shadowing taken into account check box, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability.
You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window. The P-CCPCH RSCP
coverage prediction can be found in the Predictions folder in the Network explorer. Atoll automatically locks the results of a
coverage prediction as soon as it is calculated, as indicated by the icon ( ) beside the coverage prediction in the Predictions
folder. When you click the Calculate button ( ), Atoll only calculates unlocked coverage predictions ( ).
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Service: The service to be considered in the coverage prediction. The body loss defined in the service properties
is used.
Mobility: The mobility type to be considered in the coverage prediction. The P-CCPCH RSCP T_Add (P-CCPCH RSCP
threshold) defined in the mobility properties is used as the minimum requirement for the coverage prediction.
Carrier: You can select the carrier to be studied, or select "Best".
For each pixel, the serving base station is determined according to the P-CCPCH RSCP from the carrier with the
highest P-CCPCH power, or from the master carrier in case of N-frequency mode compatible transmitters. After-
wards, the coverage prediction is calculated for the selected carrier. If the selected carrier does not exist in a trans-
mitter, there will not be any pixels covered by this transmitter. If you select "Best", Atoll will display the coverage
prediction for the preferred carrier of the selected service. If no preferred carrier is defined in the service proper-
ties, Atoll will display the coverage prediction for the carrier with the highest P-CCPCH power, or the master car-
rier in case of N-frequency mode compatible transmitters.
Timeslot: The coverage prediction by P-CCPCH best server is performed for TS0.
If you select the Shadowing taken into account check box, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability.
You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
Figure 10.6: Condition settings for a coverage prediction by P-CCPCH best server
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Terminal: The terminal to be considered in the coverage prediction. The gain and losses defined in the terminal
properties are used.
Service: The service to be considered in the coverage prediction. The body loss defined in the service properties
is used.
Mobility: The mobility type to be considered in the coverage prediction. The P-CCPCH RSCP T_Add (P-CCPCH RSCP
threshold) defined in the mobility properties is used as the minimum requirement for the coverage prediction.
Carrier: You can select the carrier to be studied, or select "Best".
For each pixel, the serving base station is determined according to the P-CCPCH RSCP from the carrier with the
highest P-CCPCH power, or from the master carrier in case of N-frequency mode compatible transmitters. After-
wards, the coverage prediction is calculated for the selected carrier. If the selected carrier does not exist in a trans-
mitter, there will not be any pixels covered by this transmitter. If you select "Best," Atoll will display the coverage
prediction for the preferred carrier of the selected service. If no preferred carrier is defined in the service proper-
ties, Atoll will display the coverage prediction for the carrier with the highest P-CCPCH power, or the master car-
rier in case of N-frequency mode compatible transmitters.
Timeslot: The P-CCPCH pollution coverage prediction is performed for TS0.
If you select the Shadowing taken into account check box, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability.
You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
Pollution margin: The margin for determining which signals to consider. Atoll considers signal levels which are
within the defined margin of the best signal level.
4. Click the Display tab.
For a P-CCPCH pollution coverage prediction, the Display type "Value intervals" based on the Field "Number of serv-
ers" is selected by default. Each pixel experiencing P-CCPCH pollution will then be displayed in a colour corresponding
to the number of servers received per pixel. For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display
Properties of Objects" on page 51.
5. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
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For each pixel, the serving base station is determined according to the P-CCPCH RSCP from the carrier with the
highest P-CCPCH power, or from the master carrier in case of N-frequency mode compatible transmitters. After-
wards, the coverage prediction is calculated for the selected carrier. If the selected carrier does not exist in a trans-
mitter, there will not be any pixels covered by this transmitter. If you select "Best," Atoll will display the coverage
prediction for the preferred carrier of the selected service. If no preferred carrier is defined in the service proper-
ties, Atoll will display the coverage prediction for the carrier with the highest P-CCPCH power, or the master car-
rier in case of N-frequency mode compatible transmitters.
Timeslot: The coverage prediction by UpPCH RSCP is performed for UpPTS timeslot.
If you select the Shadowing taken into account check box, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability.
You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
4. Click the Display tab.
For a coverage prediction by UpPCH RSCP, the Display type "Value intervals" based on the Field "UpPCH RSCP" is
selected by default. The Field you choose determines which information the coverage prediction by UpPCH RSCP
makes available. Each pixel is displayed in a colour corresponding to the UpPCH RSCP level. For information on defin-
ing display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
You can also set parameters to display the following results:
RSCP margin: Select "Value intervals" as the Display type and "RSCP margin" as the Field. RSCP margin is the
margin between the calculated UpPCH RSCP and the UpPCH RSCP threshold given for the selected mobility.
Cell edge coverage probability: Select "Value intervals" as the Display type and "Cell edge coverage probability"
as the Field.
5. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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ties, Atoll will display the coverage prediction for the carrier with the highest P-CCPCH power, or the master car-
rier in case of N-frequency mode compatible transmitters.
Timeslot: The UpPCH interference coverage predictions are performed for TS1 uplink timeslot for UpPCH shifting.
If you select the Shadowing taken into account check box, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability.
You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
Figure 10.8: Condition settings for an UpPCH interference zones coverage prediction
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Mobility: The mobility type to be considered in the coverage prediction. P-CCPCH RSCP T_Add, and P-CCPCH RSCP
T_Drop defined in the mobility properties are used to define the signal level range for transmitters to enter the
preliminary handover set.
Carrier: You can select the carrier to be studied, or select "Best".
For each pixel, the serving base station is determined according to the P-CCPCH RSCP from the carrier with the
highest P-CCPCH power, or from the master carrier in case of N-frequency mode compatible transmitters. After-
wards, the coverage prediction is calculated for the selected carrier. If the selected carrier does not exist in a trans-
mitter, there will not be any pixels covered by this transmitter. If you select "Best," Atoll will display the coverage
prediction for the preferred carrier of the selected service. If no preferred carrier is defined in the service proper-
ties, Atoll will display the coverage prediction for the carrier with the highest P-CCPCH power, or the master car-
rier in case of N-frequency mode compatible transmitters.
Timeslot: The baton handover coverage prediction is performed for TS0.
If you select the Shadowing taken into account check box, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability.
You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
4. Click the Display tab. The settings you select on the Display tab determine the information that the prediction will
display.
For a baton handover analysis, the Display type "Value intervals" and the Field "Number of potential neighbours" are
selected by default. You can also display only the baton handover coverage surface area by selecting "Unique" as the
Display type. For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on
page 51.
5. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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HSDPA radio bearer: The HSDPA bearer for which the coverage prediction is to be performed. Accessing an HSDPA
radio bearer requires at least two timeslots. Therefore, this option can only be selected when "All" timeslots are
selected.
If you select the Shadowing taken into account check box, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability.
You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
4. Click the Display tab. The settings you select on the Display tab determine the information that the coverage predic-
tion will display.
If you have selected "All" timeslots in the Conditions tab, you can set the following parameters:
The HS-PDSCH RSCP relative to the RSCP threshold: Select one of the following in the Field list:
Min HS-PDSCH RSCP
Average HS-PDSCH RSCP
Max HS-PDSCH RSCP
The HS-PDSCH EcNt relative to the EcNt threshold: Select one of the following in the Field list:
Min. HS-PDSCH EcNt
Average HS-PDSCH EcNt
Max HS-PDSCH EcNt
The peak RLC throughput relative to the threshold: Select "peak RLC throughput (kbps)" as the Field. Atoll dis-
plays the peak RLC throughput that the selected HSDPA bearer can provide. The peak RLC throughput is a charac-
teristic of the HSDPA bearer.
The peak MAC throughput relative to the threshold: Select "Peak MAC throughput (kbps)" as the Field. Atoll cal-
culates the peak MAC throughput from the transport block size of the selected HSDPA bearer.
If you have selected a particular timeslot in the Conditions tab, you can set the following parameters:
The uplink and downlink A-DPCH qualities: Select one of the following in the Field list:
Max DL A-DPCH EbNt (dB): Atoll determines downlink A-DPCH quality at the receiver for the maximum traffic
channel power allowed for the selected timeslot.
Max UL A-DPCH EbNt (dB): Atoll determines uplink A-DPCH quality at the receiver for the maximum terminal
power allowed.
The HS-SCCH power, reception level, or quality: Select one of the following in the Field list:
HS-SCCH power: Atoll determines the HS-SCCH power required per pixel to get an HS-SCCH Ec/Nt better than
the minimum required HS-SCCH Ec/Nt. The coverage is limited by the HS-SCCH Ec/Nt threshold defined for the
selected mobility type.
HS-SCCH RSCP: Atoll determines the HS-SCCH RSCP using the HS-SCCH power required per pixel to get an HS-
SCCH Ec/Nt better than the minimum required HS-SCCH Ec/Nt. The coverage is limited by the HS-SCCH Ec/Nt
threshold defined for the selected mobility type.
HS-SCCH Ec/Nt: Atoll determines the HS-SCCH Ec/Nt per pixel. The coverage is limited by the HS-SCCH Ec/Nt
threshold defined for the selected mobility type.
The HS-SICH power, reception level, or quality: Select one of the following in the Field list:
HS-SICH power: Atoll determines the HS-SICH power required per pixel to get an HS-SICH Ec/Nt better than
the minimum required HS-SICH Ec/Nt. The coverage is limited by the HS-SICH Ec/Nt threshold defined for the
selected mobility type.
HS-SICH RSCP: Atoll determines the HS-SICH RSCP using the HS-SICH power required per pixel to get an HS-
SICH Ec/Nt better than the minimum required HS-SICH Ec/Nt. The coverage is limited by the HS-SICH Ec/Nt
threshold defined for the selected mobility type.
HS-SICH Ec/Nt: Atoll determines the HS-SICH Ec/Nt per pixel. The coverage is limited by the HS-SICH Ec/Nt
threshold defined for the selected mobility type.
The HS-PDSCH reception level or quality: Select one of the following in the Field list:
HS-PDSCH RSCP: Atoll determines the HS-PDSCH RSCP using the HS-PDSCH power of the timeslot.
HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt: Atoll determines the HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt using the HS-PDSCH power of the timeslot.
For information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
5. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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1. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The Point Analysis window appears and the
2. At the bottom of the Point Analysis window, select the Reception view (see Figure 10.10).
The predicted signal level from different transmitters is reported in the Reception view in the form of a bar chart, from
the highest predicted signal level on the top to the lowest one on the bottom. Each bar is displayed in the colour of
the transmitter it represents. In the map window, arrows from the pointer to each transmitter are displayed in the
colour of the transmitters they represent. A thick black line from the receiver to its best server is also displayed in the
map window. The best server of the receiver is the transmitter from which the receiver receives the highest signal
level. If you let the pointer rest, the signal level received from the corresponding transmitter at the pointer location is
displayed in the tip text.
3. At the top of the Reception view, select the carrier to be analysed.
4. Click the Options button ( ) in the Reception view toolbar. The Calculation Options dialog box appears.
a. Edit the X and Y coordinates to change the present position of the receiver.
b. Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
c. Select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter
class.
d. Click OK to close the Calculation Options dialog box.
5. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar again to end the point analysis.
You can display a point analysis that uses the settings from an existing prediction by
right-clicking the prediction in the Network explorer and selecting Point Analysis from
the context menu.
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Merge: This display shows the area that is covered by either of the coverage predictions (for example, pixels covered
by at least one of the predictions are displayed in red).
Union: This display shows all pixels covered by both coverage predictions in one colour and pixels covered by only one
coverage prediction in a different colour (for example, pixels covered by both predictions are red and pixels covered
by only one prediction are blue).
Difference: This display shows all pixels covered by both coverage predictions in one colour, pixels covered by only
the first prediction with another colour and pixels covered only by the second prediction with a third colour (for
example, pixels covered by both predictions are red, pixels covered only by the first prediction are green, and pixels
covered only by the second prediction are blue).
To compare two similar coverage predictions:
1. Create and calculate a coverage prediction of the existing network.
2. Examine the coverage prediction to see where coverage can be improved.
3. Make the changes to the network to improve coverage.
4. Duplicate the original coverage prediction (in order to leave the first coverage prediction unchanged).
5. Calculate the duplicated coverage prediction.
6. Compare the original coverage prediction with the new coverage prediction. Atoll displays differences in coverage
between them.
In this section, the following examples are explained:
"Example 1: Studying the Effect of a New Base Station" on page 784.
"Example 2: Studying the Effect of a Change in Transmitter Tilt" on page 786.
If you have an area in a network that is poorly covered by current transmitters, you have several options for increasing cover-
age. In this example, you can verify if a newly added base station improves coverage.
A coverage prediction by P-CCPCH RSCP for the current network is made as described in "Making a Coverage Prediction by P-
CCPCH RSCP" on page 766. The results are displayed in Figure 10.11. An area with poor coverage is visible on the right side of
the figure.
A new base station is added, either by creating the site and adding the transmitters, as explained in "Creating a TD-SCDMA
Base Station" on page 740, or by using a station template, as explained in "Placing a New Base Station Using a Station
Template" on page 749. Once the new base station has been added, the original coverage prediction can be recalculated, but
then it would be impossible to compare the results. Instead, the original coverage prediction by P-CCPCH RSCP can be copied
by selecting Duplicate from its context menu. The copy is then calculated to show the effect of the new base station (see
Figure 10.12).
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Figure 10.12: Coverage prediction by P-CCPCH RSCP of the network with a new base station
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If you have an area in a network that is poorly covered by current transmitters, you have several options for increasing cover-
age. In this example, you can see how modifying transmitter tilt can improve coverage.
A coverage prediction by P-CCPCH best server for the current network is made as described in "Making a Coverage Prediction
by P-CCPCH Best Server" on page 767. The results are displayed in Figure 10.14. The coverage prediction shows that one trans-
mitter is covering its area poorly. The area is indicated by a red oval in Figure 10.14.
Figure 10.14: Coverage prediction by P-CCPCH best server for the existing network
You can try modifying the tilt on the transmitter to improve the coverage. The properties of the transmitter can be accessed
by right-clicking the transmitter in the map window and selecting Properties from the context menu. The mechanical and elec-
trical tilt of the antenna are defined on the Transmitter tab of the Properties dialog box.
Once the tilt of the antenna has been modified, the original coverage prediction can be recalculated, but then it would be
impossible to compare the results. Instead, the original coverage prediction by can be copied by selecting Duplicate from its
context menu. The copy is then calculated, to show how modifying the antenna tilt has affected coverage (see Figure 10.15).
Figure 10.15: Coverage prediction by P-CCPCH best server of the network after modifications
As you can see, modifying the antenna tilt increased the coverage of the transmitter. However, to see exactly the change in
coverage, you can compare the two predictions.
To compare two predictions:
1. Right-click one of the two predictions. The context menu appears.
2. From the context menu, select Compare with and, from the menu that opens, select the coverage prediction you want
to compare with the first. The Comparison Properties dialog box appears.
3. Click the General tab. You can change the Name of the comparison and add Comments.
The General tab contains information about the coverage predictions being compared, including their name and reso-
lution.
4. Click the Display tab. On the Display tab, you can choose how you want the results of the comparison to be displayed.
You can choose among:
Intersection
Merge
Union
Difference
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In order to see what changes modifying the antenna tilt made, you can choose Union. This will display all pixels
covered by both predictions in one colour and all pixels covered by only one prediction in another colour. The increase
in coverage, seen in only the second coverage prediction, will be immediately clear.
5. Click OK to create the comparison. The comparison in Figure 10.16, shows clearly the increase in coverage due at the
change in antenna tilt.
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The transmitters are coloured according to the carrier type, and the master carrier number is displayed on the map with each
transmitter.
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6. Click Resolve to resolve the inconsistencies found by the audit. Atoll makes the timeslot configurations and scrambling
codes of the slave carriers the same as the master carrier. It also empties the neighbour list of the slave carriers.
7. Click Close to close the N-Frequency Mode Audit dialog box.
Figure 10.17: TD-SCDMA coverage conditions for automatic intra-technology neighbour allocation
When it is cleared, only the defined Distance will be used to allocate neighbours to a reference transmitter.
When it is selected, click Define to open the Coverage Conditions dialog box and change the parameters below:
Resolution: Enter the resolution to be used to calculate cells coverage areas during automatic neighbour alloca-
tion.
P-CCPCH RSCP T_Add: Enter the minimum P-CCPCH RSCP required for a serving transmitter. If there is more than
one transmitter whose P-CCPCH RSCP is higher than P-CCPCH RSCP T_Add, the transmitter with the highest P-
CCPCH RSCP is kept as the serving transmitter.
P-CCPCH RSCP T_Drop: Enter the minimum P-CCPCH RSCP required for transmitters to enter a preliminary hand-
over set. All the transmitters whose P-CCPCH RSCP is higher than P-CCPCH RSCP T_Drop are added to the set.
P-CCPCH RSCP T_Comp: Enter the handover set limit. From among the transmitters listed in the preliminary hand-
over set using the P-CCPCH RSCP T_Drop, only the transmitters whose P-CCPCH RSCP is within the range defined
by the P-CCPCH RSCP from the best server and the P-CCPCH RSCP T_Comp margin are kept in the handover set.
Shadowing Taken into Account: If selected, enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
Indoor Coverage: Select this check box to take indoor losses into acccount in calculations. Indoor losses are
defined per frequency per clutter class.
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the reference cells coverage area where the potential neighbour cell is the best server, or where the potential neigh-
bour cell is the second best server respecting the handover end.
Symmetric relations: Select this check box if you want the neighbour relations to be reciprocal, i.e. any reference
transmitter/cell is a potential neighbour of all the cells that are its neighbours.
Exceptional pairs: Select this check box to force the neighbour relations defined in the Intra-technology Exceptional
pairs table. For information on exceptional pairs, see "Exceptional Pairs" on page 223.
The neighbour relation fulfils the defined coverage Use coverage conditions is selected
Coverage
conditions and nothing is selected under Force
The neighbour is located on the same site as the Use coverage conditions
Co-Site
reference cell and Co-site cells as neighbours is selected
The neighbour relation between the reference cell Use coverage conditions is selected
Symmetry
and the neighbour is symmetrical and Symmetric relations is selected
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For example, the hexadecimal value "3Fh" would be calculated as shown below:
2
0 16 + 3 16 + 15 = 63
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Excluded: Enter the scrambling codes within the range defined by the Min and Max fields that you do not want to
use.
Extra: Enter any additional scrambling codes (i.e., outside the range defined by the Min and Max fields) you want
to add to this group. You can enter a list of codes separated by either a comma, semi-colon, or a space. You can
also enter a range of scrambling codes separated by a hyphen. For example, entering, "1, 2, 36" means that the
extra scrambling codes are "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6".
10. Click another cell of the table to create the new group and add a new blank row to the table.
You can define the costs of the different types of constraints used in the automatic scrambling code allocation algorithm.
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The allocation algorithm enables you to automatically allocate scrambling code to cells in the current network. You can choose
among several automatic allocation strategies. The actual automatic allocation strategies available will depend on your
network and options selected in the Atoll.ini file. For more information on the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual. For
more information on automatic allocation strategies, see the Technical Reference Guide.
Clustered: The purpose of this strategy is to choose for a group of mutually constrained cells, scrambling codes among
a minimum number of clusters. In this case, Atoll will preferentially allocate all the codes from the same cluster.
Distributed per cell: This strategy consists in using as many clusters as possible. Atoll will preferentially allocate codes
from different clusters.
One SYNC_DL code per site: This strategy allocates one SYNC_DL code to each base station, then, one code of the
cluster associated with the SYNC_DL code to each cell of each base station. When all the SYNC_DL codes have been
allocated and there are still base stations remaining to be allocated, Atoll reuses the SYNC_DL codes at another base
station. Select this strategy if you want to allocate the same scrambling code to the master and the slave carriers. For
more information on master and slave carriers, see "Planning Frequencies" on page 787.
Distributed per site: This strategy allocates a group of adjacent clusters to each base station in the network, then, one
cluster to each transmitter of the base station, according to its azimuth, and finally one code of the cluster to each cell
of each transmitter. The number of adjacent clusters per group depends on the number of transmitters per base sta-
tion you have in your network; this information is required to start allocation based on this strategy. When all the
groups of adjacent clusters have been allocated and there are still base stations remaining to be allocated, Atoll reuses
the groups of adjacent clusters at another base station.
To automatically allocate scrambling codes:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Scrambling Codes > Automatic Allocation. The Scrambling Codes and SYNC_DL Codes dialog box appears.
4. Set the following parameters in the Scrambling Codes and SYNC_DL Codes dialog box:
Under Constraints, you can set the constraints on automatic scrambling code allocation.
Existing neighbours: Select the Existing neighbours check box if you want to consider neighbour relations and
then choose the neighbourhood level to take into account:
Neighbours of a cell are referred to as first order neighbours, neighbours neighbours are referred to as second
order neighbours and neighbours neighbours neighbours as third order neighbours.
First order: No cell will be allocated the same scrambling code as its neighbours.
Second order: No cell will be allocated the same scrambling code as its neighbours or its second order neigh-
bours.
Third order: No cell will be allocated the same scrambling code as its neighbours or its second order neigh-
bours or its third order neighbours.
Atoll can only consider neighbour relations if neighbours have already been allocated. For information on al-
locating neighbours, see "Neighbour Planning" on page 223.
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Atoll can take into account inter-technology neighbour relations as constraints to allocate
different scrambling codes to the TD-SCDMA neighbours of a GSM transmitter. In order to
consider inter-technology neighbour relations in scrambling code allocation, you must
make the Transmitters folder of the GSM Atolldocument accessible in the TD-SCDMA Atoll
document. For information on making links between GSM and TD-SCDMA Atoll docu-
ments, see "Creating a TD-SCDMA Sector From a Sector in the Other Network" on
page 827.
Reuse distance: Select the Reuse distance check box, if you want to the automatic allocation process to con-
sider the reuse distance constraint. Enter the Default reuse distance within which two cells on the same carrier
cannot have the same scrambling code.
A reuse distance can be defined at the cell level (in the cell Properties dialog box or in the
Cells table). If defined, a cell-specific reuse distance will be used instead of the value
entered here.
Exceptional pairs: Select the Exceptional pairs check box if you want the automatic allocation process to con-
sider the exceptional pair constraints.
Close neighbours: Select the Close neighbours check box if you want to take into account the scrambling code
relativity clusters in the automatic allocation. Enter the minimum Importance value and the maximum
Distance for determining the close neighbours.
Close neighbours are first order neighbours whose importance is higher than the minimum importance value
and are located within the maximum distance from the studied cell. Atoll will assign scrambling codes from
different relativity clusters to close neighbours. The Close neighbours constraint can be taken into account in
Clustered and Distributed per cell allocation strategies. For more information on scrambling code relativity
clusters, see "Defining Scrambling Code Relativity Clusters" on page 793.
From the Strategy list, you can select an automatic allocation strategy:
Clustered
Distributed per cell
One SYNC_DL code per site
Distributed per site
Carrier: Select the carrier on which you want to run the allocation. You may choose one carrier (Atoll will assign
scrambling codes to transmitters using the selected carrier) or all of them.
No. of codes per SYNC_DL: According to 3GPP specifications, the number of scrambling codes per SYNC_DL is 4.
If you want, you can change the number of codes per SYNC_DL.
When the allocation is based on a distributed strategy (distributed per cell or distributed per site), this parameter
can also be used to define the interval between the scrambling codes assigned to cells on a same site. The defined
interval is applied by setting an option in the Atoll.ini file. For more information about setting options in the At-
oll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
Use a max of codes: Select the Use a max of codes check box to make Atoll use the maximum number of codes.
For example, if there are two cells using the same domain with two scrambling codes, Atoll will assign the
remaining code to the second cell even if there are no constraints between these two cells (for example, neigh-
bour relations, reuse distance, etc.). If you do not select this option, Atoll only checks the constraints, and allocates
the first ranked code in the list.
Delete existing codes: Select the Delete existing codes check box if you want Atoll to delete currently allocated
scrambling codes and recalculate all scrambling codes. If you do not select this option, Atoll keeps the currently
allocated scrambling codes and only allocates scrambling codes to cells that do not yet have codes allocated.
5. Click Calculate. Atoll begins the process of allocating scrambling codes.
If you have selected the "Distributed per Site" allocation strategy, a Distributed per Site Allocation Parameters dialog
box appears.
a. In the Distributed per Site Allocation Parameters dialog box, enter the Max number of transmitters per site.
b. Select the Neighbours in other SYNC_DL or Secondary neighbours in other SYNC_DL check boxes in the Addition-
al constraints section, if you want the automatic allocation to consider constraints related to first order and sec-
ond order neighbours.
c. Click OK.
Once Atoll has finished allocating scrambling codes, the codes are visible under Results. Atoll only displays newly allo-
cated scrambling codes.
The Results table contains the following information.
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6. Click Commit. The scrambling codes are stored in the cell properties.
You can save automatic scrambling code allocation parameters in a user configuration. For
information on saving automatic scrambling code allocation parameters in a user configu-
ration, see "Saving a User Configuration" on page 102.
If you need to allocate scrambling codes to the cells on a single transmitter, you can
allocate them automatically by selecting Allocate Scrambling Codes from the
transmitters context menu.
If you need to allocate scrambling codes to all the cells in a group of transmitters,
you can allocate them automatically by selecting Scrambling Codes > Automatic
Allocation from the transmitter groups context menu.
When you allocate scrambling codes to a large number of cells, it is easiest to let Atoll allocate scrambling codes automatically,
as described in "Automatically Allocating Scrambling Codes to TD-SCDMA Cells" on page 794. However, if you want to add a
scrambling code to one cell or to modify the scrambling code of a cell, you can do it by accessing the properties of the cell.
After allocation, you can use the audit tool to check the reuse scrambling code distances between cells and the compatibility
of the domains of the cells for each base station.
To allocate a scrambling code to a TD-SCDMA cell manually:
1. On the map, right-click the transmitter to whose cell you want to allocate a scrambling code. The context menu
appears.
2. Select Properties from the context menu. The transmitters Properties dialog box appears.
3. Select the Cells tab.
4. Enter a Scrambling code in the cells column.
5. Click OK.
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The report will list the cells and the neighbours that do not meet one of these constraints. In addition, it will indi-
cate the allocated primary scrambling code and the neighbourhood level.
Neighbours in different SYNC_DLs: If you select the Neighbours in different SYNC_DLs check box, Atoll will check
that neighbour cells have scrambling codes from different SYNC_DLs. The report will list any neighbour cells that
has scrambling codes from the same SYNC_DL.
Domain compliance: If you select the Domain compliance check box, Atoll will check if allocated scrambling codes
belong to domains assigned to cells. The report will list any cells with scrambling codes that do not belong to
domains assigned to the cell.
Site domains not empty: If you select the Site domains not empty check box, Atoll will check for and list base
stations for which the allocation domain (i.e., the list of possible scrambling codes, with respect to the configured
allocation constraints) is empty.
One SYNC_DL per site: If you select the One SYNC_DL per site check box, Atoll will check for and list base stations
whose cells have scrambling codes coming from more than one SYNC_DL.
Distance: If you select the Distance check box and set a reuse distance, Atoll will check for and list the cell pairs
that do not respect the reuse distance condition. For any cell pair, Atoll uses the lowest of the reuse distance
values among the ones defined for the two cells in their properties and the value that you set in the Code and
SYNC_DL Audit dialog box. Cell pairs that do not respect the reuse distance condition are listed according to the
distance between them, from the closest to the furthest away. The scrambling code and the reuse distance are
also listed for each cell pair.
Exceptional pairs: If you select the Exceptional pairs check box, Atoll will check for and display pairs of cells that
are listed as exceptional pairs but have the same scrambling code allocated.
5. Click OK. Atoll displays the results of the audit in a text file called CodeCheck.txt. For each selected criterion, Atoll gives
the number of detected inconsistencies and the details of each.
In Atoll, you can search for scrambling codes and scrambling code groups using the Find on Map tool. Results are displayed
in the map window in red.
If you have already calculated and displayed a coverage prediction by transmitter based on the best server P-CCPCH, with the
results displayed by transmitter, the search results will be displayed by transmitter coverage. For information, see "Making a
Coverage Prediction by P-CCPCH Best Server" on page 767. Scrambling codes and scrambling code groups and any potential
problems will then be clearly visible.
To find scrambling codes or scrambling code groups using the Find on Map tool:
1. Click Tools > Find on Map. The Find on Map window appears.
2. From the Find list, select "Scrambling Code."
3. Select what you what you want to search for:
Scrambling code: If you want to find a scrambling code, select Scrambling code and select it from the list.
SC group: If you want to find a scrambling code group, select SC group and select it from the list.
4. Select the carrier you want to search on from the For carrier list, or select "(All)" to search in all carriers.
5. Click Search. Transmitters with cells matching the search criteria are displayed in red. Transmitters that do not match
the search criteria are displayed as grey lines.
To restore the initial transmitter colours, click the Reset display button in the Find on Map window.
You can use the display characteristics of transmitters to display scrambling code-related information.
To display scrambling code-related information on the map:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box appears.
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You can group transmitters in the Network explorer by their scrambling code or scrambling code domain.
To group transmitters by scrambling code:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box appears.
4. On the General tab, click Group by. The Group dialog box appears.
5. Under Available fields, scroll down to the Cell section.
6. Select the parameter you want to group transmitters by:
Scrambling code domain
Scrambling code
7. Click to add the parameter to the Grouping fields list. The selected parameter is added to the list of parameters
on which the transmitters will be grouped.
8. If you do not want the transmitters to be sorted by a certain parameter, select it in the Grouping fields list and click
. The selected parameter is removed from the list of parameters on which the transmitters will be grouped.
9. Arrange the parameters in the Grouping fields list in the order in which you want the transmitters to be grouped:
10. Click OK to save your changes and close the Group dialog box.
If a transmitter has more than one cell, Atoll cannot arrange the transmitter by cell. Trans-
mitters that cannot be grouped by cell are arranged in a separate folder under the Trans-
mitters folder.
You can use a histogram to analyse the use of allocated scrambling codes in a network. The histogram represents the scram-
bling codes or SYNC_DLs as a function of the frequency of their use.
To display the scrambling code histogram:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Transmitters folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Scrambling Codes > Code Distribution. The Distribution Histograms dialog box appears.
Each bar represents a scrambling code or a SYNC_DL code, its height depending on the frequency of its use.
4. Select Scrambling codes to display scrambling code use and Clusters to display SYNC_DL code use.
5. Move the pointer over the histogram to display the frequency of use of each scrambling code or SYNC_DL. The results
are highlighted simultaneously in the Zoom on selected values list.
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You can zoom in on values by clicking and dragging in the Zoom on selected values list. Atoll will zoom in on the
selected values.
You can make a scrambling code collision zones coverage prediction to view areas covered by cells using the same scrambling
code. For each pixel, Atoll checks if the best serving cell and the cells that fulfil all criteria to enter the active set (without any
active set size limitation) have the same scrambling code. If so, Atoll considers that there is a scrambling code collision.
To make a scrambling code collision zone coverage prediction:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select New Prediction from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialog box appears.
4. Select Scrambling Code Collision Zones (DL) and click OK. The prediction Properties dialog box appears.
5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the assigned Name of the coverage prediction, the Reso-
lution, and you can add a Comment. The Receiver height corresponds to the height of the receiver defined in the Cal-
culation Parameters tab of the Network Settings Properties dialog box.
A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the <GUID> and </GUID> tags in the following files:
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion was saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
"<prediction_name>.XML" files (one per prediction) created in the following folder
if coverage predictions were calculated with Display type = "Value intervals":
C:\<path_to_doc>\<doc_name>.studies\{<Unique_ID>}
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on
filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98.
6. Click the Conditions tab (see Figure 10.18). The coverage prediction parameters on the Conditions tab allow you to
define the signals that will be considered for each pixel. You can set:
Terminal: The terminal to be considered in the coverage prediction. The gain and losses defined in the terminal
properties are used.
Service: The service to be considered in the coverage prediction. The body loss defined in the service properties
is used.
Mobility: The mobility type to be considered in the coverage prediction. The P-CCPCH RSCP threshold defined in
the mobility properties is used as the minimum requirement for the coverage prediction.
Carrier: The carrier to be considered in the coverage prediction.
For each pixel, the serving base station is determined according to the P-CCPCH RSCP from the carrier with the
highest P-CCPCH power, or from the master carrier in case of N-frequency mode compatible transmitters. After-
wards, the coverage prediction is calculated for the selected carrier. If the selected carrier does not exist in a trans-
mitter, there will not be any pixels covered by this transmitter.
Timeslot: The scrambling code collision coverage prediction is performed for TS0.
If you select the Shadowing taken into account check box, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability.
You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
Pollution margin: The margin for determining which signals to consider. Atoll considers signal levels which are
within the defined margin of the best signal level.
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Figure 10.18: Condition settings for a Scrambling Code Collision Zones coverage prediction
9. Click the Calculate button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar to calculate the scrambling code collision zone coverage
prediction. The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
A specific colour is assigned to areas where more than one scrambling code has interference. You can analyse these areas in
more detail using the Find on Map tool. For more information on using the Find on Map tool for scrambling code collision
analysis, see "Using Find on Map to Display Scrambling Code Allocation" on page 797.
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UUDDDD 32 64
UUUDDD 48 48
UUUUDD 64 32
UUUUUD 80 16
UpUDDDD 16 64
UpUUDDD 32 48
TS0 is not used for traffic. TS1 is not used for traffic either in case of UpPCH shifting.
Assuming ideal dynamic channel allocation (DCA), all the resource units within a subframe, i.e., 6 x 16 = 96, can be allocated
and used. The total resource units in a network, i.e., the network capacity, is given by:
Network Capacity = Number of Timeslots per Subframe Number of Codes per Timeslot Number of Carriers
Resource units from different carriers can be shared and allocated to the same mobile connected to an N-frequency mode
compatible transmitter.
This section explains the network capacity and network dimensioning analysis tools:
"Calculating Available Network Capacity" on page 801.
"Calculating Required Network Capacity" on page 801.
"Displaying the Network Capacity on the Map" on page 802.
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The global scaling factor enables you to increase user density without changing traffic parameters or traffic maps.
For example, setting the global scaling factor to 2 is the same as doubling the initial number of users (for environ-
ment and user profile traffic maps) or the rates per users (for live traffic maps per sector).
Select traffic maps to be used: Select the traffic maps you want to use for dimensioning.
Under Coverage, select the P-CCPCH best server coverage prediction to be used to distribute the traffic among the
cells of the network.
4. Click Calculate. Atoll distributes the traffic among cells using the information from traffic maps and the coverage pre-
diction, calculates the capacity of each cell, and displays the results in the Results per Cell tab.
The Results per Cell tab has five columns which list the names of the cells in the network, and the numbers of uplink
and downlink resource units available and required per cell. The last row in this dialog box displays the total uplink
and downlink resource units, required and available. Cells for which the required resource units exceed the available
units are displayed in red. The uplink and downlink resource units overhead defined for each timeslot per cell is
considered when calculating the number of available resource units.
5. Click Commit to store the number of required resource units per cell in the Cells table.
6. Click Close to close the dialog box.
Changing transmitter parameters does not affect the dimensioning results if you have not updated the coverage by P-CCPCH
best server used for the dimensioning calculations. If you want to compare dimensioning results after modifying some trans-
mitter parameters, you will have to calculate the coverage by P-CCPCH best server again and run the dimensioning calcula-
tions based on the new coverage prediction.
When Atoll has finished calculating the prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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The following services and users are modelled in Atoll in order to create simulations:
R99 radio bearers: Bearer services are used by the network for carrying information. The R99 Radio Bearer table lists
all the available radio bearers. You can create new R99 radio bearers and modify existing ones using the R99 Radio
Bearer table. For information on defining R99 radio bearers, see "Defining R99 Radio Bearers" on page 837.
Services: Services are the various services, such as voice, mobile internet access, etc., available to subscribers. These
services can be either circuit-switched or packet-switched. For information on modelling end-user services, see "Mod-
elling Services" on page 241.
Mobility types: In TD-SCDMA, information about receiver mobility is important to accurately model the channel char-
acteristics: a mobile used in a speeding car or by a pedestrian will not necessarily undergo the same radio wave behav-
iour. EbNt or CI targets for uplink and downlink are largely dependent on mobile speed. For information on creating
a mobility type, see "Modelling Mobility Types" on page 247.
Terminals: In TD-SCDMA, a terminal is the user equipment that is used in the network, for example, a mobile phone,
a PDA, or a cars on-board navigation device. For information on creating a terminal, see "Modelling Terminals" on
page 249.
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As shown in Figure 10.20, the simulation algorithm is divided in three parts. All users are evaluated by the R99 part of the
algorithm. HSDPA bearer users, unless they have been rejected during the R99 part of the algorithm, are then evaluated by
the HSDPA part of the algorithm.
The R99 part of the algorithm simulates power control, congestion and radio resource control performed for R99 bearers for
both R99 and HSDPA users. Atoll considers each user in the order in which the users are generated, and determines his best
server. Atoll then selects the cell and the timeslot to be allocated to each user as follows:
Atoll selects the preferred carrier defined in the properties of the service being used by the user if the preferred carrier
is available on the best server and if there are enough resources available on it to accommodate the user. Otherwise,
Atoll selects the carrier according to the selected DCA strategy.
Load: The least loaded cell or timeslot is selected.
Cell: Atoll calculates the ISCP (Interference Signal Code Power) for all the timeslots of all the cells of the users best
server considering the effect of smart antenna equipment, if any. Next, Atoll selects the carrier with the lowest
ISCP and the lowest load that has enough free timeslots to support the users service.
Timeslot: Atoll selects the least loaded timeslots that have enough free OVSF codes for the users service.
Available RUs: The cell or timeslot with the most available resource units is selected.
Cell: Atoll calculates the number of available resource units for all the timeslots of all the cells of the users best
server. Next, Atoll selects the carrier with most number of available resource units.
Timeslot: Atoll selects the timeslots with the most available resource units.
Direction of Arrival: The cell or timeslot selected is the one which does not have an interfering mobile located nearby
at the same angle as the direction of arrival of the targeted mobile.
Cell: Atoll calculates the number of interfering mobiles which are located in the same direction as the targeted
user for all the timeslots of all the cells of the users best server. Next, Atoll selects the carrier with the lowest
number of interfering mobiles in the direction of the targeted user.
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Timeslot: Atoll selects the timeslots with the lowest number of interfering mobiles in the direction of the targeted
user.
Sequential: Cells and timeslots are selected in a sequential order.
Cell: Atoll allocates the carriers to users one by one. For example, if there are 3 carriers, Atoll allocates carrier 0
to user 0, carrier 1 to user 1, carrier 2 to user 2, carrier 0 to user 3, and so on.
Timeslot: Atoll allocates timeslots to users one by one.
DCA reduces interference and maximises the usage of resource units. Resource units from different carriers can be shared and
allocated to the same mobile connected to an N-frequency mode compatible transmitter.
In TD-SCDMA networks, interference for a given timeslot can be of the following four types:
DL DL: Cell A and cell B both transmitting in downlink.
UL UL: Cell A and cell B both receiving in uplink.
DL UL: Cell A receiving in uplink and cell B transmitting in downlink.
UL DL: Cell A transmitting in downlink and cell B receiving in uplink.
Next, Atoll performs uplink and downlink power control considering the effect of smart antenna equipment, if any. Atoll first
calculates the required terminal power in order to reach the EbNt or CI threshold required by the service in the uplink,
followed by the required traffic channel power in order to reach the EbNt or CI threshold required by the service in the
downlink. Atoll updates the downlink and uplink ISCP for all the users.
After carrying out power control, Atoll updates the cell load parameters. For each cell whose transmitter has smart antenna
equipment assigned, Atoll updates the geometrical distribution of power transmitted using the smart antenna in the downlink
for each timeslot, which has to be updated for each user. Atoll also saves the geometrical distribution of uplink loads calcu-
lated using the smart antenna in the uplink.
Atoll then carries out congestion and radio resource control, verifying the UL load, the total transmitted power, the number
of resource units, and OVSF codes consumed considering the services which require several timeslots.
At this point, the users can be either connected or rejected. They are rejected if:
The signal quality is not sufficient:
On the downlink, the P-CCPCH RSCP is not high enough: status is "P-CCPCH RSCP < Min. P-CCPCH RSCP"
On the downlink, the power required to reach the user is greater than the maximum allowed: the status is "Ptch >
Max Ptch"
On the uplink, there is not enough power to transmit: the status is "Pmob > Max Pmob"
Even if constraints above are respected, the network (cell and timeslot) can be saturated:
The maximum uplink load factor is exceeded (at admission or congestion): the status is either "Admission Rejec-
tion" or "UL Load Saturation"
There are not enough resource units in the cell: the status is "RU Saturation"
There is not enough power for cells: the status is "DL Load Saturation"
In the HSDPA part, Atoll processes all HSDPA bearer users. The HSDPA part of the algorithm simulates fast link adaptation, the
scheduling of HSDPA users, and radio resource control on downlink. Two fast link adaptations are done, one before mobile
scheduling and one after.
HSDPA bearer selection is based on look-up tables available in the HSDPA Bearer Selection tab of the reception equipment
properties. The HSDPA and HS-SCCH powers of a cell are evaluated before calculating HS-PDSCH EcNt. The HSDPA power (the
power dedicated to HS-SCCH and HS-PDSCH of HSDPA bearer users) of a cell can be either fixed (statically allocated) or dynam-
ically allocated. If it is dynamically allocated, the power allocated to HSDPA depends on how much power is required to serve
R99 traffic. In other words, the power available after all common channels and all R99 traffic have been served is allocated to
HS-PDSCH and HS-SCCH of HSDPA bearer users. Similarly, the power per HS-SCCH can be either fixed or dynamically allocated
in order to attain the HS-SCCH EcNt threshold. Using the HS-SCCH and HSDPA powers, Atoll evaluates the HS-PDSCH power
(the difference between the HSDPA power and the HS-SCCH power), calculates the HS-PDSCH EcNt and, from that, the HSDPA
bearer defined for the terminal reception equipment and the user mobility).
Similarly, the terminal power per HS-SICH in the uplink can be either fixed or dynamically allocated in order to attain the
HS-SICH EcNt threshold. Before mobile scheduling, each user is processed as if he is the only user in the cell. This means that
Atoll determines the HSDPA bearer for each HSDPA user by considering the entire HSDPA power available of the cell.
During scheduling, cell radio resources are shared between HSDPA users by the scheduler. The scheduler simultaneously
manages the maximum number of users within each cell and ranks them according to the selected scheduling technique:
Max C/I: "n" HSDPA users (where "n" corresponds to the maximum number of HSDPA users defined) are scheduled
in the same order as in the simulation (i.e., in random order). Then, they are sorted in descending order by the
HS-PDSCH EcNt.
Round Robin: HSDPA users are scheduled in the same order as in the simulation (i.e., in random order).
Proportional Fair: "n" HSDPA users (where "n" corresponds to the maximum number of HSDPA users defined) are
scheduled in the same order as in the simulation (i.e., in random order). Then, they are sorted in descending order
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according to a random parameter which corresponds to a combination of the user rank in the simulation and the
HS-PDSCH EcNt.
After mobile scheduling, Atoll carries out a second fast link adaptation. HSDPA users are processed in the order defined by
the scheduler and the cells HSDPA power is shared among them.
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P-CCPCH power [TS0] (dBm): The P-CCPCH power as defined in the cell properties.
DwPCH power [DwPTS] (dBm): The DwPCH power as defined in the cell properties.
Other CCH power [DL Traffic TS] (dBm): The power of other common channels per timeslot.
DL load (% Pmax): The percentage of the maximum power used is determined by the ratio of the total transmitted
power and the maximum power (powers stated in W). When the constraint "DL load" is set, the DL Load cannot
PTimeslot
Used Used
exceed the user-defined maximum DL load. P Cell =
i
i DL
DL traffic power (dBm): The DL traffic power is the power transmitted by the cell on a downlink traffic timeslot.
UL load factor (%): The uplink load factor for uplink timeslots. This factor corresponds to the ratio between the
UL Load UL Load
uplink total interference and the uplink total noise. F Cell = Avg F Timeslot
i
i UL
UL noise rise (dB): The uplink noise rise is calculated from the uplink load factor. It indicates the signal degradation
due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
DL load factor (%): The downlink load factor for downlink timeslots. This factor corresponds to the ratio between
DL Load DL Load
the downlink total interference and the downlink total noise. F Cell = Avg F Timeslot
i
i DL
DL noise rise (dB): The downlink noise rise is calculated from the downlink load factor. It indicates the signal deg-
radation due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
Number of DL radio links: The number of downlink radio links corresponds to the number of user-transmitter links
on the same carrier (i.e., the sum of the number of connected mobiles and the number of inactive mobiles). This
data indicates the number of users connected to the cell on the downlink.
Number of UL radio links: The number of uplink radio links corresponds to the number of user-transmitter links
on the same carrier (i.e., the sum of the number of connected mobiles and the number of inactive mobiles). This
data indicates the number of users connected to the cell on the uplink.
Connection success rate (%): The connection success rate gives the ratio of connected users to the total number
of users in the cell.
UL total requested throughput (kbps): The sum of all the uplink throughputs requested by the mobiles attempting
to connect to a carrier.
DL total requested rhroughput (kbps): The sum of all the downlink throughputs requested by mobiles attempting
to connect to a carrier.
UL total obtained throughput (kbps): The traffic carried by the cell in terms of throughput in the uplink.
DL total obtained throughput (kbps): The traffic carried by the cell in terms of throughput in the downlink.
Required UL resource units: The number of resource units required to carry the traffic demand in the uplink.
UL resource units: The number of resource units used in the cell in the uplink.
Required DL resource units: The number of resource units required to carry the traffic demand in the downlink.
DL resource units: The number of resource units used in the cell in the downlink.
Connection success rate (%) for each service: For each service, the connection success rate gives the ratio of con-
nected users to the total number of users of that service in the cell.
The Timeslots tab: The Timeslots tab contains the following information, per site, transmitter, carrier, and timeslot:
Gain (dBi): The gain as defined in the antenna properties for that transmitter.
Reception loss (dB): The reception loss as defined in the transmitter properties.
Transmission loss (dB): The transmission loss as defined in the transmitter properties.
Noise figure (dB): The noise figure as defined in the transmitter properties.
Max power [Traffic TS] (dBm): The maximum power per traffic timeslot as defined in the cell properties.
P-CCPCH power [TS0] (dBm): The P-CCPCH power as defined in the cell properties.
Resource units: The number of resource units on a timeslot for carrying traffic. Each timeslot can have a maximum
of 16 resource units.
Other CCH power (dBm): The power of other common channels per timeslot.
DL traffic power (dBm): The DL traffic power is the power transmitted by the cell on a downlink traffic timeslot.
Available HS-PDSCH power (dBm): The available HS-PDSCH power as defined in the timeslot properties. This is
the power available for the HS-PDSCH of HSDPA users. The value is either defined when the HS-PDSCH power is
allocated statically, or determined by a simulation when the option HS-PDSCH dynamic power allocation is
selected.
Transmitted HSDPA power (dBm): The power transmitted by the cell to serve users connected to HSDPA radio
bearers. If HSDPA power is allocated statically, the transmitted HSDPA power is equal to the available HSDPA
power. If HSDPA power is allocated dynamically, the transmitted HSDPA power is the remaining power after allo-
cation of power to the users connected to R99 radio bearers, and the power headroom.
Angular distribution of UL and DL loads: The angular distribution of downlink transmitted power and uplink loads
computed for cells whose transmitters have smart antenna equipment. This field contains binary data if you are
using a third-party smart antenna model.
Max DL load (% Pmax): The maximum percentage of downlink power that a cell can use. It is defined either in the
cell properties or in the simulation creation dialog box.
DL load (% Pmax): The percentage of the maximum power used is determined by the ratio of the total transmitted
power and the maximum power (powers stated in W). When the constraint "DL Load" is set, the DL Load cannot
exceed the user-defined Max DL Load.
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Max UL load factor (%): The maximum uplink load factor not to be exceeded. This limit is taken into account during
the simulation if the option UL Load is selected. If the UL load option is not selected during a simulation, this value
is not taken into consideration.
UL load factor (%): The uplink load factor for uplink timeslots. This factor corresponds to the ratio between the
uplink total interference and the uplink total noise.
UL noise rise (dB): The uplink noise rise is calculated from the uplink load factor. It indicates the signal degradation
due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
DL load factor (%): The downlink load factor for downlink timeslots. This factor corresponds to the ratio between
the downlink total interference and the downlink total noise.
DL noise rise (dB): The downlink noise rise is calculated from the downlink load factor. It indicates the signal deg-
radation due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
The Mobiles tab: The Mobiles tab contains the following information:
Name: The name of the mobile as assigned during the random user generation.
X and Y: The coordinates of users who attempt to connect (the geographic position is determined by the second
random trial).
Service: The service assigned during the first random trial, during the generation of the user distribution.
Terminal: The assigned terminal. Atoll uses the assigned service and activity status to determine the terminal and
the user profile.
User profile: The assigned user profile. Atoll uses the assigned service and activity status to determine the ter-
minal and the user profile.
Mobility: The mobility type assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distribution.
DL activity status: The activity status on the downlink assigned during the first random trial, during the generation
of the user distribution.
UL activity status: The activity status on the uplink assigned during the first random trial, during the generation of
the user distribution.
Indoor: This field indicates whether indoor losses have been added or not.
Connection status: The connection status indicates whether the user is connected or rejected at the end of the
simulation. If connected, the connection status corresponds to the activity status. If rejected, the rejection cause
is given.
HSDPA connection status: The connection status indicates whether the user is connected to an HSDPA radio
bearer, delayed, or rejected at the end of the simulation.
Best server: The users best server.
P-CCPCH RSCP: The received signal code power on the P-CCPCH pilot channel.
UL total requested throughput (kbps): For an R99 user, the uplink total requested throughput corresponds to the
uplink peak throughput of the R99 bearer associated to the service. For an HSDPA user, the uplink total requested
throughput corresponds to the peak throughput of ADPCH-UL64 R99 bearer.
DL total requested throughput (kbps): For an R99 user, the downlink total requested throughput corresponds to
the downlink peak throughput of the R99 bearer associated to the service. For an HSDPA user, the downlink total
requested throughput is the sum of the ADPCH-UL64 radio bearer peak throughput and the peak RLC throughput
that the selected HSDPA radio bearer can provide.
UL total obtained throughput (kbps): For an R99 user, the total obtained throughput is the same as the total
requested throughput if he is connected. If the user was rejected, the total obtained throughput is zero.
For an HSDPA user connected to an HSDPA bearer, the uplink total obtained throughput equals the total request-
ed throughput. If the HSDPA user is delayed (he is only connected to an R99 radio bearer), the uplink total ob-
tained throughput corresponds to the uplink peak throughput of ADPCH-UL64 radio bearer. Finally, if the HSDPA
user is rejected either in the R99 part or in the HSDPA part (because the HSDPA scheduler is saturated), the uplink
total obtained throughput is zero.
DL total obtained throughput (kbps): For an R99 user, the total obtained throughput is the same as the total
requested throughput if he is connected. If the user was rejected, the total obtained throughput is zero.
For an HSDPA user connected to an HSDPA bearer, the downlink total obtained throughput corresponds to the
instantaneous throughput; this is the sum of the ADPCH-UL64 radio bearer peak throughput and the peak RLC
throughput provided by the selected HSDPA radio bearer after scheduling and radio resource control. If the HSDPA
user is delayed (he is only connected to an R99 radio bearer), the downlink total obtained throughput corresponds
to the downlink peak throughput of ADPCH-UL64 radio bearer. Finally, if the HSDPA user is rejected either in the
R99 part or in the HSDPA part (because the HSDPA scheduler is saturated), the downlink total obtained throughput
is zero.
1st, 2nd, 3rd DL TS rank (carrier): A mobile can have at most three timeslots allocated for traffic. These timeslots
can be located on different carriers (cells) of the same transmitter. These columns list the numbers of the 1st, 2nd,
and 3rd timeslot assigned to a user, and the carrier number on which the timeslots are located. For example, if a
user is assigned two downlink timeslots, 4 and 6, on the carriers 0 and 2, the 1st DL TS Rank (Carrier) will be "4 (0)"
and 2nd DL TS Rank (Carrier) will be "6 (2)".
1st, 2nd, 3rd UL TS rank (carrier): A mobile can have at most three timeslots allocated for traffic. These timeslots
can be located on different carriers (cells) of the same transmitter. These columns list the numbers of the 1st, 2nd,
and 3rd timeslot assigned to a user, and the carrier number on which the timeslots are located. For example, if a
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user is assigned two uplink timeslots, 2 and 3, on the carriers 0 and 2, the 1st UL TS Rank (Carrier) will be "2 (0)"
and 2nd UL TS Rank (Carrier) will be "3 (2)".
1st, 2nd, 3rd TS mobile total power (UL) (dBm): The total mobile power corresponds to the total power trans-
mitted by the terminal on the uplink and on the timeslots assigned to the mobile.
1st, 2nd, 3rd TS cell total power (DL) (dBm): The cell traffic power corresponds to the power transmitted by the
cell on the downlink for a mobile on the timeslots assigned to the mobile.
The following columns only appear if, when creating the simulation as explained in "Creating Simulations" on
page 265, you select "Detailed information about mobiles" under Information to retain:
1st, 2nd, 3rd TS extra interference of UL mobiles (DL) (dBm): The interference received on downlink timeslots
from mobiles transmitting in the uplink. This interference is calculated if you select the Calculate Interference
Between Mobiles option when creating the simulation.
1st, 2nd, 3rd TS required HSDPA power (dBm): This is the HSDPA power required to provide the HSDPA bearer
user with the downlink requested throughput.
1st, 2nd, 3rd TS obtained HSDPA power (dBm): This is the HSDPA power required to provide the HSDPA bearer
user with the downlink obtained throughput.
1st, 2nd, 3rd HSDPA TS rank (carrier): These columns list the numbers of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd timeslot assigned
to an HSDPA user, and the carrier number on which the timeslots are located.
Requested HSDPA bearer index: The HSDPA bearer requested by an HSDPA user.
Obtained HSDPA bearer index: The HSDPA bearer assigned to an HSDPA user by the DCA and resource allocation
algorithm.
Clutter: The clutter class on which the mobile is located.
DL and UL orthogonality factor: The orthogonality factor used in the simulation. The orthogonality factor is the
remaining orthogonality of the OVSF codes at reception. The value used is the orthogonality factor set in the
clutter classes.
Spreading angle (): The spreading angle used in the simulation. The value used is the spreading angle set in the
clutter classes.
The Mobiles (Shadowing Values) tab: The Mobiles (Shadowing Values) tab contains information on the shadowing
margin for each link between the receiver and up to ten closest potential transmitters:
The Mobiles (Shadowing Values) tab only appears if, when creating the simulation as
explained in "Creating Simulations" on page 265, you select "Detailed information about
mobiles" under Information to retain.
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PTimeslot
Used Used
exceed the user-defined maximum DL load. P Cell =
i
i DL
DL traffic power (dBm): The DL traffic power is the power transmitted by the cell on a downlink traffic timeslot.
UL load factor (%): The uplink load factor for uplink timeslots. This factor corresponds to the ratio between the
UL Load UL Load
uplink total interference and the uplink total noise. F Cell = Avg F Timeslot
i
i UL
UL noise rise (dB): The uplink noise rise is calculated from the uplink load factor. It indicates the signal degradation
due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
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DL load factor (%): The downlink load factor for downlink timeslots. This factor corresponds to the ratio between
DL Load DL Load
the downlink total interference and the downlink total noise. F Cell = Avg F Timeslot
i
i DL
DL noise rise (dB): The downlink noise rise is calculated from the downlink load factor. It indicates the signal deg-
radation due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
Number of DL radio links: The number of downlink radio links corresponds to the number of user-transmitter links
on the same carrier (i.e., the sum of the number of connected mobiles and the number of inactive mobiles). This
data indicates the number of users connected to the cell on the downlink.
Number of UL radio links: The number of uplink radio links corresponds to the number of user-transmitter links
on the same carrier (i.e., the sum of the number of connected mobiles and the number of inactive mobiles). This
data indicates the number of users connected to the cell on the uplink.
Connection success rate (%): The connection success rate gives the ratio of connected users to the total number
of users in the cell.
UL total requested throughput (kbps): The sum of all the uplink throughputs requested by the mobiles attempting
to connect to a carrier.
DL total requested rhroughput (kbps): The sum of all the downlink throughputs requested by mobiles attempting
to connect to a carrier.
UL total obtained throughput (kbps): The traffic carried by the cell in terms of throughput in the uplink.
DL total obtained throughput (kbps): The traffic carried by the cell in terms of throughput in the downlink.
Required UL resource units: The number of resource units required to carry the traffic demand in the uplink.
UL resource units: The number of resource units used in the cell in the uplink.
Required DL resource units: The number of resource units required to carry the traffic demand in the downlink.
DL resource units: The number of resource units used in the cell in the downlink.
Connection success rate (%) for each service: For each service, the connection success rate gives the ratio of con-
nected users to the total number of users of that service in the cell.
The Timeslots tab: The Timeslots tab contains the following information, per site, transmitter, carrier, and timeslot:
Gain (dBi): The gain as defined in the antenna properties for that transmitter.
Reception loss (dB): The reception loss as defined in the transmitter properties.
Transmission loss (dB): The transmission loss as defined in the transmitter properties.
Noise figure (dB): The noise figure as defined in the transmitter properties.
Max power [Traffic TS] (dBm): The maximum power per traffic timeslot as defined in the cell properties.
P-CCPCH power [TS0] (dBm): The P-CCPCH power as defined in the cell properties.
Resource units: The number of resource units on a timeslot for carrying traffic. Each timeslot can have a maximum
of 16 resource units.
Other CCH power (dBm): The power of other common channels per timeslot.
DL traffic power (dBm): The DL traffic power is the power transmitted by the cell on a downlink traffic timeslot.
Available HS-PDSCH power (dBm): The available HS-PDSCH power as defined in the timeslot properties. This is
the power available for the HS-PDSCH of HSDPA users. The value is either defined when the HS-PDSCH power is
allocated statically, or determined by a simulation when the option HS-PDSCH dynamic power allocation is
selected.
Transmitted HSDPA power (dBm): The power transmitted by the cell to serve users connected to HSDPA radio
bearers. If HSDPA power is allocated statically, the transmitted HSDPA power is equal to the available HSDPA
power. If HSDPA power is allocated dynamically, the transmitted HSDPA power is the remaining power after allo-
cation of power to the users connected to R99 radio bearers, and the power headroom.
Angular distribution of UL and DL loads: The angular distribution of downlink transmitted power and uplink loads
computed for cells whose transmitters have smart antenna equipment. This field contains binary data if you are
using a third-party smart antenna model.
Max DL load (% Pmax): The maximum percentage of downlink power that a cell can use. It is defined either in the
cell properties or in the simulation creation dialog box.
DL load (% Pmax): The percentage of the maximum power used is determined by the ratio of the total transmitted
power and the maximum power (powers stated in W). When the constraint "DL Load" is set, the DL Load cannot
exceed the user-defined Max DL Load.
Max UL load factor (%): The maximum uplink load factor not to be exceeded. This limit is taken into account during
the simulation if the option UL Load is selected. If the UL load option is not selected during a simulation, this value
is not taken into consideration.
UL load factor (%): The uplink load factor for uplink timeslots. This factor corresponds to the ratio between the
uplink total interference and the uplink total noise.
UL noise rise (dB): The uplink noise rise is calculated from the uplink load factor. It indicates the signal degradation
due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
DL load factor (%): The downlink load factor for downlink timeslots. This factor corresponds to the ratio between
the downlink total interference and the downlink total noise.
DL noise rise (dB): The downlink noise rise is calculated from the downlink load factor. It indicates the signal deg-
radation due to cell load (interference margin in the link budget).
The Initial Conditions tab: The Initial Conditions tab contains the following information:
The global transmitter parameters:
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If you are importing more than one file, you can select contiguous files by clicking the first
file you want to import, pressing Shift and clicking the last file you want to import. You can
select non-contiguous files by pressing Ctrl and clicking each file you want to import.
Files with the extension PLN, as well as some FMT files (created with previous versions of
TEMS) are imported directly into Atoll; you will not be asked to define the data structure
using the Import of Measurement Files dialog box.
6. If you already have an import configuration defining the data structure of the imported file or files, you can select it
from the Import configuration list on the Setup tab of the Import of Measurement Files dialog box. If you do not have
an import configuration, continue with step 7.
a. Under Import configuration, select an import configuration from the Import configuration list.
b. Continue with step 9.
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When importing a drive test data path file, existing configurations are available in
the Files of type list of the Open dialog box, sorted according to their date of cre-
ation. After you have selected a file and clicked Open, Atoll automatically proposes
a configuration, if it recognises the extension. If several configurations are associ-
ated with an extension, Atoll chooses the first configuration in the list.
The defined configurations are stored, by default, in the file "NumMeasINIFile.ini",
located in the directory where Atoll is installed. For more information on the Num-
MeasINIFile.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
7. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can set the following parameters:
Name: By default, Atoll names the new drive test data path after the imported file. You can change this name if
desired.
Under Receiver, set the Height of the receiver antenna and the Gain and Losses.
Under Measurement conditions,
Units: Select the measurement units used.
Coordinates: By default, Atoll imports the coordinates using the display system of the Atoll document. If the
coordinates used in the file you are importing are different than the coordinates used in the Atoll document,
you must click the Browse button and select the coordinate system used in the drive test data file. Atoll will
then convert the data imported to the coordinate system used in the Atoll document.
8. Click the Setup tab (see Figure 10.21).
Figure 10.21: The Setup tab of the Import of Measurement Files dialog box
a. Under File, enter the number of the 1st measurement row, select the data Separator, and select the Decimal sym-
bol used in the file.
b. Click the Setup button to link file columns and internal Atoll fields. The Drive Test Data Setup dialog box appears.
c. Under Measurement point position, select the columns in the imported file that give the X-Coordinates and the
Y-Coordinates of each point in the drive test data file.
You can also identify the columns containing the XY coordinates of each point in the drive
test data file by selecting them from the Field row of the table on the Setup tab.
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If you have correctly entered the information under File on the Setup tab, and the
necessary values in the Drive Test Data Setup dialog box, Atoll should recognise all
columns in the imported file. If not, you can click the name of the column in the
table in the Field row and select the column name. For each field, you must ensure
that each column has the correct data type in order for the data to be correctly
interpreted. The default value under Type is "<Ignore>". If a column is marked with
"<Ignore>", it will not be imported.
The data in the file must be structured so that the columns identifying the scram-
bling code group and the scrambling code are placed before the data columns for
each cell. Otherwise Atoll will not be able to properly import the file.
If you want to save the definition of the data structure so that you can use it again, you can save it as an import config-
uration:
a. On the Setup tab, under Import configuration, click Save. The Configuration dialog box appears.
b. By default, Atoll saves the configuration in a file called "NumMeasINIfile.ini" found in Atolls installation folder. If
you cannot write into that folder, you can click the Browse button to choose a different location.
c. Enter a Configuration name and an Extension of the files that this import configuration will describe (for example,
"*.csv").
d. Click OK.
Atoll will now select this import configuration automatically every time you import a drive test data path file with
the selected extension. If you import a file with the same structure but a different extension, you will be able to
select this import configuration from the Import configuration list.
You do not have to complete the import procedure to save the import configura-
tion and have it available for future use.
When importing a measurement file, you can expand the NumMeasINIfile.ini file
by clicking the Expand button ( ) in front of the file under Import configuration
to display all the available import configurations. When selecting the appropriate
configuration, the associations are automatically made in the table at the bottom
of the dialog box.
You can delete an existing import configuration by selecting the import configura-
tion under Import configuration and clicking the Delete button.
9. Click Import, if you are only importing a single file, or Import All, if you are importing more than one file. The drive
test data is imported into the current Atoll document.
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3. Select the display check box beside the drive test data you want to display in the map window. The drive test data is
displayed.
4. Click and hold the drive test data point on which you want active set information. Atoll displays an arrow pointing
towards the serving cells (see Figure 10.25 on page 820), with a number identifying the server as numbered in the
drive test data. If the transmitter display type is "Automatic," both the number and the arrow are displayed in the
same colour as the transmitter. For information on changing the display type to "Automatic," see "Setting the Display
Type" on page 52.
Fast display forces Atoll to use the lightest symbol to display the points. This is
useful when you have a very large number of points.
You can not use Advanced if the Fast display check box has been selected.
You can sort drive test data paths in alphabetical order in the Network explorer by
right-clicking the drive test data path and selecting Sort Alphabetically from the
context menu.
You can save the display settings (such as colours and symbols) of a drive test data
path in a user configuration file to make them available for use on another drive
test data path. To save or load the user configuration file, click the Actions button
on the Display tab of the path properties dialog box and select Save or Load from
the Display Configuration submenu.
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You can apply a filter on all the drive test data paths in the Drive Test Data folder
by selecting Filter from the context menu of the folder.
If you want to use the measurement points that you permanently deleted, you will
have to import the drive test data path again.
You can update heights (of the DTM, and clutter heights) and the clutter class of drive test
data points after adding new geographic maps or modifying existing ones by selecting
Refresh Geo Data from the context menu of the Drive Test Data Paths folder.
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The errors between measured and predicted signal levels can be calculated and added to the drive test data table.
6. If you want to calculate errors between measured and predicted signal levels, under Select signal levels for error cal-
culations, select the names of the columns representing measured signal level values in the drive test data table for
which you want to calculate the errors (see Figure 10.23). If you do not want to add this information to the drive test
data table, continue with step 7.
Figure 10.23: Selecting Measured Signal Levels for which Errors will be Calculated
7. Click OK. A new point prediction is created for the selected drive test data path.
8. Right-click the drive test data path. The context menu appears.
9. Select Calculations > Calculate All the Predictions from the context menu.
If you chose to have Atoll calculate the errors between measured and predicted signal levels, new columns are added to the
drive test data table for the predicted point signal level from the serving cell and the errors between the measured and
predicted values.
Figure 10.24: Drive Test Data Table after Point Signal Level Prediction (with Error Calculations)
New columns are also added for the predicted point signal level from each neighbour cell and the errors between the
predicted and measured values. The values stored in these columns can be displayed in the Drive Test Data analysis tool. For
more information on the Drive Test Data analysis tool, see "Analysing Data Variations Along the Path" on page 819.
The propagation model used to calculate the predicted point signal levels is the one assigned to the transmitter for the main
matrix. For more information on propagation models, see Chapter 4: Radio Calculations and Models.
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10.4.4.4 Extracting a Field From a Drive Test Data Path for a Transmitter
You can extract a specific field for a specific transmitter on each point of an existing drive test data path. The extracted infor-
mation will be added to a new column in the table for the drive test data.
To extract a field from a drive test data path:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Drive Test Data folder.
3. Right-click the drive test data from which you want to extract a field. The context menu appears.
4. Select Focus on a Transmitter from the context menu. The Field Selection for a Given Transmitter dialog box appears.
5. Under On the transmitter, select the transmitter for which you wish to extract a field.
6. Under For the fields, select the fields that you wish to extract for the selected transmitter.
7. Click OK. Atoll creates a new column in the drive test data path table for the selected transmitter and with the selected
values.
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To analyse data variations using the Drive Test Data analysis tool.
1. Select Tools > Drive Test Data from the menu bar. The Drive Test Data analysis tool appears (see Figure 10.25).
2. In the Drive Test Data analysis tool, click the Display button. The Display Parameters dialog box appears (see Figure
10.26).
You can change the display status or the colour of more than one field at the same time by
selecting several fields. You can select contiguous fields by clicking the first field, pressing
Shift and clicking the last field. You can select non-contiguous fields by pressing Ctrl and
clicking each field. You can then change the display status or the colour by right-clicking on
the selected fields and selecting the choice from the context menu.
The selected fields are displayed in the Drive Test Data analysis tool.
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4. You can display the data in the drive test data path in the following ways:
Click the values in the Drive Test Data analysis tool.
Click the points on the drive test data path in the map window.
5. The drive test data path appears in the map window as an arrow pointing towards the serving cell, with a number iden-
tifying the best server (see Figure 10.25 on page 820). If the transmitter display type is "Automatic," both the number
and the arrow are displayed in the same colour as the transmitter. For information on changing the display type to
"Automatic," see "Setting the Display Type" on page 52.
6. You can display a secondary Y-axis on the right side of the window in order to display the values of a variable with
different orders of magnitude than the ones selected in the Display Parameters dialog box. You select the value to be
displayed from the right-hand list at the top of the Drive Test Data analysis tool. The values are displayed in the colour
defined in the Display Parameters dialog box.
7. You can zoom in on the graph displayed in the Drive Test Data analysis tool in the following ways:
Zoom in or out:
i. Right-click the Drive Test Data analysis tool. The context menu appears.
ii. Select Zoom In or Zoom Out from the context menu.
Select the data to zoom in on:
i. Right-click the Drive Test Data analysis tool on one end of the range of data you want to zoom in on. The con-
text menu appears.
ii. Select First Zoom Point from the context menu.
iii. Right-click the Drive Test Data analysis tool on the other end of the range of data you want to zoom in on. The
context menu appears.
iv. Select Last Zoom Point from the context menu. The Drive Test Data analysis tool zooms in on the data be-
tween the first zoom point and the last zoom point.
8. Click the data in the Drive Test Data analysis tool to display the selected point in the map window. Atoll will centre
the map window on the selected point if it is not presently visible.
If you open the table for the drive test data you are displaying in the Drive Test Data
analysis tool, Atoll will automatically display in the table the data for the point that is
displayed in the map and in the Drive Test Data analysis tool (see Figure 10.25 on
page 820).
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10.4.7 Printing and Exporting the Drive Test Data Analysis Tool
You can print and export the contents of the Drive Test Data analysis tool.
To print or export the contents of the Drive Test Data analysis tool:
1. Select Tools > Drive Test Data from the menu bar. The Drive Test Data analysis tool appears (see Figure 10.25 on
page 820).
2. Define the display parameters and zoom level as explained in "Analysing Data Variations Along the Path" on page 819.
3. Right-click the Drive Test Data analysis tool. The context menu appears.
To print the Drive Test Data analysis tool, select Print from the context menu.
To export the Drive Test Data window, select Copy from the context menu, then paste.
Before starting a co-planning project in Atoll, the Atoll administrator must perform the
pre-requisite tasks that are relevant for your project as described in the Administrator
Manual.
Sectors of both networks can share the same sites database. You can display base stations (sites and sectors), geographic data,
and coverage predictions, etc., of one network in the other networks Atoll document. You can also study inter-technology
handovers by performing inter-technology neighbour allocations, manually or automatically. Inter-technology neighbours are
allocated on criteria such as the distance between sectors or overlapping coverage.
In this section, the following are explained:
"Switching to Co-planning Mode" on page 822.
"Working with Coverage Predictions in a Co-Planning Project" on page 824.
"Creating a TD-SCDMA Sector From a Sector in the Other Network" on page 827.
"Planning Neighbours in Co-planning Mode" on page 828.
"Ending Co-planning Mode" on page 829.
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Before starting a co-planning project, make sure that your main and linked documents
have the same geographic coordinate systems.
By default, only the Transmitters and Predictions folders of the linked document appear
in the main document. If you want the Sites folder of the linked document to appear in the
main document as well, you can set an option in the Atoll.ini file. For information on setting
options in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
As soon as a link is created between the two documents, Atoll switches to co-planning mode and Atolls co-planning features
are now available.
When you are working on a co-planning document, Atoll facilitates working on two different but linked documents by
synchronising the display in the map window between both documents. Atoll synchronises the display for the following:
Geographic data: Atoll synchronises the display of geographic data such as clutter classes and the DTM. If you select
or deselect one type of geographic data, Atoll makes the corresponding change in the linked document.
Zones: Atoll synchronises the display of filtering, focus, computation, hot spot, printing, and geographic export zones.
If you select or deselect one type of zone, Atoll makes the corresponding change in the linked document.
Map display: Atoll co-ordinates the display of the map in the map window. When you move the map, or change the
zoom level in one document, Atoll makes the corresponding changes in the linked document.
Point analysis: When you use the Point Analysis tool, Atoll co-ordinates the display on both the working document
and the linked document. You can select a point and view the profile in the main document and then switch to the
linked document to make an analysis on the same profile but in the linked document.
After you have switched to co-planning mode as explained in "Switching to Co-planning Mode" on page 822, transmitters and
predictions from the linked document are displayed in the main document. If you want, you can display other items or folders
from the explorer window of the linked document to the explorer window of the main document (e.g., you can display GSM
sites and measurement paths in a TD-SCDMA document).
To display sites from the linked document in the main document:
1. Click the linked documents map window. The linked documents map window becomes active and the explorer
window shows the contents of the linked document.
2. Select the Network explorer.
3. Right-click the Sites folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Make Accessible In from the context menu, and select the name of the main document from the submenu that
opens.
The Sites folder of the linked document is now available in the main document. The explorer window of the main document
now contains a folder named Sites in [linked document], where [linked document] is the name of the linked document. If you
want the Sites folder of the linked document to appear in the main document automatically, you can set an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For information on setting options in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
The same process can be used to link other folders in one document, folders such as CW Measurements, Drive Test Data,
Clutter Classes, Traffic, and Digital Terrain Model, etc., in the other document.
Once the folders are linked, you can access their properties and the properties of the items in the folders from either of the
two documents. Any changes you make in the linked document are taken into account in the both the linked and main docu-
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ments. However, because working document is the main document, any changes made in the main document are not auto-
matically taken into account in the linked document.
If you close the linked document, Atoll displays a warning icon ( ) in the main documents explorer window, and the linked
items are no longer accessible from the main document. You can load the linked document in Atoll again by right-clicking the
linked item in the explorer window of the main document, and selecting Open Linked Document.
The administrator can create and set a configuration file for the display parameters of linked and main document transmitters
in order to enable you to distinguish them on the map and to be able to select them on the map using the mouse. If such a
configuration file has not been set up, you can choose different symbols, sizes and colours for the linked and the main docu-
ment transmitters. For more information on folder configurations, see "Folder Configurations" on page 106. You can also set
the tip text to enable you to distinguish the objects and data displayed on the map. For more information on tip text, see
"Associating a Tip Text to an Object" on page 54.
In order to more easily view differences between the networks, you can also change the order of the folders or items in the
explorer window. For more information on changing the order of items in the explorer window, see "Changing the Order of
Layers" on page 50.
Figure 10.27 shows an example of TD-SCDMA transmitters with labels and displayed in the Legend window, and GSM trans-
mitter data displayed in tip text.
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To prevent Atoll from calculating coverage predictions in the linked Predictions folder, you
can set an option in the Atoll.ini file. For information on setting options in the Atoll.ini file,
see the Administrator Manual.
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6. Calculate the coverage predictions in the main document again to compare the effects of the changes you made with
the linked coverage predictions.
For information on comparing coverage predictions, see "Comparing Coverage Areas by Overlaying Coverage Predic-
tions" on page 826 and "Studying Differences Between Coverage Areas" on page 827.
7. Calculate the linked coverage predictions again to study the effects of the changes on the linked coverage predictions.
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10. Select the visibility check box to the left of the linked coverage prediction you want to display in the map window. The
coverage prediction is dislayed on the map.
11. Right-click the coverage prediction. The context menu appears.
12. Select Properties from the context menu. The coverage prediction Properties dialog box appears.
13. Modify the display parameters of the coverage prediction.
14. Calculate the two coverage predictions again, if needed.
To more easily view differences between the coverage areas, you can also change the order of the Predictions folders in the
explorer window. For more information on changing the order of items in the explorer window, see "Changing the Order of
Layers" on page 50.
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Figure 10.29: New sector Before and after applying the configuration
The azimuths and mechanical tilts of secondary antennas or remote antennas are not
included when you select Update Folder Configuration and have to be set up manually.
Figure 10.30: TD-SCDMA coverage conditions for automatic inter-technology neighbour allocation
Resolution: Enter the resolution to be used to calculate cells coverage areas during automatic neighbour alloca-
tion.
Min pilot signal level: Enter a minimum pilot signal level.
Margin: Enter a handover margin.
DL load contributing to Io: You can select whether Atoll should use a Global value (% Pmax) of the downlink load
for all the cells, or the downlink loads Defined per cell.
Shadowing Taken into Account: If selected, enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
Indoor Coverage: Select this check box to take indoor losses into acccount in calculations. Indoor losses are
defined per frequency per clutter class.
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Co-site neighbours: cells located on the same site as the reference transmitter will automatically be considered as
neighbours. A transmitter/cell with no antenna cannot be considered as a co-site neighbour.
Exceptional pairs: Select this check box to force the neighbour relations defined in the Inter-technology Exceptional
pairs table. For more information, see "Exceptional Pairs" on page 223.
The neighbour relation fulfils the defined coverage Use coverage conditions is selected
Coverage
conditions and nothing is selected under Force
The neighbour is located on the same site as the Use coverage conditions is selected
Co-Site
reference transmitter/cell and Co-site neighbours is selected
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For every pair of carriers that is not defined, Atoll assumes that there is no inter-carrier interference.
d. Press Enter to create the carrier pair and to create a new row.
When you have more than one frequency band, the carriers must be numbered
sequentially, contiguously (i.e., you cannot skip numbers in a range of carriers, and the
range of carriers in one band cannot overlap the range of carriers in another), and
uniquely (i.e., you can only use each number once).
For example: Band 2010: First carrier: 0; Last carrier 1 and Band 900: First carrier: 2; Last
carrier: 2
7. When you have finished adding frequency bands, click the Close button ( ).
You can also access the properties dialog box of each individual frequency band by double-clicking the left margin of the row
with the frequency band.
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The processing gain is the ratio between the chip rate transmitted on the air interface and
the throughput of a service.
W
G P = Processing Gain = -----
R
Where W is the chip rate for TD-SCDMA, and R is the throughput per timeslot of the
service.
TS
The chip rate is calculated from the number of data chips per timeslot ( N Data Chips ) and the
subframe duration ( D Subframe ):
TS
N Data Chips 704
W = -------------------------- = --------------- = 140800 bps
D Subframe 0,005
If the downlink and uplink throughputs of a service are 384 kbps and 64 kbps respectively,
the service throughputs per timeslot can be calculated by dividing by the number of times-
lots (here, 3 in downlink and 1 in uplink):
DL 384000 UL 64000
R = -------------------- = 128000 bps and R = ---------------- = 64000 bps
3 1
Spreading factor: Under Spreading factor, you have the minimum and maximum spreading factors allowed in
TD-SCDMA:
Min: The lowest spreading factor that can be used (1).
Max: The highest spreading factor that can be used (16).
Interference: Under Interference, you can define the parameter used to calculate interference on the downlink.
Nt: You can select "Total noise" and Atoll will calculate Nt as the noise generated by all transmitters plus thermal
noise, or you can select "Without useful signal" and Atoll will calculate Nt as the total noise less the signal of the
studied cell.
HSDPA: Under HSDPA, you can define how total noise is calculated for HSDPA.
Nt: You can select "Total noise" and Atoll will calculate Nt as the noise generated by all transmitters plus thermal
noise or you can select "Without useful signal" and Atoll will calculate Nt as the total noise less the signal of the
studied cell.
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A minimum P-CCPCH RSCP threshold can be defined at the cell level (in the cell Properties
dialog box or in the Cells table). If defined, a cell-specific minimum P-CCPCH RSCP thresh-
old will be used instead of the value entered here.
Height: The receiver height at which the path loss matrices and coverage predictions are calculated. Calculations
made on mobile users (from traffic maps) in Monte Carlo simulations are also carried out at this receiver height.
Default max range: The maximum coverage range of transmitters in the network.
Each transmitter in a TDD network has a maximum coverage range. This maximum system range is defined by the
distance after which the uplink and downlink signals can interfere with each other. The default value for the maximum
system range is 11250 m, which is the distance corresponding to the duration of the guard period in the pilot timeslot.
The maximum system range can be calculated as follows:
Each subframe of 5 ms duration contains 1 pilot timeslot and 7 downlink or uplink timeslots. The pilot timeslot is
divided into a downlink pilot timeslot (DwPTS), a guard period (GP), and uplink pilot timeslot (UpPTS). The lengths of
DwPTS, GP, and UpPTS are 96, 96, and 160 chips, respectively. Each of the other 7 timeslots contains 704 data chips,
144 midamble chips, and 16 guard period chips. All in all, a 5 ms subframe contains 6400 chips. The duration of the
guard period of the pilot can be calculated as:
0,005
D GP = --------------- 96 = 75 s
6400
The maximum system range is half the distance that the RF signal can travel in DGP:
8
75 s 3 10 m/s
R System = ----------------------------------------------------- = 11250 m
2
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3. Select Properties from the context menu. The Properties dialog box appears.
4. Select the Global Parameters tab.
In this tab you can set the following parameters: DL powers (Absolute or Relative to pilot), Quality threshold type
(Eb/Nt or C/I), Spreading rate, P-CCPCH processing gain, Spreading factor (Min and Max), Nt in Interference calcula-
tions (Total noise or Without useful signal).
5. Select the Calculation Parameters tab. On this tab you can set the following parameters:
Calculation limitation: In the Calculation limitation section, you can enter the Min interferer reception threshold
and Min P-CCPCH RSCP threshold.
Receiver: In the Receiver section, you can enter the receiver Height.
System: In the System section, select the Default max range check box if you want to apply a maximum system
range limit, and enter the maximum system range in the text box to the right.
For more information on the global network settings, see "TD-SCDMA Network Settings Properties" on page 831.
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Although the number of beams in a GOB is not limited, calculation times with a large
number of beams will be longer.
In Atoll, a grid of beams is a list of antennas. A list of antennas can include any number of antennas listed in the Antennas
folder.
To create an antenna list:
1. Select the Parameters explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Radio Network Equipment folder.
3. Right-click the Antennas folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Antenna List > Open Table from the context menu. The Antenna Lists table appears.
5. Create a new antenna list in the row marked with the New row icon ( ).
6. Click the Properties button. The New Antenna List Properties dialog box appears.
7. Select the antennas from the Antennas column to add to the antenna list in each new row.
8. Click OK.
You can add antennas, or beams, from the antennas folder to an existing grid of beams or antenna list.
To add antennas to an antenna list:
1. Select the Parameters explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Radio Network Equipment folder.
3. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Antennas folder.
4. Right-click the antenna that you want to add to an antenna list. The context menu appears.
5. Select Add the Antenna to a List from the context menu. The Antenna Addition in a List dialog box appears.
6. Select the antenna list to which you want to add the antenna from the Antenna list.
7. Click OK to add the antenna to the list.
You can also add all the antennas in the Antennas folder or a view to an antenna list by selecting Antenna List > Add Antennas
to a List from the folders context menu.
You can import existing antenna lists to be used as grids of beams in Atoll.
To import an antenna list:
1. Select the Parameters explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Radio Network Equipment folder.
3. Right-click the Antennas folder. The context menu appears.
4. Select Antenna List > Import Antennas from a List from the context menu. The Open dialog box appears.
5. Select an Index file to import.
6. Click Open to import the antenna list to Atoll. The Import of antennas from a list dialog box appears.
7. Enter a name for the new antenna list.
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Atoll supports standard, Planet-like antenna list format for export and import. An index file contains the list of files containing
the horizontal antenna patterns and a file containing the vertical antenna pattern.
The horizontal antenna pattern files have the following format:
NAME: Name of the antenna
MAKE: Name of manufacturer
FREQUENCY: Operating frequency (in MHz)
H_WIDTH: Horizontal beamwidth (in degrees)
FRONT_TO_BACK: Front to back gain ratio (in dB)
GAIN: Antenna gain (in dBi)
HORIZONTAL: Horizontal pattern range (in degrees)
DEGREE: Attenuation (this row is repeated for every degree value)
The vertical antenna pattern file has the following format:
NAME: Name of the antenna
V_WIDTH: Vertical beamwidth (in degrees)
VERTICAL: Vertical pattern range (in degrees)
DEGREE: Attenuation (this row is repeated for every degree value)
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You can create smart antenna equipment by defining how many antenna elements the equipment has and assigning it a single
element pattern from the antennas available in the Antennas folder.
During Monte Carlo simulations, smart antenna equipment using this model form a beam towards each served mobile in the
downlink by calculating the complex weights of the steering vector. In the uplink, apart from forming a beam in the direction
of each served mobile, the smart antenna equipment is also capable of cancelling interference by steering nulls (high attenu-
ation points formed by the smart antenna) towards the interferers.
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8. Select Record Properties. The smart antenna properties dialog box appears.
9. On the General tab of this dialog box, you can modify the Name, Smart antenna model, and Comments.
10. Under Smart antenna model, click the Parameters button. A dialog box opens with the parameters specific to the
selected smart antenna model.
If you selected Grid of Beams (GOB) or Adaptive Beam as smart antenna model, this dialog box lets you select the
downlink and uplink beam patterns (from the Antennas Lists table). You can also view the beam patterns.
You can use the combined antenna pattern display to understand any inconsisten-
cies in smart antenna results. If the beams and the main antenna do not have the
same gains, the smart antenna could provide worse results than the main antenna
for traffic timeslots.
If you selected Conventional Beamformer or Optimum Beamformer as the smart antenna model, this lets you
define the number of elements in the smart antenna array and select a single element pattern to be used in down-
link as well as uplink.
If you selected Statistic as smart antenna model, this dialog box lets you define the probability threshold used to
read the CI gain graphs, and the CI gain graphs for different spreading angles.
11. Click OK to close the smart antenna properties dialog box.
12. Click the Close button ( ) to close the Smart Antenna Equipment table.
Properties of external third-party smart antenna models may vary. You can access their
properties from the Smart Antenna Models folder in the Parameters explorer.
You can select whether the TCH thresholds you define are Eb/Nt or C/I thresholds. For
more information, see "Global Network Settings" on page 830.
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Type: Select or modify the service type. There are four classes: Conversational, Streaming, Interactive, and Back-
ground. This field corresponds to the QoS (quality of service) class or traffic class that the bearer will belong to.
Min TCH power (dBm): Enter the minimum downlink traffic channel power. The minimum and maximum traffic
channel power make up the dynamic range for downlink power control.
Max TCH power (dBm): Enter the maximum downlink traffic channel power.
The maximum and minimum traffic channel powers can be either absolute values or values
relative to the pilot power. For more information, see "Global Network Settings" on
page 830.
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You can create a new reception equipment type by right-clicking the Reception Equipment
folder and selecting New from the context menu.
5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can define the Name of the reception equipment.
6. Click the R99 Bearer Selection tab. On the R99 Bearer Selection tab, you can define downlink and uplink EbNt or CI
requirements (in dB) and the TCH thresholds (in dBm). The EbNt, or CI, quality targets are used to determine the
coverage area for the service, and the TCH thresholds must be reached to provide users with the service. These param-
eters depend on the mobility type.
Using Transmission and Reception diversity results in a quality gain on received downlink and uplink EbNt or CI. You
can specify gains on received downlink and uplink EbNt or CI for each diversity configuration. Atoll considers them
when transmission and reception diversity configurations are assigned to transmitters.
R99 bearer: Select an R99 bearer from the list.
Mobility: Select a mobility type from the list.
Uplink TCH Eb/Nt Threshold (dB) or Uplink TCH C/I Threshold (dB): Enter or modify the uplink EbNt or C/I
threshold.
Uplink TCH RSCP Threshold (dBm): Enter or modify the uplink RSCP threshold for the traffic channel.
Uplink 2RX diversity gain (dB): Enter or modify the two-receiver uplink diversity gain in dB.
Uplink 4RX diversity gain (dB): Enter or modify the four-receiver uplink diversity gain in dB.
Downlink TCH Eb/Nt Threshold (dB) or Downlink TCH C/I Threshold (dB): Enter or modify the downlink EbNt or
C/I threshold.
Downlink TCH RSCP Threshold (dBm): Enter or modify the downlink RSCP threshold for the traffic channel.
Downlink open loop diversity gain (dB): Enter or modify the downlink open loop diversity gain in dB.
Downlink closed loop diversity gain (dB): Enter or modify the downlink closed loop diversity gain in dB.
7. Click the HSDPA Bearer Selection tab. On the HSDPA Bearer Selection tab, you can enter the values of the Required
HS-PDSCH Ec/Nt for the Radio bearer index of each HSDPA radio bearer for different Mobility types. If you leave the
Mobility column empty, the same value will be considered valid for all mobility types.
8. Click the HSUPA Bearer Selection tab. On the HSUPA Bearer Selection tab, you can enter the values of the Required
E-PUCH Ec/Nt for the Radio bearer index of each HSDPA radio bearer for different Mobility types. If you leave the
Mobility column empty, the same value will be considered valid for all mobility types.
9. Click OK to close the reception equipment types Properties dialog box.
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Chapter 11
LTE Networks
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11 LTE Networks
LTE (Long Term Evolution) refers to the set of 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) Release 8 and later specifications
that describe the next steps, or evolution, of the existing GERAN (GSM EDGE Radio Access Networks) and UTRAN (UMTS
Terrestrial Radio Access Networks) specifications. The 3GPP LTE specifications describe the building blocks of E-UTRA (Evolved
UTRA) networks.
LTE uses SOFDMA (Scalable Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) and SC-FDMA (Single-Carrier Frequency Division
Multiple Access) technologies in the downlink and the uplink, respectively. The aim of LTE is to provide mobile broadband
wireless access that supports handovers between LTE cells as well as between LTE and UMTS/GSM cells at high user speeds.
The Atoll LTE module enables you to design and optimise LTE broadband wireless access networks. You can use Atoll to
predict radio coverage, manage mobile and fixed subscriber data, and evaluate network capacity. The LTE module also
supports smart antennas, MIMO, carrier aggregation, and coordinated multipoint transmission and reception (CoMP).
With Atoll, you can model fixed and mobile users in LTE environments. The data input corresponding to mobile users and fixed
subscribers is modelled through comprehensive support of mobile user traffic maps and subscriber databases. You can carry
out calculations on fixed subscriber locations as well as base your calculations on mobile user scenarios during Monte Carlo
simulations. You can also perform interference predictions, resource allocation, and other calculations on mobile users.
Atoll uses Monte Carlo simulations to generate realistic network scenarios (snapshots) using a Monte Carlo statistical engine
for scheduling and resource allocation. Realistic user distributions can be generated using different types of traffic maps or
subscriber data. Atoll uses these user distributions as input for the simulations.
You can create coverage predictions to analyse the following and other parameters for LTE channels in downlink and in uplink:
Signal levels
Carrier-to-interference-and-noise ratio
Service areas and radio bearer coverage
Cell capacity and throughputs per cell
Coverage predictions that depend on network traffic loads can be created from either Monte Carlo simulation results or from
a user-defined network load configuration (uplink and downlink traffic loads, and uplink noise rise). GSM GPRS EDGE, UMTS
HSPA, CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA, and WiMAX networks can be planned in the same Atoll session.
Before working with the LTE module for the first time, it is highly recommended to go
through the "Glossary of LTE Terms" on page 988. This will help you get accustomed to the
terminology used by the 3GPP and in the product.
4. Allocate neighbours ( 4 ).
"Planning Neighbours" on page 904.
5. Allocate frequencies ( 5 ).
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7. Before making more advanced coverage predictions, you need to define cell load conditions ( 7 ).
You can define cell load conditions in the following ways:
You can generate realistic cell load conditions by creating a simulation based on traffic maps and subscriber lists
( 7a , 7b , and 7c ) (see "Studying LTE Network Capacity" on page 924).
You can define cell load conditions manually either on the Cells tab of each transmitter Properties dialog box or
in the Cells table (see "Creating or Modifying a Cell" on page 857) ( 7d ).
8. Make LTE-specific signal quality coverage predictions using the defined cell load conditions ( 8 ).
"LTE Coverage Predictions" on page 881.
9. If necessary, modify network parameters to study the network with a different frequency plan ( 10 ). After modifying
the networks frequency plan, you must perform steps 7 and 8 again.
6
7a
7c 7d
7b
7
9 10
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feeder cables, and so on. In an LTE project, you must also add cells to each transmitter. A cell refers to the characteristics of
an RF channel on a transmitter.
Atoll lets you create one site, transmitter, or cell at a time, or create several at once using station templates. In Atoll, a base
station refers to a site and a transmitter with its antennas, equipment, and cells.
In Atoll, you can study a single base station or a group of base stations using coverage predictions. You can make a variety of
coverage predictions, such as signal level or signal quality coverage predictions. The results of calculated coverage predictions
can be displayed on the map, compared, and studied.
Atoll enables you to model network traffic by creating services, users, user profiles, traffic environments, and terminals. This
data can be then used to make coverage predictions that depend on network load, such as C/(I+N), service area, radio bearer,
and throughput coverage predictions.
This section covers the following topics:
"Definition of an LTE Base Station" on page 847
"Creating LTE Base Stations" on page 855
"Creating a Group of Base Stations" on page 862
"Modifying Sites and Transmitters Directly on the Map" on page 863
"Display Tips for Base Stations" on page 863
"Creating Multi-band LTE Networks" on page 863
"Working With Cell Groups" on page 864
"Creating Repeaters" on page 868
"Creating Remote Antennas" on page 872
"Creating a Relay Node" on page 875
"Studying LTE Base Stations" on page 876
"Planning Frequencies" on page 909
"Planning Physical Cell IDs" on page 911.
"Planning PRACH RSIs" on page 913
General Tab
Name: A default name is proposed for each new site. You can modify the default name here. If you want to change
the default name, see the Administrator Manual.
Position: By default, Atoll places the new site at the centre of the map window. You can modify the location of the
site here.
While this method allows you to place a site with precision, you can also place sites using
the mouse and then position them precisely with this dialog box afterwards. For informa-
tion on placing sites using the mouse, see "Moving a Site Using the Mouse" on page 57.
Altitude: The altitude, as defined by the DTM for the location specified under Position, is given here. You can specify
the actual altitude under Real, if you want. If an altitude is specified here, Atoll will use this value for calculations.
Comments: You can enter comments in this field if you want.
LTE Tab
S1 interface throughputs: You can enter the maximum S1 interface throughputs supported in downlink and uplink by
the site. The S1 interface connects eNode-Bs to the evolved packet core (EPC) entities, the mobility management
entity (MME) and the serving gateway (S-GW). The capacity of the S1 interface between the eNode-B and the serving
gateway imposes a limit on the cumulated throughput served by the cells of the same eNode-B (site in Atoll). Hence,
this limit also imposes a limit on the throughput of each individual user served by the eNode-B. Here you must enter
the capacity of the S1-U interface (S1-U is the user-plane interface between eNode-Bs and the serving gateways). The
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maximum S1 interface throughputs that you enter here can be taken into account in Monte Carlo simulations as back-
haul constraints.
Relay Link: If the site is a relay node, click the Relay Link button to define the relay-to-donor backhaul parameters. For
more information on relay links, see "Creating a Relay Node" on page 875.
General Tab
Name: By default, the transmitter is named after the site it is on, suffixed with an underscore and a number.
You can enter a name for the transmitter. However, it is better to use the name assigned
by Atoll to ensure consistency. To change the way Atoll names transmitters, see the
Administrator Manual.
Site: You can select the Site on which the transmitter will be located. Once you have selected the site, you can click
the Browse button to access the properties of the site. For information on the site Properties dialog box, see "Site
Properties" on page 847. You can click the New button to create a new site for the transmitter.
Shared antenna: This field identifies the transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas that are located at the same
site or on sites with the same position and that share the same antenna. The entry in the field must be the same for
all transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas that share the same antenna. When changes are made to the posi-
tion offset (Dx, Dy), azimuth, antenna height, or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically synchronises the
same changes to all other transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas that are defined as having a shared antenna.
Under Antenna position, you can modify the position of the antennas (main and secondary):
Relative to site: Select this option if you want to enter the antenna positions as offsets relative to the site coordi-
nates, and enter the x-axis and y-axis offsets, Dx and Dy, respectively.
Coordinates: Select this option if you want to enter the coordinates of the antenna, and then enter the x-axis and
y-axis coordinates of the antenna, X and Y, respectively.
Transmitter Tab
Active: Select this option to specify whether the transmitter is active or inactive. Transmitters are displayed in the Net-
work explorer with an active ( ) or inactive ( )icon.
Transmitter type: Specify whether the transmitter is to be considered as a server. This enables you to model the co-
existence of different networks in the same geographic area.
If the transmitter is a potential server as well as an interferer, set the transmitter type to Intra-network (Server
and interferer).
If the transmitter is to be considered only as an interferer, set the type to Inter-network (Interferer only). Inter-
ferer-only transmitters are ignored by coverage calculations and do not serve any mobile in Monte Carlo simula-
tions.
For more information on how to study interference between co-existing networks, see "Modelling the Co-existence
of Networks" on page 984.
Transmission/Reception: This area displays the total losses and the noise figure of the transmitter. Losses and noise
are calculated according to the characteristics of the equipment that is assigned to the transmitter. To assign equip-
ment, open the Equipment Specifications window by clicking the Equipment button. For more information about
assigning equipment to a transmitter, see "Assigning Equipment to a Transmitter" on page 856.
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Any loss related to the noise due to a transmitters repeater is included in the calculated
losses. Atoll always considers the values in the Real boxes in coverage predictions even if
they are different from the values in the Computed boxes. The information in the real
Noise figure box is calculated from the information you entered in the Equipment Specifi-
cations dialog box. You can modify the real Total losses at transmission and reception and
the real Noise figure at reception. Any value you enter must be positive.
Antennas:
Height/ground: The Height/ground box gives the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to the
altitude of the site as given by the DTM. If the transmitter is situated on a building, the height entered must include
the height of building.
Main antenna: Under Main antenna, the type of antenna is visible in the Model list. You can click the Browse
button to access the properties of the antenna.
Click the Select button to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match
the currently selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the op-
erating frequency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on
page 158
Mechanical Azimuth, Mechanical Downtilt, Electrical Azimuth, Electrical Downtilt, and Additional electrical
downtilt display additional antenna parameters.
The Additional electrical downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
The mechanical and additional electrical downtilts defined for the main antenna
are also used for the calculations of smart antennas.
Smart antenna: Under Smart antenna, the smart antenna equipment is available in the Equipment list. You can
click the Browse button to access the properties of the smart antenna equipment. When you select smart antenna
equipment, you can choose whether to keep the current main antenna model or to replace it with the main
antenna model defined for the selected smart antenna equipment, if any. For more information on smart antenna
equipment, see "Smart Antenna Systems" on page 974.
Number of antenna ports: Select the number of antenna ports used for MIMO in the Transmission and Reception
fields. For more information on how the number of antenna ports are used, see "Multiple Input Multiple Output
Systems" on page 976.
Under Secondary antennas, you can select one or more secondary antennas in the Antenna column and enter
their Azimuth, Mechanical downtilt, and % Power, which is the percentage of power reserved for this particular
antenna. For example, for a transmitter with one secondary antenna, if you reserve 40% of the total power for the
secondary antenna, 60% is available for the main antenna.
The Additional electrical downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
The transmission power is divided among the main and secondary antennas. This
is not compatible with smart antennas. You must not assign smart antennas to
transmitters with secondary antennas, and vice versa.
In calculations, repeaters and remote antennas are transparent to the donor trans-
mitters and the served users. For example, smart antennas at donor transmitters
target the served users directly and not the repeater or remote antenna that covers
the users. This results in a combined signal level received from the transmitter using
the smart antenna and from the repeater or remote antenna. If this approach does
not match how your equipment works, you must not assign smart antennas to
transmitters with repeaters and remote antennas, and vice versa. This is also true
for MIMO.
The main antenna is used to transmit the control channels. Coverage predictions based on the reference signals are
performed using the main antenna. The main antenna is also used for traffic if there is no smart antenna equipment
selected for the transmitter, or if the cells do not support AAS.
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If smart antenna equipment is assigned to the transmitter and the cells support AAS, traffic data is transmitted and
received using the smart antenna, whereas the control channels are transmitted using the main antenna.
Cell Tab
When you create a transmitter, Atoll automatically creates a cell for the transmitter using the properties of the currently
selected station template.
The cell tab enables you to configure the properties for every cell of a transmitter. For more information on the properties of
a cell, see "Cell Properties" on page 850.
Propagation Tab
Transmitters are taken into account during calculations. Therefore, you must specify their propagation parameters. On the
Propagation tab, you can modify the following: the Propagation model, Radius, and Resolution for both the Main matrix and
the Extended matrix. For information on propagation models, see "Assigning Propagation Parameters" on page 187.
Display Tab
On the Display tab, you can modify how a transmitter will be displayed. For information on changing display properties, see
"Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
You can also display the properties of a cell by double-clicking the cell in the Site explorer.
Name: By default, Atoll names the cell after its transmitter, adding a suffix in parentheses. If you change transmitter
name, Atoll does not update the cell name. You can enter a name for the cell, but for the sake of consistency, it is
better to let Atoll assign a name. If you want to change the way Atoll names cells, see the Administrator Manual.
ID: You can enter an ID for the cell. This is a user-definable network-level parameter for cell identification.
Active: If this cell is to be active, you must select the Active check box.
Layer: The network layer to which the cell belongs. This information is used in determining the serving cell. For more
information on defining layers, see "Defining Network Deployment Layers" on page 966. For more information on the
cell selection options, see "Global Network Settings" on page 963.
Cell type: This indicates whether the cell supports LTE (3GPP releases 8 and 9) or LTE-Advanced (3GPP releases 10 and
later) including carrier aggregation and CoMP. A cell can support LTE as well as LTE-A, so it can be configured as an LTE
cell, an LTE-A PCell (primary cell), or an LTE-A SCell (secondary cell).
Both LTE and LTE-A users can connect to LTE-only cells without the possibility of performing carrier aggregation or
CoMP. Cells that only support LTE-A, and not LTE, can only serve LTE-A users. The process of only allowing LTE-A users
to connect to a cell and excluding all LTE users is called cell barring.
Frequency band: The cells frequency band from the frequency band list.
Channel number: The number of the channel from the list of available channels.
For calculating path loss matrices of a multi-cell transmitter, Atoll uses the downlink start
frequency of the frequency band assigned to the cell with the highest priority layer.
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Order: The display order of a cell within the transmitter. This value is used to determine the order in which information
related to a cell is displayed in the Network explorer and on the map. This field is automatically filled by Atoll but you
can change these default values to display cells in a different order.
The consistency between cell order values is verified by Atoll. However, inconsistencies
may arise if other tools modify the database. You can check for inconsistencies in the cell
display order and fix them by selecting Data Audit > Cell Display Order Check in the Docu-
ment menu.
Channel allocation status: The status of the current channel allocated to the cell:
Not allocated: The AFP considers a Not allocated channel modifiable without cost.
Allocated: The AFP considers an Allocated channel modifiable but only if absolutely necessary.
Locked: The AFP considers a Locked channel not modifiable.
For more information on the AFP, see "Configuring Network Parameters Using the AFP" on page 905.
Physical cell ID: The physical cell ID of the cell. It is an integer value from 0 to 503. The physical cell IDs are defined in
the 3GPP specifications. There are 504 unique physical-layer cell identities. The physical cell IDs are grouped into 168
unique cell ID groups (called SSS IDs in Atoll), with each group containing 3 unique identities (called PSS IDs in Atoll).
An SSS ID is thus uniquely defined by a number from 0 to 167, and a PSS ID is defined by a number from 0 to 2. Each
cells reference signals transmit a pseudo-random sequence corresponding to the physical cell ID of the cell.
Physical cell IDs also indicate the subcarriers being used for reference signal transmission in the downlink. Reference
signal hopping, or v-shifting, is the calculation of the index of the subcarrier being used for reference signal resource
elements. The v-shifting index is calculated as (PCI)Mod 6 for single-antenna transmitters and as (PCI)Mod 3 for multi-
antenna transmitters.
PSS ID: The PSS ID corresponding to the current physical cell ID. This value is determined automatically from the phys-
ical cell ID.
PSS ID status: The status of the PSS ID currently assigned to the cell:
Not allocated: The AFP considers a Not allocated PSS ID modifiable without cost.
Allocated: The AFP considers an Allocated PSS ID modifiable but only if absolutely necessary.
Locked: The AFP considers a Locked PSS ID not modifiable.
SSS ID: The SSS ID corresponding to the current physical cell ID. This value is determined automatically from the phys-
ical cell ID.
SSS ID status: The status of the SSS ID currently assigned to the cell:
Not allocated: The AFP considers a Not allocated SSS ID as modifiable without cost.
Allocated: The AFP considers an Allocated SSS ID as modifiable only if absolutely necessary.
Locked: The AFP considers a Locked SSS ID as not modifiable.
To lock the physical cell ID assigned to a cell, you must set both PSS ID status and SSS ID
status to Locked.
Physical cell ID domain: The physical cell ID domain to which the allocated physical cell ID belongs. This and the reuse
distance are used by the AFP for physical cell ID allocation.
PRACH Root Sequences: The logical PRACH root sequences allocated to the cell. The assigned logical PRACH RSIs are
always consecutive values and are listed using the convention "X-Y" with X being the smallest logical PRACH RSI in the
list and Y the largest.
Number of Required PRACH RSI: The number of required PRACH RSIs for this cell. The number or PRACH RSIs needed
for any cell depends on the used PRACH preamble format and the cell size. For theoretical values of the required num-
bers of PRACH RSIs mapped to various cell sizes, see "Mapping of Cell Size to Required Numbers of PRACH RSIs" on
page 986. The minimum value for the required number of PRACH RSIs is 1. If you enter 0, it will be considered as 1 by
the AFP.
PRACH RSI Allocation Status: The status of the current PRACH root sequence indexes allocated to the cell:
Not allocated: The AFP considers a Not allocated PRACH RSIs as modifiable without cost.
Allocated: The AFP considers an Allocated PRACH RSIs as modifiable only if absolutely necessary.
Locked: The AFP considers a Locked PRACH RSIs as not modifiable.
PRACH RSI domain: The PRACH RSI domain to which the allocated PRACH root sequences belong. This is used, along-
side the reuse distance, by the AFP for PRACH RSI allocation.
Reuse distance: The minimum reuse distance after which the channel, physical cell ID, or PRACH root sequence
indexes assigned to this cell can be assigned to another cell by the AFP.
For more information on the AFP, see "Configuring Network Parameters Using the AFP" on page 905.
Max power (dBm): The cells maximum transmission power. You can enter or modify this value if the RS EPRE option
under the Advanced options on the Global Parameters tab of the LTE Network Settings folders Properties dialog box
is set to any of the following:
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When opening an existing Atoll 3.2.1 document in Atoll 3.3.1, the Cell individual offset
(dB) field is automatically filled using the contents of the custom field
CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET if it had been added to the Cells table in Atoll 3.2.1.
CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET (also known as Qoffset) is no longer used in calculations as these
have been enhanced to model the connected mode mobility rather than the idle mode cell
selection.
If you want to return to the cell selection mechanism based on the CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET
as in Atoll 3.2.1, you must add a custom field named CELL_RESELECT_OFFSET of type float
to the Cells table.
Handover margin (dB): Specify the handover margin to use for cell selection. The handover margin is used in LTE net-
works to avoid handover ping-pong between cells.
Reception equipment: You can select the cells reception equipment from the reception equipment list. For more
information, see "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 969.
Scheduler: The scheduler used by the cell for bearer selection and resource allocation. You can select the scheduler
from the list of schedulers available in the Schedulers table. For more information see "Defining LTE Schedulers" on
page 972.
Max number of users: The maximum number of simultaneous connected users supported by the cell.
No. of users (DL): The number of users connected to the cell in the downlink. This can be user-defined or an output
of Monte Carlo simulations.
No. of users (UL): The number of users connected to the cell in the uplink. This can be user-defined or an output of
Monte Carlo simulations.
TDD subframe configuration: The subframe configuration used by the cell when the cells frequency band is TDD. You
can select a subframe configuration of type DSUUU-DSUUU, DSUUD-DSUUD, DSUDD-DSUDD, DSUUU-DSUUD,
DSUUU-DDDDD, DSUUD-DDDDD, or DSUDD-DDDDD.
TDD subframe configuration is hidden when there is no TDD frequency band defined in
the Frequency Bands table (see "Defining Frequency Bands" on page 962.
Diversity support (DL): The type of antenna diversity technique (none, transmit diversity, SU-MIMO, MU-MIMO, and
AAS) supported by the cell in downlink.
Diversity support (UL): The type of antenna diversity technique (none, receive diversity, SU-MIMO. and MU-MIMO)
supported by the cell in uplink.
Specific calculations are performed (and gains applied) for terminals supporting AAS and MIMO.
Number of co-scheduled MU-MIMO users (DL): The average number of MU-MIMO users that share the same
resources on the downlink. This can be either user-defined or an output of Monte Carlo simulations. In downlink
throughput coverage predictions, cell capacity is multiplied by this gain on pixels where MU-MIMO is used.
Number of co-scheduled MU-MIMO users (UL): The average number of MU-MIMO users that share the same
resources on the uplink. This can be either user-defined or an output of Monte Carlo simulations. In uplink throughput
coverage predictions, cell capacity is multiplied by this gain on pixels where MU-MIMO is used.
Fractional power control factor: This factor is used for path loss compensation when performing fractional power
control on the uplink. For example, if this factor is set to 0.8, only 80% of the actual path loss will be considered when
estimating the received power. Therefore, the received power from any mobile on the uplink will be estimated to be
higher than it would actually be (using 100% of the path loss), which will be interpreted by the mobile as a need to
reduce its transmission power. This factor is represented by in 3GPP specifications. This factor represents the influ-
ence of the serving cell on the fractional power of any mobile.
Max PUSCH C/(I+N) (dB): This value is used for power control on the uplink. The difference between the Max PUSCH
C/(I+N) and the uplink noise rise of the cell corresponds to the nominal PUSCH power for the cell. The nominal PUSCH
power is a cell-specific parameter from which a limit on the uplink transmission powers of mobiles in the cell can be
extracted. This factor is represented by P O_PUSCH in 3GPP specifications. Max PUSCH C/(I+N) is updated during uplink
noise rise control in Monte Carlo simulations based on the maximum noise rise constraints of the neighbouring cells.
Almost Blank Subframe (ABS) Pattern: The transmission pattern of normal and almost blank subframes. Almost blank
subframes do not carry any traffic. Only reference signals are transmitted over an ABS. The ABS pattern is a bit map,
i.e., a series of 0s and 1s where each bit corresponds to one subframe. In an ABS pattern, each 0 signifies a normal
subframe and 1 implies an almost blank subframe. For example, the ABS pattern "0100001000" means that subframes
1 and 6 are almost blank subframes whereas all the other subframes are normal subframes carrying traffic.
ABS patterns are used in conjunction with cell range expansion for eICIC (enhanced inter-cell interference coordina-
tion, also known as time-domain ICIC) in an effort to minimise cell-edge interference between macro and small cells
in heterogeneous LTE networks (HetNets).
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The ABS pattern specified here is applicable to downlink as well as uplink, and does
not depend on the ICIC mode specified in the cells frame configuration. The ICIC
mode defined in the frame configurations is exclusively used for frequency domain
ICIC.
The standard lengths of the ABS pattern bit maps as defined by the 3GPP are as fol-
lows:
FDD cells: 40 bits
TDD cells using the frame configuration 0: 70 bits
TDD cells using the frame configuration 1 through 5: 20 bits
TDD cells using the frame configuration 6: 60 bits
Atoll uses the same ABS pattern format as the LTE eNode-B information element
format. Therefore, ABS patterns can be directly imported from the network into
Atoll.
You are not required to enter all the bits in the pattern to match the standard
lengths. You can define non-repeating and repeating ABS patterns using the
asterisk as in the following example (for FDD cells):
Non-repeating ABS pattern: The ABS pattern "0100001000" is interpreted by
Atoll as "0100001000000000000000000000000000000000" over standard 40
bits
Repeating ABS pattern: The ABS pattern "0100010000*" is interpreted by
Atoll as "0100001000010000100001000010000100001000" over standard 40
bits
An empty ABS pattern means that there are no almost blank subframes defined
and all the subframes can carry traffic.
It is possible to create a choice list of predefined ABS patterns in the database using
the CustomFields table. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
Interference coordination support: The frequency-domain inter-cell interference coordination (ICIC) technique sup-
ported by the cell. You can select Static DL or Static UL. You can select from various ICIC modes available in the cells
frame configurations. This frequency-domain inter-cell interference coordination method can be used in addition to
the eICIC ABS patterns.
Frame configuration: The frame configuration used by the cell in downlink and uplink. Among other frame structure
parameters, this configuration also defines ICIC settings for a cell supporting Static DL or Static UL inter-cell interfer-
ence coordination. For more information, see "Defining Frame Configurations" on page 967.
Cell Edge Margin (dB): The maximum difference between the path loss of the second best server and the path loss of
the best server to be considered at cell edge. Certain interference management actions are carried out on cell-edge
regions, such as ICIC, eICIC, and CoMP.
You can change the cell-edge determination method by using the CellEdgeMethod
option in the [LTE] section of the Atoll.ini file. This option allows you to determine
the cell-edge areas based on the difference between the highest and second
highest RSRP values rather than the lowest and the second lowest path loss values.
For more information, see the Administrator Manual and the Technical Reference
Guide.
If you set the cell edge calculation method to use RSRP rather than path losses,
Atoll calculates the cell-edge regions for CoMP by comparing the cell-edge margin
with the difference between the best server RSRP and the second best server RSRP
belonging to the same CoMP set.
Max traffic load (DL) (%): The downlink traffic load not to be exceeded. This limit can be taken into account during
Monte Carlo simulations. If the cell traffic load is limited by this value, the cell will not be allowed to have a downlink
traffic load greater than this maximum.
Traffic load (DL) (%): The downlink traffic load percentage. This can be user-defined or an output of Monte Carlo sim-
ulations.
Cell-edge traffic ratio (DL) (%): You can set the percentage of the total downlink traffic load that corresponds to the
resources allocated to cell-edge users. For example, if the downlink traffic load is 80%, and you set the cell-edge traffic
ratio to 50%, it means that 40% of the downlink traffic load corresponds to cell-edge users and 40% to the cell-centre
users. This can be user-defined or an output of Monte Carlo simulations.
Max traffic load (UL) (%): The uplink traffic load not to be exceeded. This limit can be taken into account during Monte
Carlo simulations. If the cell traffic load is limited by this value, the cell will not be allowed to have an uplink traffic
load greater than this maximum.
Traffic load (UL) (%): The uplink traffic load percentage. This can be user-defined or an output of Monte Carlo simu-
lations.
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UL noise rise (dB): The uplink noise rise in dB. This can be user-defined or an output of Monte Carlo simulations. This
is the global value of uplink noise rise including the inter-technology uplink noise rise.
ICIC UL noise rise (dB): The uplink noise rise of the cell resources covering cell-edge users. This noise rise is only used
when the ICIC support for the cell includes Static UL. This can be user-defined or an output of Monte Carlo simulations.
Max UL noise rise (dB): The upper limit on both uplink noise rise values, i.e., the UL noise rise and the ICIC UL noise
rise. It is used for uplink noise rise control during Monte Carlo simulations. This parameter represents the maximum
interference that a cell can tolerate on the uplink.
Angular distributions of interference (AAS): The Monte Carlo simulation results generated for transmitters using a
smart antenna. These results are the angular distributions of the downlink traffic power spectral density.
AAS usage (DL) (%): The total downlink traffic load that corresponds to the traffic loads of the users supported by the
smart antenna. For example, if the downlink traffic load is 80%, and you set the AAS usage to 50%, it means that 40%
downlink traffic load is supported by the smart antenna equipment while the other 40% is supported by the main
antenna. AAS usage is calculated during Monte Carlo simulations, and cannot be modified manually because the AAS
usage values correspond to the angular distributions of interference.
Additional UL noise rise: This noise rise represents the interference created by mobiles and base stations of an
external network on this cell on the uplink. This noise rise will be taken into account in all uplink interference-based
calculations involving this cell in Monte Carlo simulations. It is not used in predictions where Atoll calculates the uplink
total interference from the uplink noise rise which includes inter-technology uplink interference. For more informa-
tion on inter-technology interference, see "Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 979.
Additional DL noise rise: This noise rise represents the interference created by mobiles of an external network on the
mobiles served by this cell on the downlink. This noise rise will be taken into account in all downlink interference-
based calculations involving this cell. For more information on inter-technology interference, see "Modelling Inter-
technology Interference" on page 979.
Max number of intra-technology neighbours: The maximum number of LTE neighbours that the cell can have.
Max number of inter-technology neighbours: The maximum number of other technology neighbours that the cell can
have.
Neighbours: You can access a dialog box in which you can set both intra-technology and inter-technology neighbours
by clicking the Browse button. For information on defining neighbours, see "Configuring Network Parameters Using
the AFP" on page 905.
The Browse button may not be visible in the Neighbours box if this is a new cell. You can
make the Browse button appear by clicking Apply.
2. Click the map at the location where you want to place the new site. A new site is created with default settings at the
corresponding location.
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Alternatively, you can create a new site by entering its coordinates and properties as
described in "Site Properties" on page 847, by right-clicking the Sites folder and selecting
New from the context menu.
An alternative way of creating several transmitters at the same time, or modifying several
existing transmitters, is to edit or paste the data directly in the Transmitters table. You can
open the Transmitters table by right-clicking the LTE Transmitters folder in the Network
explorer and selecting Open Table from the context menu. For information on copying and
pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
If you want to add a transmitter to an existing site on the map, you can add the transmitter
by right-clicking the site and selecting New Transmitter from the context menu.
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An alternative way of creating or modifying several cells at the same time is to edit or paste
the data directly in the Cells table. You can open the Cells table by right-clicking the LTE
Transmitters folder in the Network explorer and selecting Cells > Open Table from the
context menu. You can either edit the data in the table, paste data into the table (see
"Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82), or import data into the table (see "Importing
Tables from Text Files" on page 86).
If you want to add a cell to an existing transmitter on the map, you can add the cell by right-
clicking the transmitter and selecting New Cell from the context menu.
To place the base station more accurately, you can zoom in on the map before you click
the New Transmitter or Station button ( ). For information on using the zooming tools,
see "Changing the Map Scale" on page 60.
If you let the pointer rest over the base station you have placed, Atoll displays its tip text
with its exact coordinates, allowing you to verify that the location is correct.
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General Tab
The Additional electrical downtilt can be made accessible through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
Under Main antenna, you can select the main antenna Model, under Smart antenna, you can select the smart
antenna Equipment used by the transmitter, and under Number of antenna ports, you can enter the number of
antennas used for Transmission and for Reception for MIMO.
Under Path loss matrices, you can modify the following: the Main propagation model, the Main radius, and the Main
resolution, and the Extended propagation model, the Extended radius, and the Extended resolution. For information
on propagation models, see Chapter 4: Radio Calculations and Models.
Under Comments, you can add additional information. The information you enter will be the default information in
the Comments field of any transmitter created using this station template.
Transmitter Tab
You can click the Equipment button to modify the tower-mounted amplifier (TMA), feeder cables, or transmitter
equipment. For information on the Equipment Specifications dialog box, see "Assigning Equipment to a Transmitter"
on page 856.
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The Total losses (transmission and reception) and Noise figure (reception) in the Computed columns is calculated
from the information that was entered in the Equipment Specifications dialog box. The Total losses (transmission and
reception) Noise figure (reception) in the Real columns can be edited. Any value that you enter must be positive.
Any loss related to the noise due to the repeater of a transmitter is included in the calcu-
lated losses. Atoll always considers the values in the Real boxes in coverage predictions
even if they are different from the values in the Computed boxes.
Cell Tab
Power and EPRE offsets relative to the reference signals EPRE: You can modify the Max power, RS EPRE, and the EPRE
offsets for the SS, PBCH, PDSCH, and PDCCH in SS offset, PBCH offset, PDCCH offset, and PDSCH offset.
Cell definition per sector: Click this button to open the Cell Definition per Sector, where you can assign channel and
physical cell ID per cell per sector.
Sector: Select the sector for which you want to define cell parameters, including the channel number and physical
cell ID.
Number of cells: Enter the number of celles that the selected sector will have. The number of rows in the grid
below depends on the number of cells that you enter.
For each sector, assign layers, channels, and physical cell ID to each cell.
Frequency band, Reuse distance, Reception equipment, Cell type, Min RSRP, Cell selection threshold, Cell individual
offset, Handover margin, Scheduler, Max number of users, TDD subframe configuration, and the Number of
required PRACH RSIs.
Antenna diversity: Select the Diversity support in downlink and uplink.
Default loads: Enter the default values for DL traffic load, UL traffic load, UL noise rise, and the Max DL traffic load
and Max UL traffic load.
Additional interference: Set the DL noise rise and the UL noise rise. For more information on inter-technology inter-
ference, see "Modelling Inter-technology Interference" on page 979.
Neighbours Tab
Max number of neighbours: Set the maximum numbers of Intra-technology and Inter-technology neighbours. For informa-
tion on defining neighbours, see "Planning Neighbours" on page 904.
This tab only appears if you have defined additional fields in the Sites table, or if you have defined an additional field in the
Station Template Properties dialog box.
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3. Modify the station template parameters as described in "Station Template Properties" on page 858
4. Click OK.
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To place the station more accurately, you can zoom in on the map before you select Dupli-
cate from the context menu. For information on using the zooming tools, see "Changing
the Map Scale" on page 60.
If you let the pointer rest over the station you have placed, Atoll displays tip text with its
exact coordinates, allowing you to verify that the location is correct.
Any duplicated remote antennas and repeaters will retain the same donor transmitter as
the original. If you want the duplicated remote antenna or repeater to use a transmitter
on the duplicated base station, you must change the donor transmitter manually.
You can also place a series of duplicate base stations by pressing and holding Ctrl in step 4. and clicking to place each
duplicate station.
For more information on the site, transmitter, and cell properties, see "Definition of an LTE Base Station" on page 847.
2. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar. The Point Analysis window opens with the Profile
view. The Profile view displays the profile between the transmitter and the receiver with the terrain and clutter
heights. The altitude is reported on the vertical axis and the receiver-transmitter distance on the horizontal axis.
Display area
including:
received signal,
shadowing
margin, cell
edge coverage
probability,
propagation
model used,
and transmit-
ter-receiver
distance. Fresnel ellipsoid Line of sight Attenuation with diffraction
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On the map, the pointer changes ( ) to represent the receiver and a line connects the selected transmitter with the
current position. You can move the receiver to change the current position or right-click the receiver to choose one of
the following commands from the context menu:
Coordinates: Select Coordinates to change the receiver position by entering new XY coordinates.
Target Site: Select a site from the list to place the receiver directly on a site.
3. In the Profile view toolbar, click the Geographic Profile button ( ) to view the geographic profile between the trans-
mitter and the receiver.
An ellipsoid indicating the Fresnel zone is also displayed. The distance between the transmitter and the receiver is
displayed at the top of the Profile view.
4. In the Profile view toolbar, click the Geographic Profile button ( ) again to view the radio signal path between the
transmitter and the receiver.
A blue ellipsoid indicates the Fresnel zone between the transmitter and the receiver. A green line indicates the line of
sight (LOS) with the angle of the LOS as read from the vertical antenna pattern.
Along the profile, if the signal meets an obstacle, the obstacle causes attenuation with diffraction displayed by a red
vertical line (if the selected propagation model is able to calculate diffraction). The main diffraction edge is the one
that intersects the Fresnel ellipsoid the most. Propagation models that use a 3 knife-edge Deygout diffraction method
may also display two additional diffraction edges. The total attenuation is displayed above the main diffraction edge.
The results of the analysis are displayed at the top of the Profile view:
The received signal strength from the selected transmitter for the cell with the highest reference signal power
The propagation model used
The shadowing margin and the indoor loss (if selected)
The distance between the transmitter and the receiver.
5. You can change the following options from the Profile view toolbar:
Transmitter: Select the transmitter from the list. You can click the Properties button ( ) to open the transmitter
properties dialog box.
Options: Click the Options button ( ) to display the Calculation Options dialog box. In this dialog box, you can:
Change the X and Y coordinates to change the current position of the receiver.
Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
Select Signal level, Path loss, or Total losses from the Result type list.
You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency
per clutter class.
Link Budget: Click the Link Budget button ( ) to display a dialog box with the link budget.
Detailed Report: Click the Detailed Report button ( ) to display a text document with details on the displayed
profile analysis. The detailed report is only available for the Standard Propagation Model.
6. To end the point analysis, click the Point Analysis button ( ) in the Radio Planning toolbar again.
When you import data into your current Atoll document, the coordinate system of the
imported data must be the same as the display coordinate system used in the document.
If you cannot change the coordinate system of your source data, you can temporarily
change the display coordinate system of the Atoll document to match the source data. For
information on changing the coordinate system, see "Setting a Coordinate System" on
page 41.
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The table you copy from must have the same column layout as the table you are pasting
data into.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
Importing data: If you have base station data in text or comma-separated value (CSV) format, you can import it into
the tables in the current document. If the data is in another Atoll document, you can first export it in text or CSV
format and then import it into the tables of your current Atoll document. When you are importing, Atoll allows you
to select what values you import into which columns of the table.
When you create a group of base stations by importing data, you must import site data in the Sites table, transmitter
data in the Transmitters table, and cell data in the Cells table, in that order.
For information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 85. For infor-
mation on importing table data, see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 86.
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Selecting and calibrating a propagation model for each frequency band (see "Assigning Propagation Parameters" on
page 187).
Assigning a frequency band to each cell and a relevant propagation model to each transmitter (see "Creating or Mod-
ifying a Cell" on page 857 and "Creating or Modifying a Transmitter" on page 856).
Defining the frequency bands with which terminals are compatible (see "Modelling Terminals" on page 249).
The items in the LTE Transmitters folder can be grouped by cell groups. For more
information, see "Grouping, Sorting, and Filtering Data" on page 93.
The LTE transmitter display settings can be based on cell groups. For more infor-
mation, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
[LTE]
CAWithinENB = 0; For multi-eNode-B carrier aggregation
CAWithinENB = 1; For intra-eNode-B carrier aggregation (default)
CAWithinENB = 2; For group-based carrier aggregation
If you want to work with group-based carrier aggregation, you must define groups of cells that can perform carrier aggregation
with each other.
To create carrier aggregation groups:
1. In the Network explorer, right-click the LTE Transmitters folder and select Cells > CA Groups > Open Table from the
context menu. The CA Groups table appears.
2. In the CA Groups table, enter one carrier aggregation group per row.
This table lists the carrier aggregation groups that exist in your document and shows the number of cells that belong
to each group.
If you delete a carrier aggregation group in this table, it will also delete all the correspond-
ing records in the Cell-to-Group Mappings table.
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Even if you delete the cell-to-group mapping records in this table, the associated CA group
is not deleted in the CA Groups table. To delete a CA group permanently, you must also
delete it in the CA Groups table.
If you delete a CoMP set in this table, all the corresponding records in the Cell-to-CoMP Set
Mappings table will also be deleted.
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Only cells of type LTE-A PCell can perform coordinated multipoint transmission and
reception (CoMP).
Even if you delete the cell-to-CoMP set mapping records in this table, the associ-
ated CoMP set is not deleted in the CoMP Sets table. To delete a CoMP set perma-
nently, you must also delete it in the CoMP Sets table.
You can create a new group by entering a name in the list instead of selecting the name
from the list. The cells of the selected transmitter will be added to the new group.
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You can create a new group by entering a name in the list instead of selecting the name
from the list. The cells of the selected transmitter will be added to the new group.
4. Click OK. The cells of the selected transmitter are added to the group.
To add cells to a CoMP set:
1. In the map window, right-click the transmitter whose cells you want to add to a CoMP set. The context menu appears.
2. Select Cells > Add Cells to a CoMP Set from the context menu. A dialog box appears.
3. Select the name of the CoMP set from the dialog box.
4. Click OK. The cells of the selected transmitter are added to the CoMP set.
You can create a new group by entering a name in the list instead of selecting the name
from the list. The cells of the selected transmitter will be added to the new group.
4. Click OK. The cells contained in the zone are added to the selected group.
To add the cells contained in a zone to a CoMP set:
1. In the Geo explorer, right-click the filtering, computation, focus, printing, or geographic export zone, or a hot spot. The
context menu appears.
2. Select Add > Add Cells to a CoMP Set from the context menu. A dialog box appears.
3. Select the name of the CoMP Set from the dialog box.
4. Click OK. The cells contained in the zone are added to the selected CoMP set.
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In calculations, repeaters are transparent to the donor transmitters and the served users.
For example, smart antennas at donor transmitters target the served users directly and not
the repeater that covers the users. This results in a combined signal level received from the
transmitter using the smart antenna and from the repeater.
If this approach does not match how your equipment works, you must not assign smart
antennas to transmitters with repeaters and vice versa. This is also true for MIMO.
Repeaters are defined in the Repeaters table. Each repeater is assigned repeater equipment with specific noise, gain, and
power characteristics, which are specified in the Repeater Equipment table.
This section covers the following topics:
"Repeater Properties" on page 868
"Opening the Repeaters Table" on page 870
"Creating and Modifying Repeater Equipment" on page 870
"Placing a Repeater on the Map" on page 871
"Modifying the Properties of a Repeater" on page 871
"Tips for Updating Repeater Parameters" on page 871.
Atoll assumes that all carriers from the LTE donor transmitter are amplified.
General Tab
Name: Specify the Name of the repeater. By default, repeaters are named "SiteX_Y_RepZ" where "X" is the donor site
number, "Y" the donor transmitter number, and "Z" a number assigned to the repeater when it was created.
Donor: Select the donor of the repeater, which can be a transmitter, a remote antenna, or another repeater. Click
Browse to access the Properties of the donor.
Site: Specify the site on which the repeater is located. Click Browse to access the Properties of the site.
Shared antenna: Specify the identifier (coverage side) of the transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas that are
located at the same site or on sites with the same position and that share an antenna. The identifier must be the same
for all such transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas. When changes are made to the position offset (Dx, Dy), azi-
muth, antenna height, or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically synchronises the same changes to all
other transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas defined as having a shared antenna.
Antenna position: If the repeater is not located exactly on the site, you can specify its location.
Relative to site: Select this option to specify the position of the repeater relative to the site itself and then enter
the Dx and Dy offsets.
Coordinates: Select this option to specify the position of the repeater by its X and Y absolute coordinates.
Equipment: Select an equipment from the list. Click Browse to access the Properties of the equipment.
Amplifier Gain: Specify a gain for the amplifier. The amplifier gain is used in the link budget to evaluate the repeater
total gain.
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Donor Tab
Donor-repeater link, specify the type of link between the donor and the repeater:
Air: Select this option to specify an off-air repeater. Select a Propagation model and either enter the Propagation
losses between the donor and the repeater or click Calculate to determine the actual propagation losses based
on the propagation model. If you do not select a propagation model, the propagation losses between the donor
transmitter and the repeater are calculated using the ITU 526-5 propagation model.
When you create an off-air repeater, it is assumed that the link between the donor transmitter and the repeater
has the same frequency as the network.
Microwave link: Select this option to specify a microwave link. Specify the total Link losses for the link between
the donor transmitter and the repeater.
Optical fibre link: Select this option to specify an optical fibre link. Specify the total Fibre losses for the link
between the donor transmitter and the repeater
If you want to create a remote antenna, you must select Optical fibre link.
If you select Air under Donor-repeater link, enter the following information under Antenna:
Model: Select the antenna model from the list. Click Browse to open the antenna properties.
Click Select to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match the cur-
rently selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the oper-
ating frequency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on
page 158
Height/ground: Specify the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to the altitude of the site
as given by the DTM. If the repeater is situated on a building, the height entered must include the height of
the building.
Mechanical Azimuth and Mechanical Downtilt: Specify additional antenna parameters.
You can click the Calculate button to update the mechanical azimuth and mechanical
downtilt values after changing the repeater donor side antenna height or the repeater
location. If you choose another site or change site coordinates in the General tab, click
Apply before clicking the Calculate button.
If you select Air under Donor-repeater link, enter the following information under Feeders:
Type: Select the type of feeder from the list. Click Browse to open the feeder properties.
Length: Enter the Length of the repeater feeder cable for Transmission and Reception.
Coverage Side
Active: specify whether the repeater is active. Only active repeaters (displayed in red in the Transmitters folder in the
Network explorer) are calculated.
Total gain: Specify the total gain in downlink and uplink) or click Calculate to determine the actual gain in both direc-
tions. If you have modified any settings in the General, Donor Side, or Coverage Side tabs, click Apply before clicking
the Calculate button.
In downlink, the total gain is applied to RS, SS, PBCH, PDCCH, and PDSCH powers and EPREs.
In uplink, the total gain is applied to the PUCCH and PUSCH powers.
The total gain takes into account losses between the donor transmitter and the repeater, donor characteristics (donor
antenna gain, reception feeder losses), amplifier gain, and coverage characteristics (coverage antenna gain, transmis-
sion feeder losses).
Under Antennas, you can modify the following parameters:
Height/ground: Specify the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to the altitude of the site as
provided by the DTM. If the repeater is located on a building, the height entered must include the height of
building.
Model: Select antenna model from the list. Click Browse to open the antenna properties.
Click Select to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match the currently
selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the operating fre-
quency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on page 158
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Mechanical Azimuth, Mechanical Downtilt, Electrical Azimuth, Electrical Downtilt, and Additional electrical
downtilt: Specify the additional antenna parameters.
Secondary antennas: Select one or more secondary antennas in the Antenna column and enter their Azimuth,
Mechanical downtilt, Additional electrical downtilt, and % Power.
The Additional electrical downtilt can be made available through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
Propagation Tab
Repeaters are taken into account during calculations. Therefore, you must specify their propagation parameters. On
the Propagation tab, you can modify the following: the Propagation model, Radius, and Resolution for both the Main
matrix and the Extended matrix. By default, the propagation characteristics of the repeater (model, calculation
radius, and grid resolution) are the same as those of the donor transmitter. For information on propagation models,
see "Assigning Propagation Parameters" on page 187.
If you have data in table form, either in another Atoll document or in a spreadsheet, you
can copy this data and paste it into the Repeaters table in your current Atoll document to
create several repeaters. The table you copy data from must have the same column layout
as the table you are pasting data into.
You can also use this method to create a large number of repeaters in a single operation.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on
page 82.
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f. If necessary, enter a Max uplink power, an Internal delay and Comments. These fields are for information only
and are not used in calculations.
When the donor is a transmitter, you can see to which base station the repeater is
connected by clicking it; Atoll displays a link to the donor transmitter. You can hide
the link by clicking it again.
When the donor is a repeater or a remote antenna, Atoll displays a spider-type link
showing the entire chain down to the donor transmitter. The same spider-type link
is displayed when you click any of the items belonging to the chain is clicked (i.e.,
donor transmitter, any repeater, or any remote antenna).
You can prevent Atoll from updating the UL and DL total gains of selected repeaters by
creating a custom Boolean field named "FreezeTotalGain" in the Repeaters table and
setting the value of the field to "True." Afterwards, when you select Repeaters > Calculate
Gains from the Transmitters context menu, Atoll will only update the UL and DL total gains
for repeaters with the custom field "FreezeTotalGain" set to "False."
You can update the propagation losses of all off-air repeaters by selecting Repeaters > Calculate Donor Side Propa-
gation Losses from the Transmitters context menu.
You can select a repeater on the map and change its azimuth (see "Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using the
Mouse" on page 57) or its position relative to the site (see "Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site Using
the Mouse" on page 58).
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In calculations, remote antennas are transparent to the donor transmitters and the served
users. For example, smart antennas at donor transmitters target the served users directly
and not the remote antenna that covers the users. This results in a combined signal level
received from the transmitter using the smart antenna and from the remote antenna. If
this approach does not match how your equipment works, you must not assign smart
antennas to transmitters with remote antennas and vice versa. This is also true for MIMO.
General Tab
Name: You can change the Name of the remote antenna. By default, remote antennas are named "SiteX_Y_RepZ"
where "X" is the donor site number, "Y" the donor transmitter number, and "Z" a number assigned to the remote
antenna when it was created.
Donor: Specify whether the donor of the remote antenna is a transmitter, another remote antenna, or a repeater.
Click Browse to access the Properties of the donor.
Site: Specify the site on which the remote antenna is located. Click Browse to access the Properties of the site.
Shared antenna: Specify the identifier (coverage side) of the transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas that are
located at the same site or on sites with the same position and that share an antenna. The identifier must be the same
for all such transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas. When changes are made to the position offset (Dx, Dy), azi-
muth, antenna height, or mechanical tilt of one antenna, Atoll automatically synchronises the same changes to all
other transmitters, repeaters, and remote antennas defined as having a shared antenna.
Antenna position: If the remote antenna is not located exactly on the site, you can specify its location.
Relative to site: Select this option to specify the position of the remote antenna relative to the site itself and then
enter the Dx and Dy offsets.
Coordinates: Select this option to specify the position of the remote antenna by its X and Y absolute coordinates.
Donor Tab
Donor-repeater link: specify Optical fibre link. Specify the total Fibre losses for the link between the donor trans-
mitter and the repeater
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For remote antennas, you must select Optical fibre link. Do not select Air or Microwave
link.
Active: Specify whether the remote antenna is active. Only active remote antennas (displayed in red in the Transmit-
ters folder in the Network explorer) are calculated.
Total gain: Specify the total gain (in downlink and uplink). You can click Calculate to determine the actual gain in both
directions. If you have modified any settings in the General, Donor Side, or Coverage Side tabs, click Apply before
clicking the Calculate button.
In downlink, the total gain is applied to RS, SS, PBCH, PDCCH, and PDSCH powers and EPREs.
In uplink, the total gain is applied to the PUCCH and PUSCH powers.
The total gain takes into account losses between the donor transmitter and the remote antenna, donor characteristics
(donor antenna gain, reception feeder losses), amplifier gain, and coverage characteristics (coverage antenna gain,
transmission feeder losses).
Under Antennas, you can modify the following parameters:
Height/ground: Specify the height of the antenna above the ground. This is added to the altitude of the site as
provided by the DTM. If the remote antenna is located on a building, the height entered must include the height
of building.
Model: Select an antenna model from the list. Click Browse to access the antenna properties.
Click Select to open the Antenna Selection Assistant. This assistant lists all the antennas that match the currently
selected physical antenna and whose minimum and maximum operating frequencies include the operating fre-
quency of the transmitter. For more information, see "Using the Antenna Selection Assistant" on page 158
Mechanical Azimuth, Mechanical Downtilt, Electrical Azimuth, Electrical Downtilt, and Additional electrical
downtilt: Specify the corresponding additional antenna parameters.
Secondary antennas: Select one or more secondary antennas in the Antenna column and enter their Azimuth,
Mechanical downtilt, Additional electrical downtilt, and % Power.
The Additional electrical downtilt can be made available through an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on the effect of additional electrical downtilt on antenna
patterns, see the Technical Reference Guide.
For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
Propagation Tab
Remote antennas are taken into account during calculations in the same way as transmitters. Therefore, you must
specify their propagation parameters. On the Propagation tab, you can modify the Propagation model, Radius, and
Resolution for both the Main matrix and the Extended matrix. By default, the propagation characteristics of the
remote antenna (model, calculation radius, and grid resolution) are the same as those of the donor transmitter. For
information on propagation models, see "Assigning Propagation Parameters" on page 187.
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If you have data in table form, either in another Atoll document or in a spreadsheet, you
can copy this data and paste it into the Remote Antennas table in your current Atoll docu-
ment to create several repeaters. The table you copy data from must have the same
column layout as the table you are pasting data into.
You can also use this method to create a large number of remote antennas in a single oper-
ation.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on
page 82.
Ensure that the remote antennas donor transmitter does not have any antennas.
2. Click the arrow next to New Repeater or Remote Antenna button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
3. Select Remote Antenna from the menu.
4. Click the map to place the remote antenna. The remote antenna is placed on the map, represented by the same
symbol and colour as the donor transmitter. If the remote antenna is inactive, it is displayed by an empty icon. By
default, the remote antenna has the same azimuth as the donor transmitter. Its tip text and label display the same
information as displayed for the donor transmitter. As well, its tip text identifies the remote antenna and the donor
transmitter.
For information on defining the properties of the new remote antenna, see "Modifying the Properties of a Remote
Antenna" on page 874.
When the donor is a transmitter, you can see to which base station the repeater is
connected by clicking it; Atoll displays a link to the donor transmitter. You can hide
the link by clicking it again.
When the donor is a repeater or a remote antenna, Atoll displays a spider-type link
showing the entire chain down to the donor transmitter. The same spider-type link
is displayed when you click any of the items belonging to the chain is clicked (i.e.,
donor transmitter, any repeater, or any remote antenna).
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You can prevent Atoll from updating the UL and DL total gains of selected remote antennas
by creating a custom Boolean field named "FreezeTotalGain" in the Remote Antennas
table and setting the value of the field to "True." Afterwards, when you select Remote
Antennas > Calculate Gains from the Transmitters context menu, Atoll will only update
the UL and DL total gains for remote antennas with the custom field "FreezeTotalGain" set
to "False."
You can select a remote antenna on the map and change its azimuth (see "Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using
the Mouse" on page 57) or its position relative to the site (see "Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site
Using the Mouse" on page 58).
You can click the Calculate Angles button to update the mechanical azimuth and mechan-
ical downtilt values.
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The table you copy data from must have the same column layout as the table you are past-
ing data into.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting in Tables" on page 82.
The General tab allows you to specify the following settings for the prediction:
Name: Specify the assigned Name of the coverage prediction.
Resolution: Specify the display resolution. To improve memory consumption and optimise the calculation times, you
should set the display resolutions of coverage predictions according to the precision required. The following table lists
the levels of precision that are usually sufficient:
City Centre 5m
City 20 m
County 50 m
State 100 m
The resolution specified here is only for display purposes. The calculated resolution is independently specified in the
propagation settings. For more information, see "Assigning Propagation Parameters" on page 187.
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A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the <GUID> and </GUID> tags in the following files:
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion was saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
"<prediction_name>.XML" files (one per prediction) created in the following folder
if coverage predictions were calculated with Display type = "Value intervals":
C:\<path_to_doc>\<doc_name>.studies\{<Unique_ID>}
Receiver height: This displays the height of the receiver defined in the Calculation Parameters tab of the Network
Settings Properties dialog box
Comments: Specify an optional description of comment for the prediction.
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on
filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98. The Group By and Sort buttons are not available when making a "global"
coverage prediction (for example, a signal level coverage prediction).
The coverage prediction parameters on the Conditions tab allow you to define the signals that will be considered for each
pixel.
At the top of the Conditions tab, you can specify the range to be considered for the current prediction.
Server: Select either All, Best Signal Level or Second Best Signal Level:
Select All to consider all servers.
Select Best Signal Level or Second Best Signal Level to also specify an Overlap margin.
Selecting All or Best Signal Level will give you the same results because Atoll displays the results of the best server
in either case. Selecting Best Signal Level requires a longer calculation time.
Shadowing taken into account: Select this option to consider shadowing in the prediction. For more information, see
"Modelling Shadowing in LTE" on page 978. If you select this option, you can change the Cell edge coverage proba-
bility.
Indoor coverage: Select this option to consider indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter class.
Channel: Select All or select one or several channels to carry out the prediction for the best channel among several
selected channels. For any transmitter, the best channel is the one whose cell has the highest maximum power, ref-
erence signal power, or reference signal EPRE depending on the related Atoll.ini options. For more information, see
the Administrator Manual.
For more information, see the following sections:
"Signal Level Coverage Predictions" on page 877
"LTE Coverage Predictions" on page 881
On the Display tab, you can modify how the results of the coverage prediction will be displayed.
Under Display Type, select "Value Intervals."
Under Field, select "Best Signal Level." "Best Signal Level." Selecting "All" or "Best Signal Level" on the Condi-
tions tab will give you the same results because Atoll displays the results of the best server in either case.
Selecting "Best Signal Level" necessitates, however, the longest time for calculation.
You can change the value intervals and their displayed colour. For information on changing display properties,
see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
You can create tip text with information about the coverage prediction by clicking the Browse button next to
the Tip Text box and selecting the fields you want to display in the tip text.
You can select the Add to Legend check box to add the displayed value intervals to the legend.
If you change the display properties of a coverage prediction after you have calculated it,
you can make the coverage prediction invalid. You will then have to recalculate the cover-
age prediction to obtain valid results.
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parameters you want to study, you can create a new coverage prediction more quickly than by creating a coverage prediction.
If you clone a coverage prediction, by selecting Clone from the context menu, you can create a copy of the coverage prediction
with the calculated coverage. You can then change the display, providing that the selected parameter does not invalidate the
calculated coverage prediction.
You can also save the list of all defined coverage predictions in a user configuration, allowing you or other users to load it into
a new Atoll document. When you save the list in a user configuration, the parameters of all existing coverage predictions are
saved; not just the parameters of calculated or displayed ones. For information on exporting user configurations, see "Saving
a User Configuration" on page 102.
The following standard coverage predictions are explained in this section:
"Studying Signal Level Coverage for a Single Base Station" on page 878
"Making a Coverage Prediction by Signal Level" on page 879
"Making a Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on page 879
"Making a Coverage Prediction on Overlapping Zones" on page 880.
Coverage predictions specific to LTE are covered in "LTE Coverage Predictions" on page 881.
You can use the same procedure to study the signal level coverage of several base stations
by grouping the transmitters. For information on grouping transmitters, see "Basic Group-
ing of Data Objects" on page 94.
If you want to study only sites by their status, at this step you could group them by
status.
2. Specify the propagation parameters as explained in "Assigning Propagation Parameters" on page 187.
3. In the LTE Transmitters folder, right-click the group of transmitters that you want to study and select Calculations >
Create a New Prediction from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialog box appears.
The Prediction Types dialog box lists the coverage prediction types available. They are divided into Standard Predic-
tions, supplied with Atoll, and Customised Prediction. Unless you have already created some customised predictions,
the Customised Prediction list will be empty.
4. Select Coverage by Signal Level (DL) and click OK. The Coverage by Signal Level (DL) Properties dialog box appears.
5. Configure the parameters in the Properties dialog box as described in "LTE Prediction Properties" on page 876.
The coverage prediction parameters on the Conditions tab allow you to define the signals that will be considered for
each pixel.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window. The signal level
coverage prediction can be found in the Predictions folder in the Network explorer. Atoll automatically locks the results of a
coverage prediction as soon as it is calculated, as indicated by the icon ( ) beside the coverage prediction in the Predictions
folder. When you click the Calculate button ( ), Atoll only calculates unlocked coverage predictions ( ).
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The coverage prediction parameters on the Conditions tab allow you to define the signals that will be considered for
each pixel.
4. Click the Display tab.
For a coverage prediction by transmitter, the Display type "Discrete values" based on the Field "Transmitter" is
selected by default. Each coverage zone will then be displayed with the same colour as that defined for each transmit-
ter. For information on defining transmitter colours, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
5. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window (see Figure 11.5).
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OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window (see Figure 11.6).
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3. Select Cells > Open Table from the context menu. The Cells table appears.
4. Enter a value in the following columns:
Traffic load (DL) (%)
Cell-edge traffic ratio (DL) (%)
UL noise rise (dB)
ICIC UL noise rise (dB)
Although, you can also set a value for the Traffic load (UL) (%) column as an indication of cells uplink loads, this param-
eter is not used in the coverage prediction calculations. The measure of interference in the uplink is given by the uplink
noise rise values. For a definition of the values, see "Cell Properties" on page 850.
To enter the same values in one column for all cells in the table:
1. Enter the value in the first row in the column.
2. Select the entire column.
3. Right-click the selection and select Edit > Fill Down from the context menu or click the button Fill Down ( ) in the
Table toolbar to copy the contents of the top cell of the selection into the other cells.
If you want to copy the contents of the last cell in the selection into all other cells, you can
right-click the selection and select Edit > Fill Up from the context menu or click the Fill Up
button ( ) in the Table toolbar. For more information on working with tables in Atoll, see
"Data Tables" on page 75.
11.2.11.3.2 Studying LTE-Specific Signal Levels, Best Servers, and Cell Edge Areas
Downlink and uplink effective signal analysis coverage predictions predict the effective signal levels of different types of LTE
signals, such as reference signals, SS, PBCH, PDCCH, PDSCH, and PUSCH, in the part of the network being studied. These predic-
tions can also be used to predict the best servers and cell-edge areas for these servers. This section explains the effective
signal analysis coverage predictions.
Atoll determines the serving cell for each pixel using the standard cell selection mechanism (see the Technical Reference
Guide). Then, depending on the prediction definition, it calculates the required effective signal or parameter. Pixels are
coloured if the display threshold condition is fulfilled.
To make an effective signal analysis coverage prediction:
1. In the Network explorer, right-click the Predictions folder and select New Prediction from the context menu. The
Prediction Types dialog box appears.
2. Select Effective Signal Analysis (DL) or Effective Signal Analysis (UL) and click OK. The coverage predictions Proper-
ties dialog box appears.
3. Configure the parameters in the Properties dialog box as described in "LTE Prediction Properties" on page 876.
4. Click the Conditions tab.
a. Select "(Cells table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not based on load conditions
taken from a simulation. The coverage prediction is calculated using the cell load that is stored in the cell proper-
ties.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simu-
lations on which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load con-
ditions list.
The Effective Signal Analysis (DL) and Effective Signal Analysis (UL) coverage pre-
dictions use load conditions to calculate interference for diversity mode selection
if the SU-MIMO criterion, MU-MIMO criterion, or AAS criterion, in the Advanced
Parameters dialog box of the LTE Network Settings, is based on C/(I+N).
The uplink signal level calculation in Effective Signal Analysis (UL) coverage predic-
tions also depends on the load conditions due to uplink power control.
b. Select the network Layers that you want the calculations to take into account. You can also calculate the predic-
tion for all layers.
c. Select the frequency Channels that you want the calculations to take into account. You can also calculate the pre-
diction for all channels.
d. Select the Cell type, LTE/LTE-A PCell or an LTE-A SCell, for which you want to calculate the coverage prediction.
e. Select a Terminal, a Mobility type, and a Service. The Noise figure defined in the terminal types properties dialog
box is used in the coverage prediction to determine the total noise in the downlink, and the Noise figure of the
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transmitter is used to determine the total noise in the uplink. For more information on services, terminals, mobil-
ity types, and reception equipment, see "Service and User Modelling" on page 241, and "Defining LTE Reception
Equipment" on page 969, respectively.
If the selected terminal supports CoMP, the coverage prediction considers the coordinated multipoint transmis-
sion and reception characteristics of the CoMP set definitions of the cells.
For coordinated scheduling, interference from coordinated CoMP cells is weighted by the CoMP collision prob-
ability.
For coherent joint transmission, signals from CoMP servers are constructively combined resulting in an addi-
tive as well as probabilistic macro-diversity gain.
For non-coherent joint transmission, the CoMP servers allocate resources to the CoMP user resulting in aggre-
gated throughput.
For dynamic point selection, a macro-diversity gain is calculated and applied to reduce the required shadowing
margin. For more information, see the Technical Reference Guide.
f. If you want the coverage prediction to consider shadowing, select the Shadowing taken into account check box
and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box. The shadowing margin is based on the C/I
standard deviation.
g. You can also have the coverage prediction take Indoor coverage into consideration. Indoor losses are defined per
frequency per clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab.
a. From the Display type list of an Effective Signal Analysis (DL) coverage prediction, select "Value intervals" to dis-
play the coverage prediction by RSRP, signal levels, C/N levels, or cell edge margin, or select "Discrete values" to
display the coverage prediction by transmitter, cell-edge areas, CoMP sets, or number of CoMP servers.
b. From the Display type list of an Effective Signal Analysis (UL) coverage prediction, select "Value intervals" to dis-
play the coverage prediction by PUSCH & PUCCH signal level or C/N level, or select "Discrete values" to display the
coverage prediction by CoMP sets or number of CoMP servers.
For information on adjusting the display, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window (see Figure 11.7 and
Figure 11.8).
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A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the <GUID> and </GUID> tags in the following files:
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion was saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
"<prediction_name>.XML" files (one per prediction) created in the following folder
if coverage predictions were calculated with Display type = "Value intervals":
C:\<path_to_doc>\<doc_name>.studies\{<Unique_ID>}
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on
filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98.
4. Click the Conditions tab. On the Conditions tab:
a. Select "(Cells table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going to be based on load
conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the cell loads stored in the
cell properties.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load conditions list.
b. Select the network Layers that you want the calculations to take into account. You can also calculate the predic-
tion for all layers.
c. Select the frequency Channels that you want the calculations to take into account. You can also calculate the pre-
diction for all channels.
d. Select the Cell type, LTE/LTE-A PCell or an LTE-A SCell, for which you want to calculate the coverage prediction.
e. Select a Terminal, a Mobility type, and a Service. The Noise figure defined in the terminal types properties dialog
box is used in the coverage prediction to determine the total noise in the downlink, and the Noise figure of the
transmitter is used to determine the total noise in the uplink. For more information on services, terminals, mobil-
ity types, and reception equipment, see "Service and User Modelling" on page 241, and "Defining LTE Reception
Equipment" on page 969, respectively.
If the selected terminal supports CoMP, the coverage prediction considers the coordinated multipoint transmis-
sion and reception characteristics of the CoMP set definitions of the cells.
For coordinated scheduling, interference from coordinated CoMP cells is weighted by the CoMP collision prob-
ability.
For coherent joint transmission, signals from CoMP servers are constructively combined resulting in an addi-
tive as well as probabilistic macro-diversity gain.
For non-coherent joint transmission, the CoMP servers allocate resources to the CoMP user resulting in aggre-
gated throughput.
For dynamic point selection, a macro-diversity gain is calculated and applied to reduce the required shadowing
margin. For more information, see the Technical Reference Guide.
f. If you want the coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account
check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box. The shadowing margin is based
on the C/I standard deviation.
g. You can also have the coverage prediction take Indoor coverage into consideration. Indoor losses are defined per
frequency per clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab.
6. From the Display type list, select "Value intervals" to display the coverage prediction by RSRQ, RSSI, C/(I+N) levels, or
total noise (I+N) levels.
For information on adjusting the display, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
You can also display the uplink C/(I+N) for all frequency blocks, i.e., without uplink bandwidth reduction, by setting
the Uplink bandwidth allocation target to Full bandwidth for the scheduler being used and then selecting the display
option PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) Level (UL). For more information on schedulers, see "Defining LTE Schedulers" on
page 972.
7. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
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The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window (see Figure 11.9 and
Figure 11.10).
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3. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the assigned Name of the coverage prediction, the Reso-
lution, and you can add a Comment. The Receiver height corresponds to the height of the receiver defined in the Cal-
culation Parameters tab of the LTE Network Settings Properties dialog box.
A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the <GUID> and </GUID> tags in the following files:
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion was saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
"<prediction_name>.XML" files (one per prediction) created in the following folder
if coverage predictions were calculated with Display type = "Value intervals":
C:\<path_to_doc>\<doc_name>.studies\{<Unique_ID>}
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on
filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98.
4. Click the Conditions tab. On the Conditions tab:
a. Select "(Cells table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going to be based on load
conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the cell loads stored in the
cell properties.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load conditions list.
b. Select the network Layers that you want the calculations to take into account. You can also calculate the predic-
tion for all layers.
c. Select the frequency Channels that you want the calculations to take into account. You can also calculate the pre-
diction for all channels.
d. Select the Cell type, LTE/LTE-A PCell or an LTE-A SCell, for which you want to calculate the coverage prediction.
e. Select a Terminal, a Mobility type, and a Service. The Noise figure defined in the terminal types properties dialog
box is used in the coverage prediction to determine the total noise in the downlink, and the Noise figure of the
transmitter is used to determine the total noise in the uplink. As well, the bearer selection for each pixel according
to the C(I+N) level is performed using the bearer selection thresholds defined in the reception equipment. This
reception equipment is the one defined in the selected terminal for the downlink coverage predictions, and the
one defined in the cell properties of the serving transmitter for the uplink coverage predictions. Mobility is used
to index the bearer selection threshold graph to use.
You can make Atoll use only the bearers for which selection thresholds are defined in both
the terminals and the cells reception equipment by adding an option in the Atoll.ini file.
For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on services, terminals, mobility types, and reception equipment, see "Service and User
Modelling" on page 241, and "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 969, respectively.
If the selected terminal supports CoMP, the coverage prediction considers the coordinated multipoint transmis-
sion and reception characteristics of the CoMP set definitions of the cells.
For coordinated scheduling, interference from coordinated CoMP cells is weighted by the CoMP collision prob-
ability.
For coherent joint transmission, signals from CoMP servers are constructively combined resulting in an addi-
tive as well as probabilistic macro-diversity gain.
For non-coherent joint transmission, the CoMP servers allocate resources to the CoMP user resulting in aggre-
gated throughput.
For dynamic point selection, a macro-diversity gain is calculated and applied to reduce the required shadowing
margin. For more information, see the Technical Reference Guide.
f. If you want the coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account
check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box. The shadowing margin is based
on the C/I standard deviation.
g. You can also have the coverage prediction take Indoor coverage into consideration. Indoor losses are defined per
frequency per clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab.
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depends upon the bearer selection thresholds of the highest and lowest bearers defined in the properties of the service
selected for the prediction.
To make an effective service area coverage prediction:
1. In the Network explorer, right-click the Predictions folder and select New Prediction from the context menu. The
Prediction Types dialog box appears.
2. Select Effective Service Area Analysis (DL+UL) and click OK. The coverage predictions Properties dialog box appears.
3. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the assigned Name of the coverage prediction, the Reso-
lution, and you can add a Comment. The Receiver height corresponds to the height of the receiver defined in the Cal-
culation Parameters tab of the LTE Network Settings Properties dialog box.
A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the <GUID> and </GUID> tags in the following files:
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion was saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
"<prediction_name>.XML" files (one per prediction) created in the following folder
if coverage predictions were calculated with Display type = "Value intervals":
C:\<path_to_doc>\<doc_name>.studies\{<Unique_ID>}
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on
filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98.
4. Click the Conditions tab. On the Conditions tab:
a. Select "(Cells table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going to be based on load
conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the cell loads stored in the
cell properties.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load conditions list.
b. Select the network Layers that you want the calculations to take into account. You can also calculate the predic-
tion for all layers.
c. Select the frequency Channels that you want the calculations to take into account. You can also calculate the pre-
diction for all channels.
d. Select the Cell type, LTE/LTE-A PCell or an LTE-A SCell, for which you want to calculate the coverage prediction.
e. Select a Terminal, a Mobility type, and a Service. The Noise figure defined in the terminal types properties dialog
box is used in the coverage prediction to determine the total noise in the downlink, and the Noise figure of the
transmitter is used to determine the total noise in the uplink. As well, the bearer selection for each pixel according
to the C(I+N) level is performed using the bearer selection thresholds defined in the reception equipment. This
reception equipment is the one defined in the selected terminal for the downlink coverage predictions, and the
one defined in the cell properties of the serving transmitter for the uplink coverage predictions. Mobility is used
to index the bearer selection threshold graph to use.
You can make Atoll use only the bearers for which selection thresholds are defined in both
the terminals and the cells reception equipment by adding an option in the Atoll.ini file.
For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on services, terminals, mobility types, and reception equipment, see "Service and User
Modelling" on page 241, and "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 969, respectively.
If the selected terminal supports CoMP, the coverage prediction considers the coordinated multipoint transmis-
sion and reception characteristics of the CoMP set definitions of the cells.
For coordinated scheduling, interference from coordinated CoMP cells is weighted by the CoMP collision prob-
ability.
For coherent joint transmission, signals from CoMP servers are constructively combined resulting in an addi-
tive as well as probabilistic macro-diversity gain.
For non-coherent joint transmission, the CoMP servers allocate resources to the CoMP user resulting in aggre-
gated throughput.
For dynamic point selection, a macro-diversity gain is calculated and applied to reduce the required shadowing
margin. For more information, see the Technical Reference Guide.
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f. If you want the coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account
check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box. The shadowing margin is based
on the C/I standard deviation.
g. You can also have the coverage prediction take Indoor coverage into consideration. Indoor losses are defined per
frequency per clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab.
For an effective service area prediction, the Display type "Unique" is selected by default. The coverage prediction will
display where a service is available in both downlink and uplink. For information on defining display properties, see
"Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
When creating a coverage prediction by unique values, you can not export the values per
pixel.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the <GUID> and </GUID> tags in the following files:
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion was saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
"<prediction_name>.XML" files (one per prediction) created in the following folder
if coverage predictions were calculated with Display type = "Value intervals":
C:\<path_to_doc>\<doc_name>.studies\{<Unique_ID>}
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on
filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98.
6. Click the Conditions tab. On the Conditions tab:
a. Select "(Cells table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going to be based on load
conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the cell loads stored in the
cell properties.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load conditions list.
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b. Select the network Layers that you want the calculations to take into account. You can also calculate the predic-
tion for all layers.
c. Select the frequency Channels that you want the calculations to take into account. You can also calculate the pre-
diction for all channels.
d. Select the Cell type, LTE/LTE-A PCell or an LTE-A SCell, for which you want to calculate the coverage prediction.
For carrier aggregation, i.e., throughput aggregated over different carriers, select more than one Cell type.
e. Select a Terminal, a Mobility type, and a Service. The Noise figure defined in the terminal types properties dialog
box is used in the coverage prediction to determine the total noise in the downlink, and the Noise figure of the
transmitter is used to determine the total noise in the uplink. As well, the bearer selection for each pixel according
to the C(I+N) level is performed using the bearer selection thresholds defined in the reception equipment. This
reception equipment is the one defined in the selected terminal for the downlink coverage predictions, and the
one defined in the cell properties of the serving transmitter for the uplink coverage predictions. Mobility is used
to index the bearer selection threshold graph to use.
You can make Atoll use only the bearers for which selection thresholds are defined in both
the terminals and the cells reception equipment by adding an option in the Atoll.ini file.
For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on services, terminals, mobility types, and reception equipment, see "Service and User
Modelling" on page 241, and "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 969, respectively.
If the selected terminal supports CoMP, the coverage prediction considers the coordinated multipoint transmis-
sion and reception characteristics of the CoMP set definitions of the cells.
For coordinated scheduling, interference from coordinated CoMP cells is weighted by the CoMP collision prob-
ability.
For coherent joint transmission, signals from CoMP servers are constructively combined resulting in an addi-
tive as well as probabilistic macro-diversity gain.
For non-coherent joint transmission, the CoMP servers allocate resources to the CoMP user resulting in aggre-
gated throughput.
For dynamic point selection, a macro-diversity gain is calculated and applied to reduce the required shadowing
margin. For more information, see the Technical Reference Guide.
f. If you want the coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account
check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box. The shadowing margin is based
on the C/I standard deviation.
g. You can also have the coverage prediction take Indoor coverage into consideration. Indoor losses are defined per
frequency per clutter class.
7. Click the Display tab.
8. From the Display type list, select "Value intervals" to display the coverage prediction by peak RLC, effective RLC, or
application throughputs.
For information on adjusting the display, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
9. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Atoll determines the total number of symbols in the downlink and the uplink frames from the information in the global trans-
mitter parameters and the frequency bands that are assigned to cells. Then, it determines the bearer at each pixel and multi-
plies the bearer efficiency by the number of symbols in the frame to determine the peak RLC channel throughputs. The
amount of cell resources, especially at cell-edges, depends on the cell ABS pattern as well as on the number of cells cell-edge
resource blocks defined for frequency-domain (Static DL and Static UL) inter-cell interference coordination in the cells frame
configuration.
The effective RLC throughputs are the peak RLC throughputs reduced by retransmission due to errors, or the Block Error Rate
(BLER). Atoll uses the block error rate graphs of the reception equipment defined in the selected terminal for downlink or the
reception equipment of the cell of the serving transmitter for uplink.
The application throughput is the effective RLC throughput reduced by the overheads of the different layers between the RLC
and the Application layers.
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The cell capacity display types let you calculate and display the throughputs available at each pixel of the coverage area taking
into account the maximum traffic load limits set for each cell. In other words, the cell capacity is equal to channel throughput
when the maximum traffic load is set to 100 %, and is equal to a throughput limited by the maximum allowed traffic loads
otherwise. Cell capacities are, therefore, channel throughputs scaled down to respect the maximum traffic load limits.
The per-user throughput in downlink is calculated by dividing the downlink cell capacity by the number of downlink users of
the serving cell. In uplink, the per-user throughput is either the allocated bandwidth throughput or the uplink cell capacity
divided by the number of uplink users of the serving cell, whichever it smaller.
The allocated bandwidth throughputs are the throughputs corresponding to the number of frequency blocks allocated to the
terminal at different locations. Users located far from the base stations use less numbers of frequency blocks than users
located near so that they can concentrate their transmission power over a bandwidth narrower than the channel bandwidth
in order to maintain the connection in uplink.
For more information on throughput calculation, see the Technical Reference Guide. For more information on the Global
Parameters, see "Global Network Settings" on page 963.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the <GUID> and </GUID> tags in the following files:
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion was saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
"<prediction_name>.XML" files (one per prediction) created in the following folder
if coverage predictions were calculated with Display type = "Value intervals":
C:\<path_to_doc>\<doc_name>.studies\{<Unique_ID>}
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. For information on
filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98.
4. Click the Conditions tab. On the Conditions tab:
a. Select "(Cells table)" from Load conditions. In this case, the coverage prediction is not going to be based on load
conditions taken from a simulation. Atoll will calculate the coverage prediction using the cell loads stored in the
cell properties.
When you base a coverage prediction on simulations, you would select the simulations on
which you would be basing the coverage prediction from the Load conditions list.
b. Select the network Layers that you want the calculations to take into account. You can also calculate the predic-
tion for all layers.
c. Select the frequency Channels that you want the calculations to take into account. You can also calculate the pre-
diction for all channels.
d. Select the Cell type, LTE/LTE-A PCell or an LTE-A SCell, for which you want to calculate the coverage prediction.
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e. Select a Terminal, a Mobility type, and a Service. The Noise figure defined in the terminal types properties dialog
box is used in the coverage prediction to determine the total noise in the downlink, and the Noise figure of the
transmitter is used to determine the total noise in the uplink. As well, the bearer selection for each pixel according
to the C(I+N) level is performed using the bearer selection thresholds defined in the reception equipment, and
the quality indicator graphs from the reception equipment are used to determine the values of the selected qual-
ity indicator on each pixel. This reception equipment is the one defined in the selected terminal for the downlink
coverage predictions, and the one defined in the cell properties of the serving transmitter for the uplink coverage
predictions. Mobility is used to index the bearer selection threshold graph to use.
You can make Atoll use only the bearers for which selection thresholds are defined in both
the terminals and the cells reception equipment by adding an option in the Atoll.ini file.
For more information, see the Administrator Manual.
For more information on services, terminals, mobility types, and reception equipment, see "Service and User
Modelling" on page 241, and "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 969, respectively.
If the selected terminal supports CoMP, the coverage prediction considers the coordinated multipoint transmis-
sion and reception characteristics of the CoMP set definitions of the cells.
For coordinated scheduling, interference from coordinated CoMP cells is weighted by the CoMP collision prob-
ability.
For coherent joint transmission, signals from CoMP servers are constructively combined resulting in an addi-
tive as well as probabilistic macro-diversity gain.
For non-coherent joint transmission, the CoMP servers allocate resources to the CoMP user resulting in aggre-
gated throughput.
For dynamic point selection, a macro-diversity gain is calculated and applied to reduce the required shadowing
margin. For more information, see the Technical Reference Guide.
f. If you want the coverage prediction to consider shadowing, you can select the Shadowing taken into account
check box and enter a percentage in the Cell edge coverage probability text box. The shadowing margin is based
on the C/I standard deviation.
g. You can also have the coverage prediction take Indoor coverage into consideration. Indoor losses are defined per
frequency per clutter class.
5. Click the Display tab.
You can choose between displaying results by BER, BLER, FER, or any other quality indicator that you might have
added to the document. For more information, see "Defining LTE Quality Indicators" on page 968. The coverage
prediction results will be in the form of thresholds. For information on adjusting the display, see "Setting the Display
Properties of Objects" on page 51.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and calculate it
later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate it later clicking the
Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window (see Figure 11.15 and
Figure 11.16).
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On the map, the pointer changes ( ) to represent the receiver. You can move the receiver to change the current
position or right-click the receiver to choose one of the following commands from the context menu:
Coordinates: Select Coordinates to change the receiver position by entering new XY coordinates.
Centre on a Site: Select a site from the list to place the receiver directly on a site.
2. In the Point Analysis window, select the Reception view.
Select the load conditions to use in this analysis The RSRP from the servers and interferers.
from simulations or from the Cells table. Solid bars indicate RSRP above the mini-
mum RSRP.
The connection
status for the
current point.
Successful
Failed
3. Move the pointer ( ) over the map to move the reception analysis point.
In the map window, arrows from the pointer to each transmitter are displayed in the colour of the transmitters they
represent. The line from the pointer to its best server is slightly thicker than the other lines. The best server of the
pointer is the transmitter from which the pointer receives the highest RSRP or reference signal level.
4. In the Reception view toolbar, in the Load list, select the "Cells table" load condition.
The bar graph displays the following information:
The RS, SS, or PDSCH signal levels, or the RSRP (depending on the selection made from the Display list) from dif-
ferent transmitters (the colour of the bar corresponds to the colour of the transmitter on the map). For coherent
joint transmission CoMP, the signals from all the servers are combined hence the same value is displayed for all
the servers.
The minimum RSRP: The empty portion of the bar indicates signal levels below the minimum RSRP.
The availability of reference signal coverage, and service in downlink and uplink.
If there is at least one successful connection (for reference signals, downlink, or uplink), double-clicking the icons in
the right-hand frame opens a dialog box with additional information with respect to the best server:
RS: Azimuth and tilt of the receiver, total losses, received reference signal power, reference signal C/(I+N), RSRP,
RSRQ, RSSI.
Downlink: Diversity mode, CoMP set, CoMP mode, CoMP collision probability, CoMP macro-diversity gain, list of
CoMP servers, received powers of the downlink channels, received total noise on the downlink channels, C/(I+N)
of the downlink channels, bearer, channel throughputs, cell capacities, and per-user throughputs.
Uplink: Diversity mode, CoMP set, CoMP mode, CoMP collision probability, list of CoMP servers, received powers
of the uplink channels, transmission power, allocated bandwidth, total noise on the uplink channels, C/(I+N) of the
uplink channels, bearer, channel throughputs, cell capacities, allocated bandwidth throughputs, and per-user
throughputs.
5. Select one of the bars in the bar graph to display the connection status for the corresponding cell in the right-hand
column.
6. If you are analysing reception to verify a coverage prediction, you can recreate the conditions of the coverage predic-
tion by specifying the parameters of the study:
a. If necessary, in Layer and Channel, specify a layer and channel filter for the serving cells.
b. Select the same Terminal, Mobility, and Service as studied in the coverage prediction.
c. In the Reception view toolbar, click the Options button ( ). The Calculation Options dialog box appears.
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Edit the X and Y coordinates to change the current position of the receiver.
Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
Select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter
class.
d. Click OK to close the Calculation Options dialog box.
7. Click the map to leave the point analysis pointer at its current position. To move the pointer again, click the point anal-
ysis pointer on the map and drag it to a new position.
8. If you want to generate a report that contains the information from the point analysis window, click the Report button
( ) in the Reception view toolbar. The Analysis Report dialog box opens.
For an LTE-A terminal connected to more than one LTE-A cell, the report contains all the above-mentioned informa-
tion for all the servers as well as aggregated throughput values combining the throughputs provided by all the servers.
9. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar again to end the point analysis.
If you want to get the details about the servers and interferers in the form of a table, you can use the Details view of the Point
Analysis tool (see "Obtaining Numerical Values of Signal Levels and Interference" on page 899).
You can display a point analysis that uses the settings from an existing prediction by
right-clicking the prediction in the Network explorer and selecting Point Analysis from
the context menu.
On the map, the pointer changes ( ) to represent the receiver. You can move the receiver to change the current
position or right-click the receiver to choose one of the following commands from the context menu:
Coordinates: Select Coordinates to change the receiver position by entering new XY coordinates.
Target Site: Select a site from the list to place the receiver directly on a site.
2. In the Point Analysis window, select the Interference view.
Select the load conditions to use in this analysis The signal level from the best server (top-
from simulations or from the Cells table. most bar), total noise (black bar), and inter-
ference from other cells.
3. Move the pointer ( ) over the map to move the interference analysis point.
In the map window, a thick arrow from the pointer to its best server is displayed. The best server of the pointer is the
transmitter from which the pointer receives the highest RSRP or reference signal level. Thinner arrows are also
displayed from the interfering cells towards the pointer, indicating the interferers. If you let the pointer rest on an
arrow, the interference level received from the corresponding transmitter at the receiver location will be displayed in
the tip text.
4. In the Interference view toolbar, in the Load list, select the "Cells table" load condition.
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The Interference view displays a bar graph showing the signal level from the best server, a black bar indicating the
total noise (I+N) received by the receiver, and the interference received from each interferer. If you let the pointer
rest on a bar, details are displayed in the tip text:
For the best server: Name, received signal level, and C/(I+N).
For the total noise (I+N): The values of each component, i.e., I, N, and the downlink inter-technology noise rise.
For each interferer: The effective interference and the various interference reduction factors.
5. Select Inter-technology interference to display interference from other technologies. The Interference bar graph dis-
plays the interference received from each inter-technology interferer. Disable Inter-technology interference to dis-
play intra-technology interference only.
6. In the Interference view toolbar, in the Display list, select the channel on which you want to study the interference.
7. If you are analysing interference to verify a coverage prediction, you can recreate the conditions of the coverage pre-
diction by specifying the parameters of the study:
a. If necessary, in Layer and Channel, specify a layer and channel filter for the serving cells.
b. Select the same Terminal, Mobility, and Service as studied in the coverage prediction.
c. In the Reception view toolbar, click the Options button ( ). The Calculation Options dialog box appears.
Edit the X and Y coordinates to change the current position of the receiver.
Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
Select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter
class.
d. Click OK to close the Calculation Options dialog box.
8. Click the map to leave the point analysis pointer at its current position. To move the pointer again, click the point anal-
ysis pointer on the map and drag it to a new position.
9. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar again to end the point analysis.
You can display a point analysis that uses the settings from an existing prediction by
right-clicking the prediction in the Network explorer and selecting Open Point Analysis
from the context menu.
On the map, the pointer changes ( ) to represent the receiver. You can move the receiver to change the current
position or right-click the receiver to choose one of the following commands from the context menu:
Coordinates: Select Coordinates to change the receiver position by entering new XY coordinates.
Target Site: Select a site from the list to place the receiver directly on a site.
2. In the Point Analysis window, select the Details view.
The Details view displays the following information in the form of a table:
Cell: The name of the cell from which the received signal levels are displayed. The cells are listed in decreasing
order of RSRP. The first row of the table is displayed in bold and italic indicating the best server of the pointer on
the map.
Distance (m): The distance from the cell to the current location of the pointer on the map.
Physical Cell ID: The physical cell ID of the cell.
ICIC Zone: Whether the pointer is located within the cell-centre or the cell-edge of its best serving cell.
Diversity Mode (DL): The diversity mode currently selected by the best server for the pointer in downlink.
Path Loss (dB): The path loss between the receiver and the cell.
Received RS Power (dBm): The received reference power from the cell.
RSRP (DL) (dBm): The RSRP received from the cell.
RSSI (DL) (dBm): The RSSI received at the receiver location.
Received PDCCH Power (dBm): The received PDCCH power from the cell.
Received PDCCH EPRE (dBm): The received energy per PDCCH resource element from the cell.
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Received PDSCH Power (dBm): The received PDSCH power from the cell.
Received PDSCH EPRE (dBm): The received energy per PDSCH resource element from the cell.
Received SS Power (dBm): The received SS power from the cell.
Received SS EPRE (dBm): The received energy per SS resource element from the cell.
Received PBCH Power (dBm): The received PBCH power from the cell.
Received PBCH EPRE (dBm): The received energy per PBCH resource element from the cell.
Atoll lists all the cells from which the pointer receives an RSRP higher than the Min RSRP defined for these cells.
3. Move the pointer ( ) over the map to move the detailed analysis point.
In the map window, a thick arrow from the pointer to its best server is displayed. The best server of the pointer is the
transmitter from which the pointer receives the highest RSRP or reference signal level. Thinner arrows are also
displayed from the interfering cells towards the pointer, indicating the interferers. If you let the pointer rest on an
arrow, the interference level received on the reference signals from the corresponding transmitter at the receiver
location will be displayed in the tip text.
4. In the Details view toolbar, in the Load list, select the "Cells table" load condition.
5. If you are analysing interference to verify a coverage prediction, you can recreate the conditions of the coverage pre-
diction by specifying the parameters of the study:
a. If necessary, in Layer and Channel, specify a layer and channel filter for the serving cells.
b. Select the same Terminal, Mobility, and Service as studied in the coverage prediction.
c. Select Inter-technology interference to display interference from other technologies.
d. Select Show interferers only to hide cells that do not interfere in the Details table.
e. In the Reception view toolbar, click the Options button ( ). The Calculation Options dialog box appears.
Edit the X and Y coordinates to change the current position of the receiver.
Select the Shadowing taken into account check box and enter a Cell edge coverage probability.
Select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter
class.
f. Click OK to close the Calculation Options dialog box.
6. Click the map to leave the point analysis pointer at its current position. To move the pointer again, click the point anal-
ysis pointer on the map and drag it to a new position.
7. To add or remove columns from the detailed report:
a. Click the Display Columns button ( ) in the Details view toolbar. The Columns to be Displayed dialog box opens.
b. Select or clear the columns that you want to display or hide.
c. Click Close.
The additional columns include:
CoMP Set (DL): The name of the CoMP set to which the receiver is connected.
RS C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The RS C/(I+N) received from the cell.
RSRQ (DL) (dB): The RSRQ received from the cell.
RS Interference (dBm): The interference received from various downlink channels of the interfering cell on the
reference signals of the best server.
PDCCH Interference (dBm): The interference received from various downlink channels of the interfering cell on
the PDCCH of the best server.
PDSCH Interference (dBm): The interference received from various downlink channels of the interfering cell on
the PDSCH of the best server.
SS Interference (dBm): The interference received from the SS of the interfering cell on the SS of the best server.
PBCH Interference (dBm): The interference received from the PBCH of the interfering cell on the PBCH of the best
server.
PDSCH AAS Interference (dBm): The interference received from the angular interference distribution diagram of
the interfering cell on the PDSCH of the best server.
Channel Overlap Factor (dB): The co- and adjacent channel overlap between the frequency channel used by the
interfering cell and the best server.
Collision Probability (%): The inter-cell interference coordination collision probability between the interfering cell
which is not synchronised with the best server.
The interference values displayed for the best server (first row) are the sum of all the interference levels from all the
interfering cells listed in the following rows.
To display only interfering cells for the pointer on the map (cells whose C/N is above the Min Interferer C/N Threshold
defined in the Calculation Parameters tab of the LTE Network Settings Properties dialog box), select the Show inter-
ferers only check box.
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8. Click the Point Analysis button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar again to end the point analysis.
You can display a point analysis that uses the settings from an existing prediction by right-
clicking the prediction in the Network explorer and selecting Open Point Analysis from the
context menu.
The General tab allows you to specify the following settings for the multi-point analysis:
Name: Specify the assigned Name of the coverage prediction.
Comments: Specify an optional description of comment for the prediction.
The load condition parameters on the Conditions tab allow you to define the signals that will be considered for each pixel.
Load conditions: Select "(Cells table)" to calculate the multi-point analysis using the load conditions defined in the
cells table. Select a simulation or a group of simulations to calculate the multi-point analysis using the load conditions
calculated by Monte Carlo simulations.
Shadowing taken into account: Select this option to consider shadowing in the prediction. For more information, see
"Modelling Shadowing in LTE" on page 978. If you select this option, you can change the Cell edge coverage proba-
bility.
Indoor coverage: Select this option to consider indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per clutter class.
The Points tab displays a table containing each point of the point-analysis. You can use this table to import and create points
or to export a list of points.
Position Id: The indexes of the points used for the multi-point analysis.
X and Y: The coordinates of the points used for the multi-point analysis.
Height (m): The height of the points used for the multi-point analysis.
Service: The services assigned to the points used for the multi-point analysis.
Terminal: The terminals assigned to the points used for the multi-point analysis.
Mobility: The mobility types assigned to the points used for the multi-point analysis.
On the Display tab, you can modify how the results of the coverage prediction will be displayed. For information on changing
display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
If you change the display properties of a multi-point analysis after you have calculated it,
you can make the analysis invalid. You will then have to recalculate the multi-point analysis
to obtain valid results.
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The list of points must have the same coordinate system as the display coordinate system
used in the Atoll document. For more information on coordinate systems, see "Setting a
Coordinate System" on page 41.
Create points in the list by editing the table. You can add new points by clicking the New Row icon ( ) and
entering X and Y coordinates as well as a service, a terminal, and a mobility.
4. On the Display tab, specify how to display multi-point analysis results on the map according to any input or calculated
parameter. For more information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on
page 51.
5. Once you have defined the multi-point analysis parameters, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and
calculate it later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the multi-point analysis and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the multi-point analysis without calculating it. You can calculate it later by opening the multi-
point analysis properties and clicking the Calculate button.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the multi-point analysis, the results are displayed in the map window. You can also access
the analysis results in a table format. For more information, see "Accessing Multi-point Analysis Results" on page 903.
You can also organise multi-point analyses in folders under the Multi-point Analysis folder by creating folders under the
Multi-point Analysis folder in the Network explorer. Folders may contain one or more multi-point analyses items. You can
move multi-point analyses items from one folder to another and rename folders.
You can also export the list of point from a multi-point analysis to ASCII text files (TXT and
CSV formats) and MS Excel XML Spreadsheet files (XML format) by selecting Actions >
Export Table. For more information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text
Files and Spreadsheets" on page 85.
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2. Move the mouse over the map window and click once to create each point you want to add.
3. Press ESC or click the Pointer button ( ) in the Map toolbar to finish adding points.
To place points more accurately, before clicking the map, you can zoom in on the map. For
information on using the zooming tools, see "Changing the Map Scale" on page 60.
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PDSCH AAS Interference (dBm): The interference received from the angular interference distribution diagram of
interfering cells on the PDSCH of the best server.
Channel Overlap Factor (dB): The co- and adjacent channel overlap between the frequency channel used by inter-
fering cells and the best server.
Collision Probability (%): The inter-cell interference coordination collision probability between interfering cells
which is not synchronised with the best server.
The interference values displayed for the best server (first row) are the sum of all the interference levels of all the
interfering cells listed in the following rows.
You can export the multi-point analysis results table to ASCII text files (TXT and CSV
formats) and MS Excel XML Spreadsheet files (XML format) by selecting Actions > Export.
For more information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and
Spreadsheets" on page 85.
3. Click Close.
Figure 11.20: LTE handover area between a reference cell and a potential neighbour
In this section, only the following concepts that are specific to automatic neighbour allocation in LTE networks are explained:
"Coverage Conditions" on page 904
"Calculation Constraints" on page 905
"Reasons for Allocation" on page 905
For general information on neighbour planning in Atoll, see "Neighbour Planning" on page 223:
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Indoor Coverage: Select this option to take indoor losses into account in calculations. Indoor losses are defined
per frequency per clutter class.
The neighbour relation fulfils the defined coverage Use coverage conditions is selected
Coverage
conditions and nothing is selected under Force
The neighbour is located on the same site as the Use coverage conditions
Co-Site
reference cell and Co-site cells as neighbours is selected
The neighbour relation between the reference cell Use coverage conditions is selected
Symmetry
and the neighbour is symmetrical and Symmetric relations is selected
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Once the AFP input elements have been set up, the AFP can be used for:
"Planning Frequencies" on page 909
"Planning Physical Cell IDs" on page 911
"Planning PRACH RSIs" on page 913.
Once you have completed an automatic allocation, you can analyse the results with the tools that Atoll provides:
"Displaying AFP Results on the Map" on page 915
"Analysing AFP Results" on page 917.
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4. Double-click the domain to which you want to add a group. The domains Properties dialog box appears.
5. Under Groups, enter the following information for each group you want to create.
Group: Enter a name for the new physical cell ID group.
Min.: Enter the lowest available physical cell ID in this groups range.
Max: Enter the highest available physical cell ID in this groups range.
Step: Enter the separation interval between each physical cell ID.
Excluded: Enter the physical cell ID in this range that you do not want to use.
Extra: Enter any additional physical cell ID (i.e., outside the range defined by the Min. and Max fields) you want
to add to this group. You can enter a list of physical cell IDs separated by either a comma, semi-colon, or a space.
You can also enter a range of physical cell IDs separated by a hyphen. For example, entering, "1, 2, 3-5" means that
the extra physical cell IDs are "1, 2, 3, 4, 5."
6. Click in another cell of the table to create the new group and add a new blank row to the table.
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Neighbours of a common cell: The relative weight assigned to the violation of an indirect neighbour relation-
ship between neighbours of a common cell.
Interference matrices: The relative weight assigned to a interference matrix-based relationship violation.
Distance: The relative weight assigned to a distance-based relationship violation.
You can click the Reset button to set the weights to their default values.
In the Constraint violation weights frame, you can set the weights for the following constraints:
Physical cell ID: The relative weight assigned to a physical cell ID collision between two related cells.
PSS ID: The relative weight assigned to a PSS ID (PCI Mod 3) collision between two related cells.
Strategy for co-site cells: The relative weight assigned to any allocation strategy used for co-site cells.
PCI Mod 6 (DL RS): The relative weight assigned to a downlink reference signal shifting (PCI Mod 6) collision
between two related cells.
PCI Mod 30 (UL DMRS): The relative weight assigned to an uplink demodulation reference signal sequence
group (PCI Mod 30) collision between two related cells.
PCFICH REG: The relative weight assigned to a physical control format indicator channel resource element
group (PCI Mod (number of frequency blocks / 2)) collision between two related cells.
You can click the Reset button to set the weights to their default values.
PSS ID 3 1b
SSS ID 168 23
PCI Mod 30 17 2
a. ROUND(Number of resources/Total)
b. Artificially kept at 1 by slightly reducing the SSS ID weight so that
the PSS weight is not 0.
c. For a 10 MHz channel.
6. Click the PRACH RSI Allocation tab. On this tab, you can set the weights for the following cost components:
1st order neighbours: The relative weight assigned to a first order neighbour relationship violation.
Second order neighbours: The relative weight assigned to a second order neighbour relationship violation.
Interference matrices: The relative weight assigned to a interference matrix-based relationship violation.
Distance: The relative weight assigned to a distance-based relationship violation.
You can click the Reset button to set the weights to their default values.
7. Click OK.
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The AFP allocates channels to cells automatically in such a way that the overall interference in the network is minimised. Once
the allocation is complete, you can analyse the frequency plan by creating and comparing C/(I+N) coverage predictions, and
view the frequency allocation on the map.
You can click the Weights button to open the Weights dialog box and modify the cost
component weights. For more information, see "Configuring Cost Component Weights" on
page 908.
5. Click Start. Atoll begins the process of allocating frequencies. Any messages generated by the AFP during automatic
allocation are reported on the Events tab.
While Atoll allocates frequencies, you can:
Monitor the reduction of the total cost in the Progress tab.
Compare the distribution histograms of the initial and current allocation plans in the Distribution tab.
Pause the automatic allocation process by clicking Pause.
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Resume the automatic allocation process by clicking Continue or start the automatic allocation from the initial
state by clicking Restart.
Once Atoll has finished allocating frequencies, or if you pause the automatic allocation, the Statistics tab shows the
number of proposed changes to the allocation plan and the numbers of different relations, violations, and collisions.
It also shows the numbers of violations and collisions in the current plan compared to the initial one (in brackets). The
Results tab shows the proposed allocation plan:
Site: The name of the base station.
Transmitter: The name of the transmitter.
Name: The name of the cell.
Frequency Band: The frequency band used by the cell.
Initial channel number: The channel number of the cell before automatic allocation.
Channel number: The channel number of the cell after automatic allocation.
Channel allocation status: The value of the Channel allocation status of the cell.
Cost: The cost of the new frequency allocation of the cell.
In order to better view the progress graph and the results table, you can expand
the right-hand side zone of the Automatic Resource Allocation dialog box by
clicking the Hide Inputs button . You can also resize the dialog box.
You can export the contents of table grids to TXT, CSV, and XML Spreadsheet files
by right-clicking the table and selecting Export from the context menu. For more
information on exporting data tables, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and
Spreadsheets" on page 85.
You can select the columns to display in different tabs by right-clicking the table
and selecting Display Columns from the context menu. For more information, see
"Displaying and Hiding Columns" on page 79.
6. Click Commit. The proposed frequency plan is assigned to the cells of the network.
7. Click Close.
When you allocate frequencies to a large number of cells, it is easiest to let Atoll allocate them automatically. However, if you
want to assign a frequency to one cell or to modify it, you can do it by accessing the properties of the cell.
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The right-hand side of the dialog box provides the allocation results.
2. From the Allocate list, select Physical Cell IDs for automatic physical cell ID planning.
3. On the Relation Types tab, you can set the relations to take into account in automatic allocation:
Existing neighbours: Select this check box if you want the AFP to take neighbour relations into account for the allo-
cation. The AFP will try to allocate different physical cell IDs to a cell and its neighbours, and to the neighbours of
a common cell. In 3GPP multi-RAT documents, the AFP will also try to allocate different physical cell IDs to LTE cells
that are neighbours of a common GSM transmitter or UMTS cell. In 3GPP2 multi-RAT documents, the AFP will also
try to allocate different physical cell IDs to LTE cells that are neighbours of a common CDMA cell.
The AFP can take neighbours into account only if neighbours have already been allocated. If you want the AFP to
take both first and second order neighbours into account, you must set an option in the Atoll.ini file (see the Ad-
ministrator Manual).
Interference matrix: Select this check box if you want the AFP to take interference matrices into account for the
allocation, and select an interference matrix from the list. For Atoll to take interference matrices into account,
they must be available in the Interference Matrices folder in the Network explorer. Interference matrices can be
calculated, and imported in the Interference Matrices folder. For more information on interference matrices, see
"Working with Interference Matrices" on page 906.
Reuse distance: Select this check box if you want the AFP to take relations based on distance into account for the
allocation. You can enter a Default reuse distance within which two cells must not have the same physical cell ID
assigned. However, it is highly recommended to define a reuse distance for each individual cell depending on the
size of the cells coverage area and the network density around the cell. If defined, a cell-specific reuse distance is
used instead of the default value entered here. A macro that automatically calculates a reuse distance for each
cell can be provided upon request.
When using the "Reuse Distance" macro on 64-bit versions of Atoll, the Windows regional
settings must be consistent.
To check that the regional settings are consistent, select Control Panel > Region and
Language, and make sure that the Format setting in the Format tab matches the Current
language for non-Unicode programs in the Administrative tab. If necessary, change the
current language by clicking Change system locale and restart the computer.
4. On the Constraints tab, you can set the constraints to take into account in automatic allocation:
Allocation domain: You can choose Per cell to allocate physical cell IDs from the physical cell ID domains defined
per cell, you can choose to allocate from the Entire (0-503) domain, or you can choose Custom and enter the
Excluded resources to exclude some physical cell IDs from the allocation.
You can enter non-consecutive physical cell IDs separated with a comma, or you can enter a range of physical cell
IDs separating the first and last one with a hyphen (for example, entering "1-5" corresponds to "1, 2, 3, 4, 5").
Under Allocation strategies, you can:
Select an allocation Strategy for co-site cells. If you select Same SSS ID, the AFP will try to allocate the same
SSS ID to all the cells of a site. If you select Fixed PCI step and enter a value for the required Step, the AFP will
try to allocate PCIs to co-site cells according to the defined regular step. For example, for a required step of 4,
PCIs 0, 4, 8, and so on will be allocated to co-site cells.
Select the Take into account frequency plan check box if you want the AFP to consider the frequency plan
when determining physical cell ID collisions.
5. On the right-hand side of the Automatic Resource Allocation dialog box, Atoll displays the Total cost of the current
physical cell ID allocation. You can click Update to calculate the total cost take into account the parameters set in
step 3.
You can click the Weights button to open the Weights dialog box and modify the cost
component weights. For more information, see "Configuring Cost Component Weights" on
page 908.
6. Click Start. Atoll begins the process of allocating physical cell IDs. Any messages generated by the AFP during auto-
matic allocation are reported on the Events tab.
While Atoll allocates physical cell IDs, you can:
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In order to better view the progress graph and the results table, you can expand
the right-hand side zone of the Automatic Resource Allocation dialog box by
clicking the Hide Inputs button . You can also resize the dialog box.
You can export the contents of table grids to TXT, CSV, and XML Spreadsheet files
by right-clicking the table and selecting Export from the context menu. For more
information on exporting data tables, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and
Spreadsheets" on page 85.
You can select the columns to display in different tabs by right-clicking the table
and selecting Display Columns from the context menu. For more information, see
"Displaying and Hiding Columns" on page 79.
7. Click Commit. The proposed physical cell ID plan is assigned to the cells of the network.
8. Click Close.
When you allocate physical cell IDs to a large number of cells, it is easiest to let Atoll allocate them automatically. However,
if you want to assign a physical cell ID to one cell or to modify it, you can do it by accessing the properties of the cell.
To allocate a physical cell ID to an LTE cell manually:
1. On the map or in the LTE Transmitters folder in the Network explorer, right-click the transmitter to whose cell you
want to allocate a physical cell ID. The context menu appears.
2. Select Properties from the context menu. The transmitters Properties dialog box appears.
3. Select the Cells tab.
4. Enter a Physical cell ID in the cells column.
5. You can set the PSS ID Status and SSS ID Status to Locked if you want to lock the physical cell ID that you assigned.
6. Click OK.
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You can click the Weights button to open the Weights dialog box and modify the cost
component weights. For more information, see "Configuring Cost Component Weights" on
page 908.
6. Click Start. Atoll begins the process of allocating PRACH RSIs. Any messages generated by the AFP during automatic
allocation are reported on the Events tab.
While Atoll allocates PRACH RSIs, you can:
Monitor the reduction of the total cost in the Progress tab.
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Compare the distribution histograms of the initial and current allocation plans in the Distribution tab.
Pause the automatic allocation process by clicking Pause.
Resume the automatic allocation process by clicking Continue or start the automatic allocation from the initial
state by clicking Restart.
Once Atoll has finished allocating PRACH RSIs, or if you pause the automatic allocation, the Statistics tab shows the
number of proposed changes to the allocation plan and the numbers of different relations, violations, and collisions.
It also shows the numbers of violations and collisions in the current plan compared to the initial one (in brackets). The
Results tab shows the proposed allocation plan:
the proposed allocation plan is available on the Results tab. The Results tab contains the following information:
Site: The name of the base station.
Transmitter: The name of the transmitter.
Name: The name of the cell.
Number of Required PRACH RSIs: The number of PRACH RSIs required by the cell.
PRACH RSI Domain: The PRACH RSI domain of the cell.
Initial PRACH Root Sequence Indexes: The PRACH RSIs of the cell before automatic allocation.
PRACH Root Sequence Indexes: The PRACH RSIs of the cell after automatic allocation.
Cost: The cost of the new PRACH RSI allocation of the cell.
PRACH RSI Allocation Status: The value of the PRACH RSI Allocation Status of the cell.
In order to better view the progress graph and the results table, you can expand
the right-hand side zone of the Automatic Resource Allocation dialog box by
clicking the Hide Inputs button . You can also resize the dialog box.
You can export the contents of table grids to TXT, CSV, and XML Spreadsheet files
by right-clicking the table and selecting Export from the context menu. For more
information on exporting data tables, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and
Spreadsheets" on page 85.
You can select the columns to display in different tabs by right-clicking the table
and selecting Display Columns from the context menu. For more information, see
"Displaying and Hiding Columns" on page 79.
7. Click Commit. The proposed PRACH RSI plan is assigned to the cells of the network.
8. Click Close to exit.
When you allocate PRACH RSIs to a large number of cells, it is easiest to let Atoll allocate them automatically. However, if you
want to assign a PRACH RSI list to one cell or to modify it, you can do it by accessing the properties of the cell.
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To restore the initial transmitter colours, click the Reset display button in the Find on Map window.
To find a channel number using Find on Map:
1. Select Tools > Find on Map. The Find on Map window opens.
2. From the Find list, select "LTE Channel."
3. From the Band list, select a frequency band.
4. From the Channel list, select the channel number.
By default, Find on Map displays only co-channel transmitter cells. If you want adjacent channels to be displayed as
well, select the Adjacent channels check box.
5. Click Search.
Transmitters whose cells use the selected frequency band and channel number are displayed in red. Transmitters with
cells using two adjacent channel numbers in the same frequency band (i.e., a channel higher and a channel lower) are
displayed in yellow. Transmitters with cells using a lower adjacent channel number in the same frequency band are
displayed in green. Transmitters with cells using a higher adjacent channel number in the same frequency band are
displayed in blue. All other transmitters are displayed as grey lines.
If you cleared the Adjacent channels check box, transmitters with cells using the same channel number are displayed
in red, and all others, including transmitters with adjacent channels, are displayed as grey lines.
To restore the initial transmitter colours, click the Reset display button in the Find on Map window.
By including the frequency band and channel number of each cell in the transmitter label,
the search results will be easier to understand. For information on defining the label, see
"Associating a Label to an Object" on page 53.
To find a physical cell ID, PSS ID, SSS ID, or PRACH RSI using Find on Map:
1. Click Tools > Find on Map. The Find on Map window opens.
2. From the Find list, select "Cell Identifier."
3. Select what you want to search for:
Physical cell ID: Select Physical cell ID and enter a physical cell ID in the edit box.
PSS ID: Select PSS ID and select the PSS ID from the list: "All," "0," "1," or "2."
SSS ID: Select SSS ID and enter an SSS ID in the edit box.
PRACH RSI: Select PRACH RSI and enter a PRACH RSI in the edit box.
4. Click Search.
When you select a physical cell ID, an SSS ID, or a PRACH RSI, transmitters with cells matching the search criteria are
displayed in red. Transmitters that do not match the search criteria are displayed as grey lines.
When you select a specific PSS ID, transmitters whose cells use the selected ID are displayed in red. Transmitters with
cells that use other IDs are displayed as grey lines. When you choose to search for all PSS IDs, transmitters whose first
cells use ID 0 are displayed in red, transmitters whose first cells use ID 1 are displayed in yellow, and transmitters
whose first cells use ID 2 are displayed in green.
To restore the initial transmitter colours, click the Reset display button in the Search Tool window.
By including the physical cell ID of each cell in the transmitter label, the search
results will be easier to understand. For information on defining the label, see
"Associating a Label to an Object" on page 53.
Transmitters with more than one cell might use different PSS IDs in different cells.
Therefore, the search for all PSS IDs is only valid for single-cell transmitters.
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You can also display the frequency band and channel number in the transmitter label or tip text by selecting "Cells: Frequency
band" and "Cells: Channel number" from the Label or Tip Text Field Selection dialog box.
To display physical cell ID allocation on the map:
1. In the Network explorer, right-click the LTE Transmitters folder and select Properties from the context menu. The
Properties dialog box appears.
2. Click the Display tab.
3. Select "Discrete values" as the Display type and "Cells: Physical cell ID" as the Field.
4. Click OK. Transmitters are displayed by physical cell ID.
You can also display the physical cell ID in the transmitter label or tip text by selecting "Cells: Physical cell ID" from the Label
or Tip Text Field Selection dialog box.
For information on display options, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
5. Click to add the parameter to the Group these fields in this order list. The selected parameter is added to the list
of parameters on which the transmitters will be grouped.
6. If you do not want the transmitters to be sorted by a certain parameter, select the parameter in the Group these fields
in this order list and click . The selected parameter is removed from the list of parameters on which the transmit-
ters will be grouped.
7. Arrange the parameters in the Group these fields in this order list in the order in which you want the transmitters to
be grouped:
8. Click OK to save your changes and close the Group dialog box.
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The top line contains global information about the current allocation (resource being audited and the total cost of
the current plan).
The left-hand side of the dialog box contains tabs with input parameters.
The right-hand side of the dialog box provides the audit results.
2. From the Audit list, select Frequencies.
3. On the Relation Types tab, you can select the relation-based allocation criteria that you want to verify.
Existing Neighbours: Select this check box if you want the audit to take neighbours into account. Atoll can only
take neighbour relations into account if neighbours have already been allocated. For information on allocating
neighbours, see "Configuring Network Parameters Using the AFP" on page 905.
Interference matrix: Select this check box if you want the audit to take interference matrices into account, and
select an interference matrix from the list. For Atoll to take interference matrices into account, they must be avail-
able in the Interference Matrices folder in the Network explorer. Interference matrices can be calculated, and
imported in the Interference Matrices folder. For more information on interference matrices, see "Working with
Interference Matrices" on page 906.
Reuse distance: Select this check box if you want the audit to take reuse distance into account. For cells that do
not have a reuse distance defined in their properties, the value entered next to Default will be used for the audit.
4. On the right-hand side of the Resource Allocation Audit dialog box, Atoll displays the Total cost of the current fre-
quency allocation.
You can click the Weights button to open the Weights dialog box and modify the cost
component weights. For more information, see "Configuring Cost Component Weights" on
page 908.
5. Click Calculate. Atoll performs an audit of the current frequency plan. Any messages generated by the audit are
reported on the Events tab. The audit results are reported on the following tabs:
The Statistics tab provides overall statistics such as the numbers of various types of relations considered by the AFP
for frequency planning and the number of violated relations.
The Relations tab lists all the relations between active and filtered cells in the document. The Relations tab can display
the following information:
Cell 1: First cell in a related cell-pair.
Cell 2: Second cell in a related cell-pair.
Frequency Band 1: Frequency band of Cell 1.
Channel 1: Channel number of Cell 1.
Frequency Band 2: Frequency band of Cell 2.
Channel 2: Channel number of Cell 2.
Cost: The cost of the current collisions, if any, between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
Channel Collision: Whether the channels of Cell 1 and Cell 2 collide ( ) or not ( ).
Channel Overlap Factor: The ratio of overlap between the channels used by Cell 1 and Cell 2.
Distance: The distance between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
Reuse Distance: Reuse distance defined for Cell 1.
Distance Relation Importance: The importance of the distance-based relation between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
Interference Matrices: Whether an interference matrix relation exists ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not.
Interference Matrix Importance: The importance of the interference matrix relation between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
Neighbour: Whether a neighbour relation exists ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not.
Neighbour Importance: The importance of the neighbour relation between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
The data table in the Relations tab can be filtered. For example, you can view all the relations, only the relations
that violate the frequency allocation requirements, or apply a filter to exclude unimportant ones. To filter the re-
lations listed in the Relations tab, click the Show button ( ) on the Relations tab. The filter parameters appear.
To view all the relations between cells:
i. Under Filter by violation type, select the Show relations option.
ii. Under Include relations by type, select all the options representing the relation types and select (All) from
their respective lists.
iii. Click Apply. The data table in the Relations tab shows all the relations between cells.
To view only the relations that violate the frequency allocation requirements:
i. Under Filter by violation type, select the Show violations option.
ii. Under Include relations by type, select all the options representing the relation types and select (All) from
their respective lists.
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iii. Click Apply. The data table in the Relations tab shows only the relations that violate the frequency allocation
requirements.
To view only the important relations that violate the frequency allocation requirements:
i. Under Filter by violation type, select the Show violations option.
ii. Under Include relations by type, select the relation types that you consider important and select some or all
of their characteristics from their respective lists.
iii. Click Apply. The data table in the Relations tab shows the relations according to the user-defined filter.
The Cells tab lists the current allocation plan and the following information:
Site: The name of the base station.
Transmitter: The name of the transmitter.
Name: The name of the cell.
Frequency Band: The frequency band used by the cell.
Channel number: The channel number of the cell.
Channel allocation status: The value of the Channel allocation status of the cell.
Cost: The cost of the frequency allocation of the cell.
The Distribution tab shows the histogram of the current allocation plan.
You can expand the right pane of the Resource Allocation Audit dialog box by
clicking the Hide button ( ). You can also resize the dialog box.
You can export the contents of table grids to TXT, CSV, and XML Spreadsheet files
by right-clicking the table and selecting Export from the context menu. For more
information on exporting data tables, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and
Spreadsheets" on page 85.
You can select the columns to display in different tabs by right-clicking the table
and selecting Display Columns from the context menu. For more information, see
"Displaying and Hiding Columns" on page 79.
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4. On the right-hand side of the Resource Allocation Audit dialog box, Atoll displays the Total cost of the current physical
cell ID allocation.
You can click the Weights button to open the Weights dialog box and modify the cost
component weights. For more information, see "Configuring Cost Component Weights" on
page 908.
5. On the Constraints tab, you can set the constraints to take into account in the audit:
Allocation domain: You can choose Per cell to check if the allocated physical cell IDs belong to the physical cell ID
domains defined per cell, or you can choose to the Entire (0-503) domain or define a Custom domain by entering
the Excluded resources.
You can enter non-consecutive physical cell IDs separated with a comma, or you can enter a range of physical cell
IDs separating the first and last one with a hyphen (for example, entering "1-5" corresponds to "1, 2, 3, 4, 5").
Allocation strategies: You can select the Same per site strategy for the SSS ID to check whether the same SSS ID
has been allocated to the cells of the same site. You can select the Different PSS ID per site check box to have the
audit verify whether co-site cells have different PSS IDs.
You can select the Take into account frequency plan check box if you want the audit to consider the frequency
plan when determining physical cell ID collisions.
6. Click Calculate. Atoll performs an audit of the current physical cell ID plan. Any messages generated by the audit are
reported on the Events tab. The audit results are reported on the following tabs:
The Statistics tab provides overall statistics such as the numbers of various types of relations considered by the AFP
for physical cell ID planning, the numbers of violated relations of each type, the number of collisions for each resource
type, the number of cells not satisfying the domain compliance criteria, and numbers of strategy violations for
selected allocation strategies.
The Relations tab lists all the relations between active and filtered cells in the document. The Relations tab can display
the following information:
Cell 1: First cell in a related cell-pair.
Cell 2: Second cell in a related cell-pair.
Frequency band 1: Frequency band of Cell 1.
Channel 1: Channel number of Cell 1.
Frequency band 2: Frequency band of Cell 2.
Channel 2: Channel number of Cell 2.
Cost: The cost of the current collisions, if any, between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
Physical cell ID collision: Whether the physical cell IDs of Cell 1 and Cell 2 collide ( ) or not ( ).
Physical cell ID 1: The physical cell ID of Cell 1.
Physical cell ID 2: The physical cell ID of Cell 2.
PSS collision: Whether the PSS IDs of Cell 1 and Cell 2 collide ( ) or not ( ).
Per-site PSS violation: Whether the different PSS per-site constraint has been respected ( ) or not ( ).
PSS 1: The PSS ID of Cell 1.
PSS 2: The PSS ID of Cell 2.
Per-site SSS violation: Whether the per-site SSS constraint has been respected ( ) or not ( ).
SSS 1: The SSS ID of Cell 1.
SSS 2: The SSS ID of Cell 2.
PCI Mod 6 collision (DL RS): Whether there is a PCI Mod 6 collision ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not ( ).
PCI Mod 30 collision (UL DMRS): Whether there is a PCI Mod 30 collision ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not ( ).
PCFICH REG collision: Whether there is a PCFICH REG collision ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not ( ).
Distance: The distance between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
Reuse distance: Reuse distance defined for Cell 1.
Distance relation importance: The importance of the distance-based relation between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
Interference Matrices: Whether an interference matrix relation exists ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not.
Interference matrix importance: The importance of the interference matrix relation between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
Neighbour: Whether a neighbour relation exists ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not.
Neighbour importance: The importance of the neighbour relation between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
Second order neighbour: Whether a second-order neighbour relation exists ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not.
Second order neighbour importance: The importance of the second-order neighbour relation between Cell 1 and
Cell 2.
Neighbours of a common cell: Whether Cell 1 and Cell 2 are ( ) neighbours of a common cell or not.
Importance of neighbours of a common cell: The importance of the relation between Cell 1 and Cell 2 through a
common neighbour cell.
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The data table in the Relations tab can be filtered. For example, you can view all the relations, only the relations
that violate the physical cell ID allocation requirements, or apply a filter to exclude unimportant ones. To filter the
relations listed in the Relations tab, click the Show button ( ) on the Relations tab. The filter parameters appear.
To view all the relations between cells:
i. Under Filter by violation type, select the Show relations option.
ii. Under Include relations by type, select all the options representing the relation types and select (All) from
their respective lists.
iii. Click Apply. The data table in the Relations tab shows all the relations between cells.
To view only the relations that violate the physical cell ID allocation requirements:
i. Under Filter by violation type, select the Show violations option.
ii. Under Include relations by type, select all the options representing the relation types and select (All) from
their respective lists.
iii. Click Apply. The data table in the Relations tab shows only the relations that violate the physical cell ID allo-
cation requirements.
To view only the important relations that violate the physical cell ID allocation requirements:
i. Under Filter by violation type, select the Show violations option.
ii. Under Include relations by type, select the relation types that you consider important and select some or all
of their characteristics from their respective lists.
iii. Click Apply. The data table in the Relations tab shows the relations according to the user-defined filter.
The Cells tab lists the current allocation plan and the following information:
Site: The name of the base station.
Transmitter: The name of the transmitter.
Name: The name of the cell.
Frequency Band: The frequency band used by the cell.
Channel number: The channel number of the cell after automatic allocation.
Physical cell ID domain: The physical cell ID domain of the cell.
Domain violation: Whether the allocated physical cell ID belongs to ( ) the defined physical cell ID domain or not
( ).
Physical cell ID: The physical cell ID of the cell after automatic allocation.
PSS ID: The PSS ID of the cell after automatic allocation.
SSS ID: The SSS ID of the cell after automatic allocation.
Cost: The cost of the new physical cell ID allocation of the cell.
SSS ID status: The value of the SSS ID status of the cell.
PSS ID status: The value of the PSS ID status of the cell.
The Sites tab identifies the sites
The Sites tab provides the following information:
Site: The name of the base station.
SSS violation: Whether the Same per site SSS ID allocation strategy was respected ( ) or not ( ).
PSS violation: Whether the Different PSS per site allocation strategy was respected ( ) or not ( ).
The Distribution tab shows the histogram of the current allocation plan.
The exclamation mark icon ( ) indicates that the collision may or may not be a
problem depending on your network design rules and selected strategies. The
cross icon ( ) implies an error.
You can expand the right pane of the Resource Allocation Audit dialog box by
clicking the Hide button ( ). You can also resize the dialog box.
You can export the contents of table grids to TXT, CSV, and XML Spreadsheet files
by right-clicking the table and selecting Export from the context menu. For more
information on exporting data tables, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and
Spreadsheets" on page 85.
You can select the columns to display in different tabs by right-clicking the table
and selecting Display Columns from the context menu. For more information, see
"Displaying and Hiding Columns" on page 79.
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You can click the Weights button to open the Weights dialog box and modify the cost
component weights. For more information, see "Configuring Cost Component Weights" on
page 908.
8. Click Calculate. Atoll performs an audit of the current PRACH RSI plan. Any messages generated by the audit are
reported on the Events tab. The audit results are reported on the following tabs:
The Statistics tab provides overall statistics such as the numbers of various types of relations considered by the AFP
for PRACH RSI planning, the numbers of violated relations of each type, and the number of cells not satisfying the
domain compliance criteria.
The Relations tab lists all the relations between active and filtered cells in the document. The Relations tab can display
the following information:
Cell 1: First cell in a related cell-pair.
Cell 2: Second cell in a related cell-pair.
Frequency band 1: Frequency band of Cell 1.
Channel 1: Channel number of Cell 1.
Frequency band 2: Frequency band of Cell 2.
Channel 2: Channel number of Cell 2.
PRACH RSI 1: The PRACH RSIs allocated to Cell 1.
PRACH RSI 2: The PRACH RSIs allocated to Cell 2.
Cost: The cost of the current collisions, if any, between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
PRACH RSI collision: Whether the PRACH RSIs of Cell 1 and Cell 2 collide ( ) or not ( ).
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PRACH RSI overlap factor: The ratio of overlap between the PRACH RSIs used by Cell 1 and Cell 2.
Distance: The distance between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
Reuse distance: Reuse distance defined for Cell 1.
Distance relation importance: The importance of the distance-based relation between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
Interference Matrices: Whether an interference matrix relation exists ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not.
Interference matrix importance: The importance of the interference matrix relation between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
Neighbour: Whether a neighbour relation exists ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not.
Neighbour importance: The importance of the neighbour relation between Cell 1 and Cell 2.
Second order neighbour: Whether a second-order neighbour relation exists ( ) between Cell 1 and Cell 2 or not.
Second order neighbour importance: The importance of the second-order neighbour relation between Cell 1 and
Cell 2.
The data table in the Relations tab can be filtered. For example, you can view all the relations, only the relations
that violate the PRACH RSI allocation requirements, or apply a filter to exclude unimportant ones. To filter the re-
lations listed in the Relations tab, click the Show button ( ) on the Relations tab. The filter parameters appear.
To view all the relations between cells:
i. Under Filter by violation type, select the Show relations option.
ii. Under Include relations by type, select all the options representing the relation types and select (All) from
their respective lists.
iii. Click Apply. The data table in the Relations tab shows all the relations between cells.
To view only the relations that violate the PRACH RSI allocation requirements:
i. Under Filter by violation type, select the Show violations option.
ii. Under Include relations by type, select all the options representing the relation types and select (All) from
their respective lists.
iii. Click Apply. The data table in the Relations tab shows only the relations that violate the PRACH RSI allocation
requirements.
To view only the important relations that violate the PRACH RSI allocation requirements:
i. Under Filter by violation type, select the Show violations option.
ii. Under Include relations by type, select the relation types that you consider important and select some or all
of their characteristics from their respective lists.
iii. Click Apply. The data table in the Relations tab shows the relations according to the user-defined filter.
The Cells tab lists the current allocation plan and the following information:
Site: The name of the base station.
Transmitter: The name of the transmitter.
Name: The name of the cell.
Frequency Band: The frequency band used by the cell.
Channel number: The channel number of the cell after automatic allocation.
Number of Required PRACH RSIs: The number of PRACH RSIs required by the cell.
PRACH Root Sequences: The PRACH RSIs of the cell after automatic allocation.
PRACH RSI Domain: The PRACH RSI domain of the cell.
Domain Violation: Whether the allocated PRACH RSIs belongs to ( ) the defined domain or not ( ).
Violation of the Number of Required PRACH RSIs: Whether the number of allocated PRACH RSIs of the cell is the
same as ( ), less than ( ), or greater than ( ) the number of required PRACH RSIs.
PRACH RSI Allocation Status: The value of the PRACH RSI Allocation Status of the cell.
Cost: The cost of the new PRACH RSI allocation of the cell.
The Distribution tab shows the histogram of the current allocation plan.
You can expand the right pane of the Resource Allocation Audit dialog box by
clicking the Hide button ( ). You can also resize the dialog box.
You can export the contents of table grids to TXT, CSV, and XML Spreadsheet files
by right-clicking the table and selecting Export from the context menu. For more
information on exporting data tables, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and
Spreadsheets" on page 85.
You can select the columns to display in different tabs by right-clicking the table
and selecting Display Columns from the context menu. For more information, see
"Displaying and Hiding Columns" on page 79.
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A read-only Unique ID is generated when you create a new coverage prediction. This ID can
later be found between the <GUID> and </GUID> tags in the following files:
"studies.XML" file created in the installation folder if at least one coverage predic-
tion was saved using the Save as Customised Prediction command.
"<prediction_name>.XML" files (one per prediction) created in the following folder
if coverage predictions were calculated with Display type = "Value intervals":
C:\<path_to_doc>\<doc_name>.studies\{<Unique_ID>}
Under Display Configuration, you can create a Filter to select which sites to display in the results. You can also display
the results grouped in the Network explorer by one or more characteristics by clicking the Group By button, or you
can display the results sorted by clicking the Sort button. For information on filtering, see "Filtering Data" on page 98;
for information on grouping, see "Advanced Grouping of Data Objects" on page 95; for information on sorting, see
"Advanced Sorting" on page 97.
4. Click the Conditions tab. On the Conditions tab, you can define the signals that will be considered for each pixel.
At the top of the Conditions tab, you can set the range of signal level to be considered.
The Server parameter is set to "Best Signal Level." You can enter an Overlap margin.
If you select the Shadowing taken into account check box, you can change the Cell edge coverage probability.
You can select the Indoor coverage check box to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency per
clutter class.
You can select the Take frequency plan into account check box to determine the cell identifier collisions based on
the current frequency plan of the network.
Under Identifier, you can select the cell identifier for which you want to calculate the coverage prediction.
5. Click the Display tab.
The coverage prediction results will be arranged according to cells, the number of interferers, or number of interferers
per cell. For information on adjusting the display, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
6. Once you have created the coverage prediction, choose whether you want to calculate it now or later:
Click Calculate to save the defined coverage prediction and perform the calculation immediately.
Click OK to save the defined coverage prediction without calculating it. You can calculate the prediction later by
clicking the Calculate button ( ) on the Radio Planning toolbar.
The progress of the calculation, as well as any error messages, is displayed in the Events viewer. Once Atoll has finished calcu-
lating the coverage prediction, the results are displayed in the map window.
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noise which can be overcome by increasing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), co-channel interference cannot be countered by
increasing the carrier power of a transmitter. This is because an increase in carrier transmission power will increase the inter-
ference to neighbouring co-channel cells. To reduce co-channel interference, co-channel cells must be physically separated
sufficiently by a distance, called the reuse distance. For a network with a limited number of frequency channels, a large reuse
distance can guarantee a high QoS for the system, but the capacity will be decreased.
Another type of interference in LTE networks is adjacent channel interference. Adjacent channel interference results from
imperfect receiver filters which allow nearby frequencies to interfere with the used frequency channel. Adjacent channel
interference can be minimised through careful filtering and channel assignment.
In Atoll, a simulation is based on a realistic distribution of users at a given point in time. The distribution of users at a given
moment is referred to as a snapshot. Based on this snapshot, Atoll calculates various network parameters such as the down-
link and uplink traffic loads, the uplink noise rise, the user throughputs, and so on. Simulations are calculated in an iterative
fashion.
When several simulations are performed at the same time using the same traffic information, the distribution of users will be
different, according to a Poisson distribution. Consequently you can have variations in user distribution from one snapshot to
another.
To create snapshots, services and users must be modelled. As well, certain traffic information in the form of traffic maps or
subscriber lists must be provided. Once services and users have been modelled and traffic maps and subscriber lists have been
created, you can make simulations of the network traffic.
For general information on studying network capacity in Atoll, see Chapter 6: Traffic and Capacity Planning.
This section covers the following topics for LTE networks:
"Defining Multi-service Traffic Data" on page 925.
"Calculating LTE Traffic Simulations" on page 929.
"Making Coverage Predictions Using Simulation Results" on page 940.
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If you need to create a large number of subscribers, Atoll allows you to import them from another Atoll document or from an
external source. For more information, see "Importing a Subscriber List" on page 928.
To create a subscriber list:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Subscribers folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select New List from the context menu. The Subscriber List N Properties dialog box appears, where N is an incre-
mental digit.
4. Select the General tab. The following options are available:
Name: The name of the subscriber list. You can change the name of the list if desired.
Coordinate system: The current coordinate system used by the subscriber list. You can change the coordinate
system of the list by clicking the Change button.
Sort: Click the Sort button to sort the data in the subscriber list. For information on sorting, see "Sorting Data" on
page 96.
Filter: Click the Filter button to filter the data in the subscriber list. For information on filtering, see "Filtering Data"
on page 98.
5. Click the Display tab. You can modify how subscribers added to the list are displayed. For information on defining the
display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on page 51.
6. Click OK. Atoll creates a new subscriber list.
The following parameters are available by default in a new subscriber list:
ID: The subscriber ID in the subscriber list. It is an automatically created identification number.
X and Y coordinates: The geographical coordinates of the subscriber. A subscribers location is always fixed.
Height: The altitude of the subscriber antenna with respect to the ground (DTM).
Name: You can assign a descriptive name to each subscriber.
User profile: A user profile defines the traffic demand characteristics of subscribers. Atoll determines the terminal
used, the service accessed, and the activity status of subscribers during Monte Carlo simulations according to the
information in the user profiles. For more information, see "Modelling User Profiles" on page 254.
Terminal: The default terminal is the user equipment with an antenna, reception equipment, and noise character-
istics. The properties of this terminal are taken into consideration when performing calculations on the subscriber
list.
Service: The service that the subscriber accesses by default. The properties of this service are taken into consid-
eration when performing calculations on the subscriber list.
Mobility: The mobility type associated with the subscriber. It is used to identify the thresholds and graphs to be
used for the subscriber in calculations.
Clutter: The name of the clutter class where the subscriber is located. This is a non-editable field whose contents
are automatically updated.
Indoor: This field indicates whether the subscriber is indoor or outdoor.
Best server: The serving transmitter of the subscriber. You can either define this value manually or let Atoll calcu-
late it for the subscriber. The serving transmitter is the one to which the serving cell belongs.
Serving cell: The serving cell of the subscriber. You can either define this value manually or let Atoll calculate it for
the subscriber.
Distance: The distance of the subscriber from its serving base station. This is a non-editable field whose contents
are automatically updated.
Azimuth: The orientation of the subscriber antenna in the horizontal plane. Azimuth is always considered with
respect to the north. You can either define this value manually or let Atoll calculate it for the subscriber. Atoll
points the subscriber antenna towards its serving base station.
Downtilt: The orientation of the subscriber antenna in the vertical plane. Mechanical downtilt is positive when it
is downwards and negative when upwards. You can either define this value manually or let Atoll calculate it for
the subscriber. Atoll points the subscriber antenna towards its serving base station.
Lock status: You can choose to lock the subscriber antenna orientation and serving transmitter. Use this option if
you do not want Atoll to change the assigned server or the antenna orientation.
RSRP (RS EPRE) (DL) (dBm): The RSRP (received reference signal energy per resource element) received at the sub-
scriber location in the downlink. This value is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists.
RSSI (DL) (dBm): The RSSI received at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is calculated by Atoll
during calculations on subscriber lists.
RSRQ (DL) (dB): The RSRQ (reference signal received quality) at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value
is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists.
Received RS power (DL) (dBm): The reference signal level received at the subscriber location in the downlink. This
value is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists.
Received SS power (DL) (dBm): The SS signal level received at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value
is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists.
Received PBCH power (DL) (dBm): The PBCH signal level received at the subscriber location in the downlink. This
value is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists.
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Received PDCCH power (DL) (dBm): The PDCCH signal level received at the subscriber location in the downlink.
This value is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists.
Received PDSCH power (DL) (dBm): The PDSCH signal level received at the subscriber location in the downlink.
This value is calculated by Atoll during calculations on subscriber lists.
RS C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The reference signal C/(I+N) at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is gener-
ated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
SS C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The SS C/(I+N) at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by Atoll
during the calculations on subscriber lists.
PBCH C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The PBCH C/(I+N) at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by
Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
PDCCH C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The PDCCH C/(I+N) at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by
Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
PDSCH C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The PDSCH C/(I+N) at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by
Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
RS total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the subscriber location in
the downlink on the reference signals. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
SS & PBCH total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the subscriber loca-
tion in the downlink on the SS and PBCH. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
PDCCH total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the subscriber location
in the downlink on the PDCCH. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
PDSCH total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the subscriber location
in the downlink on the PDSCH. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
Bearer (DL): The highest LTE bearer available for the PDSCH C/(I+N) level at the subscriber location in the down-
link. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
BLER (DL): The Block Error Rate read from the subscribers terminal types reception equipment for the PDSCH
C(I+N) level at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on
subscriber lists.
Diversity mode (DL): The diversity mode supported by the cell in downlink.
Peak RLC channel throughput (DL) (kbps): The maximum RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest
bearer available at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations
on subscriber lists.
Effective RLC channel throughput (DL) (kbps): The effective RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest
bearer available at the subscriber location in the downlink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations
on subscriber lists.
Received PUSCH & PUCCH power (UL) (dBm): The PUSCH & PUCCH signal level received at the serving transmitter
from the subscriber terminal in the uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber
lists.
PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) (UL) (dB): The PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) at the serving transmitter of the subscriber in the
uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
PUSCH & PUCCH total noise (I+N) (UL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the serving
transmitter of the subscriber in the uplink on the PUSCH. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations
on subscriber lists.
Bearer (UL): The highest LTE bearer available for the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) level at the serving transmitter of
the subscriber in the uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
BLER (UL): The Block Error Rate read from the serving cells reception equipment for the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N)
level at the serving transmitter of the subscriber in the uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calcula-
tions on subscriber lists.
Diversity mode (UL): The diversity mode supported by the cell in uplink.
Transmission power (UL) (dBm): The transmission power of the subscribers terminal after power control in the
uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
Allocated bandwidth (UL) (No. of frequency blocks): The number of frequency blocks allocated to the subscriber
in the uplink by the eNode-B. This value is generated by Atoll during the calculations on subscriber lists.
Peak RLC channel throughput (UL) (kbps): The maximum RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest
bearer available at the serving transmitter of the subscriber in the uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during
the calculations on subscriber lists.
Effective RLC channel throughput (UL) (kbps): The effective RLC channel throughput available using the highest
bearer available at the serving transmitter of the subscriber in the uplink. This value is generated by Atoll during
the calculations on subscriber lists.
For information on how to select the columns to display in the subscriber list table, see "Selecting the Columns to
Display in the Subscriber Lists" on page 928.
For more information on the calculations that you can carry out on subscriber lists, see "Performing Calculations on
Subscriber lists" on page 929.
You can now move the pointer over the map and click once to place a new subscriber at the location of the pointer. Press ESC
or click the normal pointer button ( ), to finish adding subscribers on the map. For information on adding subscribers to a
list, see "Adding Subscribers to a Subscriber List Using the Mouse" on page 928.
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You can open the subscriber list table containing all the subscribers and their parameters.
To open the subscriber list table:
1. In the Network explorer, expand the Subscribers folder, right-click the subscriber list you want to open, and select
Open Table from the context menu.
For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
To place subscribers more accurately, before clicking the map, you can zoom in on the
map. For information on using the zooming tools, see "Changing the Map Scale" on
page 60.
You can also export subscriber lists. For information on exporting table data, see "Export-
ing Tables to Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 85.
a. Select the column in the Available columns list and click to move it to the Columns to display list.
b. Select a column in the Columns to display list and click to move it to the Available columns list.
c. Change the order of the columns by selecting a column and clicking or to move it up or down in the list.
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cell supports Static UL ICIC. Here, interference calculation is based on the probabilities of collision between the cell-
centre and cell-edge resources used by the different cells.
Carrier aggregation and coordinated multipoint transmission and reception (CoMP) are also taken into account. A user
may be connected to more than one server for carrier aggregation, CoMP, or both. For a user whose service, terminal,
and best server support carrier aggregation, the user throughput is improved according to its aggregation capabilities
and the available primary and secondary cells. For a user whose terminal and best server support CoMP, coordinated
scheduling decreases the interference between coordinated CoMP servers. For more information, see the Technical
Reference Guide.
During uplink noise rise control, if the maximum uplink noise rise is higher than the actual noise rise for a cell, the maxi-
mum PUSCH C/(I+N) of its neighbour cells is increased by the difference. This allows the users served by the neighbour
cells to transmit at higher powers, i.e., they are allowed to create more interference. If the maximum uplink noise rise
is less than the actual noise rise for a cell, the maximum PUSCH C/(I+N) of its neighbour cells is decreased by the differ-
ence. This causes the users served by the neighbour cells to transmit at lower powers, i.e., they are forced to create
less interference. This can also lead to an increase or decrease in the number of users served by the neighbouring cells
in the uplink.
5. Radio Resource Management and Cell Load Calculation
Atoll uses an intelligent scheduling algorithm to perform radio resource management. The scheduling algorithm is
explained in detail in the Technical Reference Guide. The scheduler performs the following steps:
a. Determines the total amount of resources in each cell. The amounts of cell resources, specially at cell-edges, de-
pend on the cells ABS pattern as well as on the number of cells cell-edge resource blocks defined for Static DL
inter-cell interference coordination in the cells frame configuration.
b. Selects the first N users from the users generated in the first step, where N is the Max number of users defined in
the cell properties.
c. Sorts the users in decreasing order by service priority.
The effective service priority is determined by the QCI priority and the user-defined service
priority. For example:
A service with QCI 1 will have a higher priority than any service with QCI 2, irrespec-
tive of the user-defined service priority.
A service with QCI 1 and user-defined service priority 1 will have a higher priority
than any service with QCI 1 and user-defined service priority 0.
The priorities of the different QoS class identifiers are defined by the 3GPP are listed in
"Modelling Services" on page 241.
d. Allocates the resources required to satisfy the minimum throughput demands of the users starting from the first
user (with the highest priority service) to the last user.
e. If resources still remain in the resource pool after this allocation, allocates resources to the users with maximum
throughput demands according to the used scheduling algorithm.
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For their minimum throughput demands, LTE-A users are only scheduled on their primary
serving cells. At this stage, LTE-A users may be rejected due to "Scheduler Saturation" or
"Resource Saturation".
For their maximum throughput demands, LTE-A users are scheduled separately on each of
their serving cells (primary and secondary for carrier aggregation / non-coherent joint
transmission CoMP servers). Each users remaining throughput demand (maximum mini-
mum) is distributed over each of its serving cells proportionally to the resources available
on each serving cell and to the users downlink effective RLC channel throughput or uplink
effective RLC allocated bandwidth throughput on each of its serving cell.
For carrier aggregation, only secondary cells whose PDSCH C/(I+N) is higher than or equal
to the secondary cell activation threshold defined in the terminal reception equipment
properties are activated for aggregation in downlink. Similarly, only secondary cells whose
PDSCH C/(I+N) and PUSCH C/(I+N) are both higher than or equal to the secondary cell acti-
vation threshold defined in the terminal and cell reception equipment properties, respec-
tively, are activated for aggregation in uplink. User throughput demands are distributed
among the primary cell and active secondary cells.
Within each active serving cell, resource allocation for the maximum throughput demands
is carried out according to the scheduler used by that cell.
An alternate method for distributing LTE-A users remaining throughput demand over their
serving cells is also available through an option in the Atoll.ini file. For more information,
see the Administrator Manual.
The total user throughput is the sum of the throughputs obtained from each of the users
servers. For detailed information on RRM and scheduling, see the Technical Reference
Guide.
At the end of the simulations, active users can be connected in the direction corresponding to his activity status if the following
conditions are met:
They have a best server assigned (step 2.).
They have a bearer in the direction corresponding to his activity status (step 3. and step 4.).
They are among the users selected by the scheduler for resource allocation (step 5.).
They are not rejected due to resource saturation (step 5.).
Users may be rejected in step 2. for "No Coverage," step 3. or step 4. for "No Service," and step 5. for the following motives:
"Scheduler Saturation": The user is not among the users selected for resource allocation.
"Resource Saturation" : All of the cells resources were used up by other users or if, for a user active in uplink, the min-
imum uplink throughput demand was higher than the uplink allocated bandwidth throughput.
"Backhaul Saturation": The user was among the lowest priority service users served by a cell of a site whose defined
maximum S1 interface throughputs were exceeded while allocating resources for the minimum throughput demands.
Rejected LTE-A users are only counted in the statistics of their primary serving cells.
Connected LTE-A users are counted in the statistics of all their serving cells, pri-
mary and secondary.
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Effective RLC cumulated throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of effective RLC user
throughputs of the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site.
Cumulated application throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of application through-
puts of the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site.
Peak RLC cumulated throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of peak RLC user through-
puts of the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site.
Effective RLC cumulated throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of effective RLC user
throughputs of the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site.
Cumulated application throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of application through-
puts of the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site.
Connection success rate (%) for each service: For each service, the percentage of users connected to any cell of
the site with respect to the number of users covered by the cells of the site.
The Cells tab: The Cells tab contains the following information, per site and transmitter:
Layer: The layer to which the cell belongs.
Traffic load (DL) (%): The traffic loads of the cells calculated on the downlink during the simulation.
Cell-edge Traffic Ratio (DL) (%): The percentage of the downlink traffic load that corresponds to the cell-edge
users.
Traffic load (UL) (%): The traffic loads of the cells calculated on the uplink during the simulation.
UL noise rise (dB): The noise rise of the cells calculated on the uplink during the simulation.
ICIC UL noise rise (dB): The noise rise of the cells calculated on the uplink during the simulation for cell-edge users.
Max PUSCH C/(I+N) (dB): The maximum PUSCH C/(I+N) for the cell. It is updated during uplink noise rise control
based on the maximum noise rise constraints of the neighbouring cells.
Angular distribution of interference (AAS): The simulation results generated for transmitters using a smart
antenna. These results are the angular distributions of the downlink traffic power spectral density.
AAS usage (DL) (%): The percentage of the downlink traffic load that corresponds to the traffic carried by the smart
antennas.
Number of co-scheduled MU-MIMO users (DL): The average number of MU-MIMO users that share the same
resources on the downlink.
Number of co-scheduled MU-MIMO users (UL): The average number of MU-MIMO users that share the same
resources on the uplink.
Peak RLC cumulated throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of peak RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in
the downlink.
Effective RLC cumulated throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of effective RLC user throughputs of all the users con-
nected in the downlink.
Cumulated application throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of application throughputs of all the users connected in
the downlink.
Peak RLC cumulated throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of peak RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in
the uplink.
Effective RLC cumulated throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of effective RLC user throughputs of all the users con-
nected in the uplink.
Cumulated application throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of application throughputs of all the users connected in
the uplink.
Connection success rate (%): The percentage of users connected to the cell with respect to the number of users
covered by the cell.
Total number of connected users: The total number of users connected to the cell in downlink, uplink, or downlink
and uplink both.
Number of connected users (DL+UL): The number of users connected to the cell in downlink and uplink both.
Number of connected users (DL): The number of users connected to the cell in downlink.
Number of connected users (UL): The number of users connected to the cell in uplink.
Number of connected users (inactive): The number of inactive users connected to the cell.
No service: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "No service."
No service (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "No ser-
vice."
Scheduler saturation: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "Sched-
uler saturation."
Scheduler saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was
"Scheduler saturation."
Resource saturation: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was
"Resource saturation."
Resource saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was
"Resource saturation."
Backhaul saturation: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "Back-
haul saturation."
Backhaul saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was
"Backhaul saturation."
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Peak RLC cumulated throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of peak RLC user through-
puts of the users connected in the downlink.
Effective RLC cumulated throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of effective RLC user
throughputs of the users connected in the downlink.
Cumulated application throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of application through-
puts of the users connected in the downlink.
Peak RLC cumulated throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of peak RLC user through-
puts of the users connected in the uplink.
Effective RLC cumulated throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of effective RLC user
throughputs of the users connected in the uplink.
Cumulated application throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of application through-
puts of the users connected in the uplink.
Connection success rate (%) for each service: For each service, the percentage of users connected to the cell with
respect to the number of users covered by the cell.
The Mobiles tab: The Mobiles tab contains the following information:
X and Y: The coordinates of users who attempt to connect (the geographic position is determined by the second
random trial).
Height: The height of the user terminal (antenna).
User profile: The assigned user profile. Atoll uses the assigned service and activity status to determine the ter-
minal and the user profile.
Subscriber ID: The ID of the user if the user is generated from a subscriber list and not from a traffic map.
Subscriber list: The subscriber list of the user if the user is generated from a subscriber list and not from a traffic
map.
Service: The service assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distribution.
Terminal: The assigned terminal. Atoll uses the assigned service and activity status to determine the terminal and
the user profile.
Mobility: The mobility type assigned during the first random trial during the generation of the user distribution.
Activity status: The assigned activity status. It can be Active DL, Active UL, Active DL+UL, or Inactive.
Connection status: The connection status indicates whether the user is connected or rejected at the end of the
simulation. If connected, the connection status corresponds to the activity status. If rejected, the rejection cause
is given.
Clutter class: The code of the clutter class where the user is located.
Indoor: This field indicates whether indoor losses have been added or not.
Best server: The best server of the user.
Serving cell: The serving cell of the user.
Layer: The layer to which the serving cell belongs.
Multiserver Context: The reason of multiserver connection: carrier aggregation, CoMP, or both.
Number of servers (DL): The total number of aggregated or coordinated servers in downlink.
Number of servers (UL): The total number of aggregated or coordinated servers in uplink.
Azimuth: The orientation of the users terminal antenna in the horizontal plane. Azimuth is always considered
with respect to the North. Atoll points the user antenna towards its best server.
Downtilt: The orientation of the users terminal antenna in the vertical plane. Mechanical downtilt is positive
when it is downwards and negative when upwards. Atoll points the user antenna towards its best server.
Path loss (dB): The path loss from the best server calculated for the user.
2nd best server: The second best server of the user.
2nd best server path loss (dB): The path loss from the second best server calculated for the user.
3rd best server: The third best server of the user.
3rd best server path loss (dB): The path loss from the third best server calculated for the user.
RSRP (RS EPRE) (DL) (dBm): The RSRP (received reference signal energy per resource element) received at the user
location in the downlink.
RSSI (DL) (dBm): The RSSI received at the user location in the downlink.
RSRQ (DL) (dB): The RSRQ (reference signal received quality) at the user location in the downlink.
Received RS power (DL) (dBm): The reference signal level received at the user location in the downlink.
Received SS power (DL) (dBm): The SS signal level received at the user location in the downlink.
Received PBCH power (DL) (dBm): The PBCH signal level received at the user location in the downlink.
Received PDCCH power (DL) (dBm): The PDCCH signal level received at the user location in the downlink.
Received PDSCH power (DL) (dBm): The PDSCH signal level received at the user location in the downlink.
RS C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The reference signal C/(I+N) at the user location in the downlink.
SS C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The SS C/(I+N) at the user location in the downlink.
PBCH C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The PBCH C/(I+N) at the user location in the downlink.
PDCCH C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The PDCCH C/(I+N) at the user location in the downlink.
PDSCH C/(I+N) (DL) (dB): The PDSCH C/(I+N) at the user location in the downlink.
RS total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the user location in the
downlink on the reference signals.
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SS & PBCH total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the user location
in the downlink on the SS and PBCH.
PDCCH total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the user location in the
downlink on the PDCCH.
PDSCH total noise (I+N) (DL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the user location in the
downlink on the PDSCH.
Bearer (DL): The highest LTE bearer available for the PDSCH C/(I+N) level at the user location in the downlink.
BLER (DL): The Block Error Rate read from the user terminals reception equipment for the PDSCH C/(I+N) level at
the user location in the downlink.
Diversity mode (DL): The diversity mode used by the cell in downlink for the user.
Peak RLC channel throughput (DL) (kbps): The maximum RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest
bearer available at the user location in the downlink.
Effective RLC channel throughput (DL) (kbps): The effective RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest
bearer available at the user location in the downlink. It is calculated from the peak RLC throughput and the BLER.
Application channel throughput (DL) (kbps): The application throughput is the net throughput without coding
(redundancy, overhead, addressing, and so on). It is calculated from the effective RLC throughput, the throughput
scaling factor of the service and the throughput offset.
Peak RLC user throughput (DL) (kbps): The maximum RLC user throughput attainable using the highest bearer
available at the user location in the downlink.
Effective RLC user throughput (DL) (kbps): The effective RLC user throughput attainable using the highest bearer
available at the user location in the downlink. It is calculated from the peak RLC throughput and the BLER.
Application user throughput (DL) (kbps): The application throughput is the net throughput without coding
(redundancy, overhead, addressing, and so on). It is calculated from the effective RLC throughput, the throughput
scaling factor of the service and the throughput offset.
Received PUSCH & PUCCH power (UL) (dBm): The PUSCH & PUCCH signal level received at the serving transmitter
from the user terminal in the uplink.
PUSCH & PUCCH total noise (I+N) (UL) (dBm): The sum of the interference and noise experienced at the serving
transmitter of the user in the uplink on the PUSCH.
PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) (UL) (dB): The PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) at the serving transmitter of the user in the
uplink.
Bearer (UL): The highest LTE bearer available for the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) level at the serving transmitter of
the user in the uplink.
BLER (UL): The Block Error Rate read from the serving cells reception equipment for the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N)
level at the serving transmitter of the user in the uplink.
Diversity mode (UL): The diversity mode used by the cell in uplink for the user.
Transmission power (UL) (dBm): The transmission power of the user terminal after power control in the uplink.
Allocated bandwidth (UL) (No. of frequency blocks): The number of frequency blocks allocated to the user in the
uplink by the eNode-B.
Peak RLC channel throughput (UL) (kbps): The maximum RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest
bearer available at the user location in the uplink.
Effective RLC channel throughput (UL) (kbps): The effective RLC channel throughput attainable using the highest
bearer available at the user location in the uplink. It is calculated from the peak RLC throughput and the BLER.
Application channel throughput (UL) (kbps): The application throughput is the net throughput without coding
(redundancy, overhead, addressing, and so on). It is calculated from the effective RLC throughput, the throughput
scaling factor of the service and the throughput offset.
Peak RLC allocated bandwidth throughput (UL) (kbps): The maximum RLC throughput attainable for the number
of frequency blocks allocated to the user using the highest bearer available at the user location in the uplink.
Effective RLC allocated bandwidth throughput (UL) (kbps): The effective RLC throughput attainable for the
number of frequency blocks allocated to the user using the highest bearer available at the user location in the
uplink. It is calculated from the peak RLC throughput and the BLER.
Application allocated bandwidth throughput (UL) (kbps): The application throughput is the net throughput
without coding (redundancy, overhead, addressing, and so on). It is calculated from the effective RLC throughput,
the throughput scaling factor of the service and the throughput offset.
Peak RLC user throughput (UL) (kbps): The maximum RLC user throughput attainable using the highest bearer
available at the user location in the uplink.
Effective RLC user throughput (UL) (kbps): The effective RLC user throughput attainable using the highest bearer
available at the user location in the uplink. It is calculated from the peak RLC throughput and the BLER.
Application user throughput (UL) (kbps): The application throughput is the net throughput without coding
(redundancy, overhead, addressing, and so on). It is calculated from the effective RLC throughput, the throughput
scaling factor of the service and the throughput offset.
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The Initial Conditions tab: The Initial Conditions tab contains the following information:
The global network settings:
PDCCH overhead (number of symbol durations per subframe)
PUCCH overhead (average number of frequency blocks)
Default cyclic prefix
Uplink power adjustment margin
Reference signal EPRE calculation method
Best server selection criterion
Best server selection method
Special subframe configuration
SU-MIMO criterion
MU-MIMO criterion
Multi-antenna interference calculation method
The input parameters specified when creating the simulation:
Generator initialisation value
Maximum number of iterations
Global scaling factor
Backhaul capacity limitation
Uplink and downlink traffic load convergence thresholds
Uplink noise rise convergence threshold
Names of the traffic maps and subscriber lists used.
The parameters related to the clutter classes, including the default values.
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The breakdown per service (total number of users, number of users per activity status, and UL and DL through-
put demands) is given.
Results: Under Results, is data on the connection results:
The number of iterations that were run in order to converge.
The total number and percentage of users unable to connect: rejected users, and the number of rejected users
per rejection cause.
The number and percentage of users connected to a cell, the number of users per activity status, and the total
UL and DL throughputs they generate. This data is also provided by service.
The Sites (Average) tab: The Sites (Average) tab contains the following average information per site:
Peak RLC cumulated throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of peak RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in
the downlink in all the cells of the site.
Effective RLC cumulated throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of effective RLC user throughputs of all the users con-
nected in the downlink in all the cells of the site.
Cumulated application throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of application throughputs of all the users connected in
the downlink in all the cells of the site.
Peak RLC cumulated throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of peak RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in
the uplink in all the cells of the site.
Effective RLC cumulated throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of effective RLC user throughputs of all the users con-
nected in the uplink in all the cells of the site.
Cumulated application throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of application throughputs of all the users connected in
the uplink in all the cells of the site.
Connection success rate (%): The percentage of users connected to any cell of the site with respect to the number
of users covered by the cells of the site.
Total number of connected users: The total number of users connected to any cell of the site in downlink, uplink,
or downlink and uplink both.
Number of connected users (DL+UL): The number of users connected to any cell of the site in downlink and uplink
both.
Number of connected users (DL): The number of users connected to any cell of the site in downlink.
Number of connected users (UL): The number of users connected to any cell of the site in uplink.
No service: The number of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause was "No
service."
No service (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause was
"No service."
Scheduler saturation: The number of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause
was "Scheduler saturation."
Scheduler saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection
cause was "Scheduler saturation."
Resource saturation: The number of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause
was "Resource saturation."
Resource saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection
cause was "Resource saturation."
Backhaul saturation: The number of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection cause
was "Backhaul saturation."
Backhaul saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to any cell of the site for which the rejection
cause was "Backhaul saturation."
Peak RLC cumulated throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of peak RLC user through-
puts of the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site.
Effective RLC cumulated throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of effective RLC user
throughputs of the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site.
Cumulated application throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of application through-
puts of the users connected in the downlink in all the cells of the site.
Peak RLC cumulated throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of peak RLC user through-
puts of the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site.
Effective RLC cumulated throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of effective RLC user
throughputs of the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site.
Cumulated application throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of application through-
puts of the users connected in the uplink in all the cells of the site.
Connection success rate (%) for each service: For each service, the percentage of users connected to any cell of
the site with respect to the number of users covered by the cells of the site.
The Cells (Average) tab: The Cells (Average) tab contains the following average information per cell:
Traffic load (DL) (%): The traffic loads of the cells calculated on the downlink during the simulation.
Cell-edge Traffic Ratio (DL) (%): The percentage of the downlink traffic load that corresponds to the cell-edge
users.
Traffic load (UL) (%): The traffic loads of the cells calculated on the uplink during the simulation.
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UL noise rise (dB): The noise rise of the cells calculated on the uplink during the simulation.
ICIC UL noise rise (dB): The noise rise of the cells calculated on the uplink during the simulation for the cell-edge
users.
Max PUSCH C/(I+N) (dB): The maximum PUSCH C/(I+N) for the cell. It is updated during uplink noise rise control
based on the maximum noise rise constraints of the neighbouring cells.
Angular distribution of interference (AAS): The simulation results generated for transmitters using a smart
antenna. These results are the angular distributions of the downlink traffic power spectral density.
AAS usage (DL) (%): The percentage of the downlink traffic load that corresponds to the traffic carried by the smart
antennas.
Number of co-scheduled MU-MIMO users (DL): The average number of MU-MIMO users that share the same
resources on the downlink.
Number of co-scheduled MU-MIMO users (UL): The average number of MU-MIMO users that share the same
resources on the uplink.
Peak RLC cumulated throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of peak RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in
the downlink.
Effective RLC cumulated throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of effective RLC user throughputs of all the users con-
nected in the downlink.
Cumulated application throughput (DL) (kbps): The sum of application throughputs of all the users connected in
the downlink.
Peak RLC cumulated throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of peak RLC user throughputs of all the users connected in
the uplink.
Effective RLC cumulated throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of effective RLC user throughputs of all the users con-
nected in the uplink.
Cumulated application throughput (UL) (kbps): The sum of application throughputs of all the users connected in
the uplink.
Connection success rate (%): The percentage of users connected to the cell with respect to the number of users
covered by the cell.
Total number of connected users: The total number of users connected to the cell in downlink, uplink, or downlink
and uplink both.
Number of connected users (DL+UL): The number of users connected to the cell in downlink and uplink both.
Number of connected users (DL): The number of users connected to the cell in downlink.
Number of connected users (UL): The number of users connected to the cell in uplink.
No service: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "No service."
No service (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "No ser-
vice."
Scheduler saturation: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "Sched-
uler saturation."
Scheduler saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was
"Scheduler saturation."
Resource saturation: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was
"Resource saturation."
Resource saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was
"Resource saturation."
Backhaul saturation: The number of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was "Back-
haul saturation."
Backhaul saturation (%): The percentage of users unable to connect to the cell for which the rejection cause was
"Backhaul saturation."
Peak RLC cumulated throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of peak RLC user through-
puts of the users connected in the downlink.
Effective RLC cumulated throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of effective RLC user
throughputs of the users connected in the downlink.
Cumulated application throughput (DL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of application through-
puts of the users connected in the downlink.
Peak RLC cumulated throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of peak RLC user through-
puts of the users connected in the uplink.
Effective RLC cumulated throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of effective RLC user
throughputs of the users connected in the uplink.
Cumulated application throughput (UL) (kbps) for each service: For each service, the sum of application through-
puts of the users connected in the uplink.
Connection success rate (%) for each service: For each service, the percentage of users connected to the cell with
respect to the number of users covered by the cell.
The Initial Conditions tab: The Initial Conditions tab contains the following information:
The global network settings:
PDCCH overhead (number of symbol durations per subframe)
PUCCH overhead (average number of frequency blocks)
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ACP can also be used to measure and optimise the EMF exposure created by the network. This permits the optimisation of
power and antenna settings to reduce excessive EMF exposure in existing networks and optimal site selection for new trans-
mitters.
ACP uses user-defined objectives to evaluate the optimisation, as well as to calculate its implementation cost. Once you have
defined the objectives and the network parameters to be optimised, ACP uses an efficient global search algorithm to test
many network configurations and propose the reconfigurations that best meet the objectives. ACP presents the changes
ordered from the most to the least beneficial, allowing phased implementation or implementation of just a subset of the
suggested changes.
ACP is technology-independent and can be used to optimise networks using different radio access technologies. Chapter 17:
Automatic Cell Planning explains how you configure the ACP module, how you create and run an optimisation setup, and how
you can view the results of an optimisation. In this section, only the concepts specific to LTE networks are explained:
"LTE Optimisation Objectives" on page 941
"LTE Quality Parameters" on page 941
"LTE Quality Analysis Predictions" on page 943.
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In projects using LTE, either alone, or in a co-planning or multi-RAT mode, the following Quality parameters are proposed in
the Pixel Rules frame of the objectives properties pages:
Signal level
RS C
RS CN
RSRP
RS CINR
RSRQ
Overlap
Best Server Distance
RSSI
PDSCH CINR
RLC Peak Rate
1st-2nd Difference
1st-Nth Difference
To define the ACP quality parameters for LTE:
1. Open the Setup Properties dialog box to define the optimisation as explained in "Creating an ACP Setup" on
page 1332.
2. Click the Objectives tab.
3. Under Parameters, expand the LTE folder. The list of available quality parameters appears.
You can base the evaluation of a quality analysis prediction on a calculated Atoll predic-
tion, if any, or on a manual configuration.
If you base the evaluation of a quality analysis prediction on a calculated Atoll pre-
diction, ACP will use the display settings of the calculated Atoll prediction in the
quality analysis prediction calculated for that objective.
If you saved the display settings of a quality analysis prediction as defaults, or if you
are using a configuration file for ACP, these display settings will be used by default
and will override the display settings of the calculated Atoll prediction. For more
information on changing the display settings of a quality analysis prediction, see
"Changing the Display Properties of ACP Predictions" on page 1397.
Signal Level: Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by signal level.
Base prediction settings on > "Coverage by Signal Level (DL)": ACP will evaluate coverages by signal level based
on the parameters used to calculate the selected "Coverage by Signal Level (DL)" prediction in Atoll.
Only the coverage predictions displaying a "Best Signal Level" per pixel can be accessed by the ACP.
Base prediction settings on > "Manual configuration": if you select this option, you can Enable shadowing margin
and define a Cell edge coverage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no
clutter information available, default values are used.
RS C & RSRP: Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by RS C or RSRP.
Base prediction settings on > "Effective Signal Analysis (DL)": ACP will evaluate coverages by RS C or RSRP based
on the parameters used to calculate the selected "Effective Signal Analysis (DL)" prediction in Atoll.
Only the Atoll predictions displaying an "RS Signal Level" or "RSRP Level" per pixel can be accessed by the ACP.
Base prediction settings on > "Manual configuration": if you select this option, you can Enable shadowing margin
and define a Cell edge coverage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no
clutter information available, default values are used. Additionally, you can specify the following:
Service and Terminal that will be used during the calculation of RS C or RSRP through gain and losses (i.e., the
service body loss, the gain and loss of the terminal antenna, and the terminal noise factor).
RS CN: Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by RS CN.
Base prediction settings on > "Effective Signal Analysis (DL)": ACP will evaluate coverages by RS CN based on the
parameters used to calculate the selected "Effective Signal Analysis (DL)" prediction in Atoll.
Only the Atoll predictions displaying an "RS C/N Level" per pixel can be accessed by the ACP.
Base prediction settings on > "Manual configuration": if you select this option, you can Enable shadowing margin
and define a Cell edge coverage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no
clutter information available, default values are used. Additionally, you can specify the following:
Service and Terminal that will be used during the calculation of RS CN through gain and losses (i.e., the service
body loss, the gain and loss of the terminal antenna, and the terminal noise factor).
RS CINR & RSRQ: Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by RS CINR or
RSRQ.
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Base prediction settings on > "Coverage by C/(I+N) Level (DL)": ACP will evaluate coverages by RS CINR or RSRQ
based on the parameters used to calculate the selected "Coverage by C/(I+N) Level (DL)" prediction in Atoll.
Only the Atoll predictions displaying an "RS C/(I+N) Level" or "RSRQ Level" per pixel can be accessed by the ACP.
Base prediction settings on > "Manual configuration": if you select this option, you can Enable shadowing margin
and define a Cell edge coverage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no
clutter information available, default values are used. Additionally, you can specify the following:
Service and Terminal that will be used during the calculation of RS CINR or RSRQ through gain and losses (i.e.,
the service body loss, the gain and loss of the terminal antenna, and the terminal noise factor).
Calculation Method for RS CINR & RSRQ (select Consider frequency plan or Ignoring frequency plan).
RSSI: Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by RSSI.
Base prediction settings on > "Coverage by C/(I+N) Level (DL)": ACP will evaluate coverages by overlapping based
on the parameters used to calculate the selected "Coverage by C/(I+N) Level (DL)" prediction in Atoll.
Only the Atoll predictions displaying an "RSSI Level" per pixel can be accessed by the ACP.
Base prediction settings on > "Manual configuration": if you select this option, you can Enable shadowing margin
and define a Cell edge coverage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no
clutter information available, default values are used. Additionally, you can specify the following:
Service and Terminal that will be used during the calculation of RSSI through gain and losses (i.e., the service
body loss, the gain and loss of the terminal antenna, and the terminal noise factor).
Calculation Method for RSSI (select Consider frequency plan or Ignoring frequency plan).
PDSCH CINR: Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by PDSCH CINR.
Base prediction settings on > "Coverage by Throughput (DL)": ACP will evaluate coverages by overlapping based
on the parameters used to calculate the selected "Coverage by Throughput (DL)" prediction in Atoll.
Only the Atoll predictions displaying a "PDSCH C/(I+N) Level" per pixel can be accessed by the ACP.
Base prediction settings on > "Manual configuration": If you select this option, you can Enable shadowing margin
and define a Cell edge coverage probability. The standard deviations defined in the Atoll clutter are used or, if no
clutter information is available, default values are used. Additionally, you can specify:
Service, Terminal, and Mobility that will be used during the calculation of PDSCH CINR through gain and losses
(i.e., the service body loss, the gain and loss of the terminal antenna, and the terminal noise factor),
Calculation Method for PDSCH CINR (select Consider frequency plan or Ignoring frequency plan).
RLC Peak Rate: Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by RLC Peak Rate.
Base prediction settings on > "Coverage by Throughput (DL)": ACP will evaluate coverages by RLC Peak Rate
based on the parameters used to calculate the selected "Coverage by Throughput (DL)" prediction in Atoll.
Only the Atoll predictions displaying a "Peak RLC Channel Throughput" per pixel can be accessed by the ACP.
Base prediction settings on > "Manual configuration": if you select this option, the evaluation is done using the
parameters defined for PDSCH CINR.
Overlap / 1st-Nth: Click this parameter to define in the right-hand pane how ACP will evaluate coverage by overlap-
ping zones or by 1st-Nth difference.
Overlap
Base prediction settings on > "Overlapping Zones (DL)": ACP will evaluate coverages by overlapping based on
the parameters used to calculate the selected "Overlapping Zones (DL)" prediction in Atoll.
Only the Atoll predictions displaying a "Number of Servers" per pixel can be accessed by the ACP.
Base prediction settings on > "Manual configuration": If you select this option, you can set a Minimum signal
level and a Threshold margin.
1st-Nth
Base prediction settings on > "Overlapping Zones (DL)": ACP will evaluate coverages by 1st-Nth difference
based on the parameters used to calculate the selected "Overlapping Zones (DL)" prediction in Atoll.
Since there is no Atoll prediction type equivalent to ACPs LTE 1st-Nth Difference objective, the parameters
recovered by ACP from the selected Atoll prediction are limited to the minimum signal level and the shading.
The number of servers must always be specified manually next to No. servers.
Base prediction settings on > "Manual configuration": If you select this option, specify a Minimum signal
level and the No. servers.
In both cases, the value you specify next to No. servers determines "Nth" in the LTE 1st-Nth Difference objec-
tive. For instance if you set No. servers to 4, then the "1st-4th Difference" quality parameter will be automat-
ically selected by default in the Quality column of the LTE 1st-Nth Difference properties page.
- Allowed values for No. servers range from 3 to 100, with only one value available per technology.
- The "1st-2nd Difference" quality parameter (based on No. servers = 2) is provided by default.
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Figure 11.23: ACP Quality Analysis Prediction Types for an LTE Network
ACP quality analysis predictions are equivalent to some of Atolls coverage predictions. The following table lists the quality
analysis predictions available in ACP for LTE and the equivalent LTE coverage predictions in Atoll.
(1) For more information, see "Studying Signal Level Coverage for a Single Base Station" on page 878.
(2) For more information, see "Studying Interference and C/(I+N) Levels" on page 884.
(3) For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction on Overlapping Zones" on page 880.
(4) For more information, see "Making a Coverage Prediction by Throughput" on page 890.
Making these predictions available within ACP enables you to quickly validate the optimisation results without having to
commit the results and then calculate a coverage prediction in Atoll. The ACP predictions display results very similar to those
that Atoll would display if you committed the optimisation results and calculated Atoll coverage predictions, however, before
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basing any decision to commit the optimisation results on the predictions produced by ACP, you should keep the following
recommendations in mind:
You should verify the results with a different Atoll coverage prediction, such as the overlapping zones prediction.
ACP generated predictions are generated using the entire set of proposed changes. They do not take into account the
change subset defined on the Change Details tab.
Multiple frequency band optimisation is supported in LTE. However the predictions are provided separately for the
requested frequency band.
Even after committing the optimisation results, differences can remain between the ACP predictions and the predic-
tions resulting from Atoll coverage predictions.
You can view the exact RS coverage value on any pixel by letting the pointer rest over the pixel. The RS coverage value is then
displayed in a tip text.
For ACP overlapping zones predictions, you can:
Specify a best server threshold:
by entering a value next to Minimum Signal Level in the Overlap / 1st-Nth properties page,
or by setting the param.lte.overlap.minRxLevel option with the same value in the [ACPTplObjectivePage] section
of the ACP.ini file.
Specify a threshold margin:
by entering a value next to Threshold margin in the Overlap / 1st-Nth properties page,
or by setting the param.lte.overlap.margin option with the same value in the [ACPTplObjectivePage] section of the
ACP.ini file.
For each network quality coverage prediction, ACP offers a prediction showing the initial network state, the final network
state, and a prediction showing the changes between the initial and final states.
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If you are importing more than one file, you can select contiguous files by clicking the first
file you want to import, pressing Shift and clicking the last file you want to import. You can
select non-contiguous files by pressing Ctrl and clicking each file you want to import.
Files with the extension PLN, as well as some FMT files (created with old versions of TEMS)
are imported directly into Atoll; you will not be asked to define the data structure using
the Import of Measurement Files dialog box.
4. If you already have an import configuration defining the data structure of the imported file or files, you can select it
from the Import configuration list on the Setup tab of the Import of Measurement Files dialog box. If you do not have
an import configuration, continue with step 5.
a. Under Import configuration, select an import configuration from the Import configuration list.
b. Continue with step 8.
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When importing a drive test data path file, existing configurations are available in
the Files of type list of the Open dialog box, sorted according to their date of cre-
ation. After you have selected a file and clicked Open, Atoll automatically proposes
a configuration, if it recognises the extension. If several configurations are associ-
ated with an extension, Atoll chooses the first configuration in the list.
The defined configurations are stored, by default, in the file "NumMeasINIFile.ini",
located in the directory where Atoll is installed. For more information on the Num-
MeasINIFile.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can set the following parameters:
Name: By default, Atoll names the new drive test data path after the imported file. You can change this name if
necessary.
Under Receiver, set the Height of the receiver antenna and the Gain and Losses.
Under Measurement conditions,
Units: Select the measurement units used.
Coordinates: By default, Atoll imports the coordinates using the display system of the Atoll document. If the
coordinates used in the file you are importing are different than the coordinates used in the Atoll document,
you must click the Browse button and select the coordinate system used in the drive test data file. Atoll will
then convert the data imported to the coordinate system used in the Atoll document.
6. Click the Setup tab (see Figure 11.24).
Figure 11.24: The Setup tab of the Import of Measurement Files dialog box
a. In the File area, enter the number of the 1st measurement row, select the data Separator, and select the Decimal
symbol used in the file.
b. Click the Setup button to link file columns and internal Atoll fields. The Drive Test Data Setup dialog box appears.
c. Under Measurement point position, select the columns in the imported file that give the X-coordinates and the
Y-coordinates of each point in the drive test data file.
You can also identify the columns containing the XY coordinates of each point in the drive
test data file by selecting them from the Field row of the table on the Setup tab.
d. If you are importing data that uses cells IDs as a cell identifier:
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If you have correctly entered the information under File on the Setup tab, and the
necessary values in the Drive Test Data Setup dialog box, Atoll should recognise all
columns in the imported file. If not, you can click the name of the column in the
table in the Field row and select the column name. For each field, you must ensure
that each column has the correct data type in order for the data to be correctly
interpreted. The default value under Type is "<Ignore>". Columns marked with
"<Ignore>" will not be imported.
The data in the file must be structured so that the column identifying the physical
cell ID is placed before the data columns for each cell. Otherwise Atoll will not be
able to properly import the file.
7. If you want to save the definition of the data structure so that you can use it again, you can save it as an import con-
figuration:
a. On the Setup tab, under Import configuration, click Save. The Configuration dialog box appears.
b. By default, Atoll saves the configuration in a file called "NumMeasINIfile.ini" found in Atolls installation folder. In
case you cannot write into that folder, you can click Browse to choose a different location.
c. Enter a Configuration name and an Extension of the files that this import configuration will describe (for example,
"*.txt").
d. Click OK.
Atoll will now select this import configuration automatically every time you import a drive test data path file with
the selected extension. If you import a file with the same structure but a different extension, you can select this
import configuration from the Configuration list.
You do not need to complete the import procedure to save the import configura-
tion and have it available for future use.
When importing a measurement file, you can expand the NumMeasINIfile.ini file
by clicking the Expand button ( ) in front of the file under Import configuration
to display all the available import configurations. When selecting the appropriate
configuration, the associations are automatically made in the table at the bottom
of the dialog box.
You can delete an existing import configuration by selecting the import configura-
tion under Import configuration and clicking the Delete button.
8. Click Import, if you are only importing a single file, or Import all, if you are importing more than one file. The drive test
data is imported into the current Atoll document.
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Fast display forces Atoll to use the lightest symbol to display the points. This is par-
ticularly useful when you have a very large number of points.
You can not use Advanced display if the Fast display check box has been selected.
You can sort drive test data paths in alphabetical order in the Network explorer by
right-clicking the Drive Test Data Path folder and selecting Sort Alphabetically
from the context menu.
You can save the display settings (such as colours and symbols) of a drive test data
path in a user configuration file to make them available for use on another drive
test data path. To save or load the user configuration file, click the Actions button
on the Display tab of the path properties dialog box and select Save or Load from
the Display Configuration submenu.
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You can filter out unreliable measurement points from the drive test data path either geographically, by filtering by clutter
classes and the focus zone, or using an advanced filter.
To filter out measurement points by clutter class:
1. In the Network explorer, expand the Drive Test Data folder, right-click the drive test data path on which you want to
filter out measurement points, and select Filter from the context menu. The Drive Test Data Filter dialog box appears.
2. Under Clutter classes, clear the check boxes of the clutter classes you want to exclude. Measurement points located
on the excluded clutter classes will be filtered out.
3. If you want to use the focus zone as part of the filter, select the Use focus zone to filter check box. Measurement
points located outside the focus zone will be filtered out.
4. If you want to permanently delete the measurement points outside the filter, select the Delete points outside the
filter check box.
You can apply a filter on all the drive test data paths in the Drive Test Data folder
by selecting Filter from the context menu of the folder.
If you want to use the measurement points that you permanently deleted, you
must import the drive test data path again.
You can update heights (of the DTM, and clutter heights) and the clutter class of drive test
data points after adding new geographic maps or modifying existing ones by selecting
Refresh Geo Data from the context menu of the Drive Test Data folder.
Figure 11.25: Selecting Measured Signal Levels for which Errors will be Calculated
4. Click OK. A new point prediction is created for the selected drive test data path.
5. Right-click the drive test data path. The context menu appears.
6. Select Calculations > Calculate All the Predictions from the context menu.
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If you chose to have Atoll calculate the errors between measured and predicted signal levels, new columns are added to the
drive test data table for the predicted point signal level from the serving cell and the errors between the measured and
predicted values.
Figure 11.26: Drive Test Data table after Point Signal Level Prediction (with error calculations)
New columns are also added for the predicted point signal level from each neighbour cell and the errors between the
predicted and measured values. The values stored in these columns can be displayed in the Drive Test Data analysis tool. For
more information on the Drive Test Data analysis tool, see "Analysing Measurement Variations Along the Path" on page 952.
The propagation model used to calculate the predicted point signal levels is the one assigned to the transmitter for the main
matrix. For more information on propagation models, see Chapter 4: Radio Calculations and Models.
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11.6.4.5 Extracting a Field From a Drive Test Data Path for a Transmitter
You can extract information for a selected transmitter from a field of a drive test data path. The extracted information is avail-
able in a new column in the drive test data table.
To extract a field from a drive test data path:
1. In the Network explorer, expand the Drive Test Data folder, right-click the drive test data from which you want to
extract a field, and select Focus on a Transmitter from the context menu. The Field Selection for a Given Transmitter
dialog box appears.
2. Under On the transmitter, select the transmitter for which you want to extract a field.
3. Under For the fields, select the fields that you want to extract for the selected transmitter.
4. Click OK. A new column is created in the drive test data path table for the selected transmitter and with the selected
values.
2. In the Drive Test Data analysis tool, click the Display button. The Display Parameters dialog box appears (see Figure
11.28).
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You can change the display status or the colour of more than one field at the same time by
selecting several fields. You can select contiguous fields by clicking the first field, pressing
Shift and clicking the last field. You can select non-contiguous fields by pressing Ctrl and
clicking each field. You can then change the display status or the colour by right-clicking on
the selected fields and selecting the choice from the context menu.
The selected fields are displayed in the Drive Test Data analysis tool.
4. You can display the data in the drive test data path in the following ways:
Click the values in the Drive Test Data analysis tool.
Click the points on the drive test data path in the map window.
The drive test data path appears in the map window as an arrow pointing towards the best server (see Figure 11.27
on page 952) in the same colour as the transmitter.
5. You can display a secondary Y-axis on the right side of the window in order to display the values of a variable with
different orders of magnitude than the ones selected in the Display Parameters dialog box. You select the value to be
displayed from the right-hand list at the top of the Drive Test Data analysis tool. The values are displayed in the colour
defined in the Display Parameters dialog box.
6. You can zoom in on the graph displayed in the Drive Test Data analysis tool in the following ways:
Zoom in or out:
i. Right-click the Drive Test Data analysis tool. The context menu appears.
ii. Select Zoom In or Zoom Out from the context menu.
Select the data to zoom in on:
i. Right-click the Drive Test Data analysis tool on one end of the range of data you want to zoom in on. The con-
text menu appears.
ii. Select First Zoom Point from the context menu.
iii. Right-click the Drive Test Data analysis tool on the other end of the range of data you want to zoom in on. The
context menu appears.
iv. Select Last Zoom Point from the context menu. The Drive Test Data analysis tool zooms in on the data be-
tween the first zoom point and the last zoom point.
7. Click the data in the Drive Test Data analysis tool to display the selected point in the map window. Atoll will centre
the map window on the selected point if it is not presently visible.
If you open the table for the drive test data you are displaying in the Drive Test Data anal-
ysis tool, Atoll will automatically display in the table the data for the point that is displayed
in the map and in the Drive Test Data analysis tool (see Figure 11.27 on page 952).
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11.6.7 Printing and Exporting the Drive Test Data Analysis Tool
You can print and export the contents of the Drive Test Data analysis tool.
To print or export the contents of the Drive Test Data analysis tool:
1. Select Tools > Drive Test Data from the menu bar. The Drive Test Data analysis tool appears.
2. Define the display parameters and zoom level as explained in "Analysing Measurement Variations Along the Path" on
page 952.
3. Right-click the Drive Test Data analysis tool. The context menu appears.
To print the Drive Test Data analysis tool, select Print from the context menu.
To export the Drive Test Data analysis tool, select Copy from the context menu, then paste.
Before starting a co-planning project in Atoll, the Atoll administrator must perform the
pre-requisite tasks that are relevant for your project as described in the Administrator
Manual.
Sectors of both networks can share the same sites database. You can display base stations (sites and sectors), geographic data,
and coverage predictions, and so on., of one network in the other networks Atoll document. You can also study inter-tech-
nology handovers by performing inter-technology neighbour allocations, manually or automatically. Inter-technology neigh-
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bours are allocated on criteria such as the distance between sectors or overlapping coverage. In addition, you can optimise
the settings of the two networks using the Atoll Automatic Cell Planning (ACP) module.
This section covers the following topics:
"Switching to Co-planning Mode" on page 955
"Working with Coverage Predictions in a Co-Planning Project" on page 956
"Creating an LTE Sector From a Sector in the Other Network" on page 959
"Planning Neighbours in Co-planning Mode" on page 960
"Using ACP in a Co-planning Project" on page 961
"Ending Co-planning Mode" on page 962
Before starting a co-planning project, make sure that your main and linked documents
have the same geographic coordinate systems.
By default, only the Transmitters and Predictions folders of the linked document appear
in the main document. If you want the Sites folder of the linked document to appear in the
main document as well, you can set an option in the Atoll.ini file. For information on setting
options in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
As soon as a link is created between the two documents, Atoll switches to co-planning mode and the co-planning features are
now available.
When you are working on a co-planning document, Atoll facilitates working on two different but linked documents by
synchronising the display in the map window between both documents. Atoll synchronises the display for the following:
Geographic data: Atoll synchronises the display of geographic data such as clutter classes and the DTM. If you select
or deselect one type of geographic data, Atoll makes the corresponding change in the linked document.
Zones: Atoll synchronises the display of filtering, focus, computation, hot spot, printing, and geographic export zones.
If you select or deselect one type of zone, Atoll makes the corresponding change in the linked document.
Map display: Atoll co-ordinates the display of the map in the map window. When you move the map, or change the
zoom level in one document, Atoll makes the corresponding changes in the linked document.
Point analysis: When you use the Point Analysis tool, Atoll co-ordinates the display on both the working document
and the linked document. You can select a point and view the profile in the main document and then switch to the
linked document to make an analysis on the same profile but in the linked document.
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from the explorer window of the linked document to the explorer window of the main document (e.g., you can display GSM
sites and measurement paths in an LTE document).
To display sites from the linked document in the main document:
1. Click the map window of the linked document. The linked document map window becomes active and the explorer
window shows the contents of the main document and the linked folders from the linked document.
2. In the Network explorer, right-click the Sites folder and select Make Accessible In from the context menu, and select
the name of the main document from the submenu that opens.
The Sites folder of the linked document is now available in the main document. The Explorer window of the main document
now contains a folder named Sites in [linked document], where [linked document] is the name of the linked document. If you
want the Sites folder of the linked document to appear in the main document automatically, you can set an option in the
Atoll.ini file. For information on setting options in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
The same process can be used to link other folders in one document, folders such as CW Measurements, Drive Test Data,
Clutter Classes, Traffic Maps, DTM, and so on., in the other document.
Once the folders are linked, you can access their properties and the properties of the items in the folders from either of the
two documents. Any changes you make in the linked document are taken into account in the both the linked and main docu-
ments. However, because working document is the main document, any changes made in the main document are not auto-
matically taken into account in the linked document.
If you close the linked document, Atoll displays a warning icon ( ) in the main documents Explorer window, and the linked
items are no longer accessible from the main document. You can load the linked document in Atoll again by right-clicking the
linked item in the explorer window of the main document, and selecting Open Linked Document.
The administrator can create and set a configuration file for the display parameters of linked and main document transmitters
in order to enable you to distinguish them on the map and to be able to select them on the map using the mouse. If such a
configuration file has not been set up, you can choose different symbols, sizes and colours for the linked and the main docu-
ment transmitters. For more information on folder configurations, see "Folder Configurations" on page 106. You can also set
the tip text to enable you to distinguish the objects and data displayed on the map. For more information on tip text, see
"Associating a Tip Text to an Object" on page 54.
In order to more easily view differences between the networks, you can also change the order of the folders or items in the
explorer window. For more information on changing the order of items in the explorer window, see "Changing the Order of
Layers" on page 50.
Figure 11.29 shows an example of LTE transmitters with labels and displayed in the Legend window, and GSM transmitter data
displayed in a tip text.
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To prevent Atoll from calculating coverage predictions in the linked Predictions folder, you
can set an option in the Atoll.ini file. For information on setting options in the Atoll.ini file,
see the Administrator Manual.
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The recommended process for analysing coverage areas, and the effect of parameter modifications in one on the other, is as
follows:
1. Create and calculate a Coverage by Transmitter (DL) (best server with 0 dB overlap margin) coverage prediction and
a Coverage by Signal Level (DL) coverage prediction in the main document. For more information, see "Making a
Coverage Prediction by Transmitter" on page 879 and "Making a Coverage Prediction by Signal Level" on page 879.
2. Create and calculate a Coverage by Transmitter (DL) (best server with 0 dB overlap margin) coverage prediction and
a Coverage by Signal Level (DL) coverage prediction in the linked document.
3. Choose display settings for the coverage predictions and tip text contents that will allow you to easily interpret the
predictions displayed in the map window. This can help you to quickly assess information graphically and using the
mouse. You can change the display settings of the coverage predictions on the Display tab of each coverage predic-
tions Properties dialog box.
4. Make the two new coverage predictions in the linked document accessible in the main document as described in "Dis-
playing Both Networks in the Same Atoll Document" on page 955.
5. Optimise the main network by changing parameters such as antenna azimuth and tilt or the cell power. You can use
a tool such as the Atoll ACP to optimise the network.
Changes made to the shared antenna parameters will be automatically propagated to the linked document.
6. Calculate the coverage predictions in the main document again to compare the effects of the changes you made with
the linked coverage predictions.
For information on comparing coverage predictions, see "Comparing Coverage Areas by Overlaying Coverage Predic-
tions" on page 958 and "Studying Differences Between Coverage Areas" on page 959.
7. Calculate the linked coverage predictions again to study the effects of the changes on the linked coverage predictions.
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Figure 11.31: New sector Before and after applying the configuration
The azimuths and mechanical tilts of secondary antennas and remote antennas are not
included when you select Update Folder Configuration and must be set up manually.
The neighbour relation fulfils the defined coverage Use coverage conditions is selected
Coverage
conditions and nothing is selected under Force
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TDD subframe configuration (see "Cell Properties" on page 850) is hidden when there is
no TDD frequency band defined in the Frequency Bands table.
3. When you have finished adding frequency bands, click the Close button ( ).
For example, if you want to define the E-UTRA Band 1 with 10 MHz channels and EARFCNs corresponding to the centre
frequencies of the channels (50, 150, 250, 350, 450, 550), you can set:
Name: E-UTRA Band 1 - 10MHz
Channel width: 10
Inter-channel spacing: 0
First channel: 50
Last channel: 550
Step: 100
DL start frequency: 2110
UL start frequency: 1920
Adjacent channel suppression factor: 28.23
Number of frequency blocks: 50
Sampling frequency: 15.36
Duplexing method: FDD
You can also access the properties dialog box of each individual frequency band by double-clicking the left margin of the
row with the frequency band.
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mission antenna port, the energy belonging to the unused resource elements (resource elements reserved for ref-
erence signal transmission on other antennas) will be distributed among all the downlink signals and channels
equally.
Calculated (with boost): The reference signal EPRE for each cell will be calculated by Atoll using the cells max-
imum power (user-definable) and the EPRE offsets. For transmitters with more than one transmission antenna
port, the energy belonging to the unused resource elements (resource elements reserved for reference signal
transmission on other antennas) will be allotted to the reference signal resource elements only. This corresponds
to a 3 dB boost in the RS EPRE with 2 transmission antenna ports and 6 dB boost with 4 ports.
Calculated (without boost): The reference signal EPRE for each cell will be calculated by Atoll using the cells max-
imum power (user-definable) and the EPRE offsets. For transmitters with more than one transmission antenna
port, the energy belonging to the unused resource elements (resource elements reserved for reference signal
transmission on other antennas) will be considered lost.
User-defined: You will be able to enter the reference signal EPRE for each cell. The cells maximum power will be
calculated by Atoll using the RS EPRE and the EPRE offsets.
Independent of max power: You can enter the reference signal EPRE and the maximum power. Atoll does not
verify the validity of the entered values.
Best server selection criterion: You can select the best server selection criterion: reference signal level or RSRP.
Depending on the selected method, Atoll compares either the reference signal level or the RSRP from different trans-
mitters at each pixel (or mobile) to determine the best server.
Best server selection method: Select either Standard or Random as the best server selection method to be used in
Monte Carlo simulations. For more information on the cell selection methods, see the Technical Reference Guide.
For carrier aggregation, Atoll selects multiple servers by processing lists of potential servers according to the Standard
or Random cell selection method:
LTE users:
a. A list of potential serving cells whose cell type includes LTE
LTE-A users:
a. A list of potential primary serving cells whose cell type includes LTE and LTE-A PCell
b. A list of potential secondary serving cells whose cell type may include LTE-A SCell DL and LTE-A SCell UL
Atoll selects the serving cell for LTE users from the list a. and a primary serving cell for LTE-A users from the remaining
list b.
Once a primary serving cell has been selected, Atoll eliminates the selected cell as well as any other co-channel cell
from list c. Here, co-channel cells are cells whose channels overlap the channel being used the primary serving cell.
In intra-eNode-B carrier aggregation, at this stage Atoll also eliminates cells belonging to
other eNode-Bs than that of the selected primary cell.
In group-based carrier aggregation, at this stage Atoll also eliminates potential servers that
do not belong to the carrier aggregation groups to which the selected primary cell belongs.
If the primary serving cell belongs to more than one carrier aggregation group, Atoll
searches for secondary serving cells in the first carrier aggregation group among the larg-
est carrier aggregation groups (most member cells) sorted alphabetically.
For more information on carrier aggregation groups and modes, see "Working With Cell
Groups" on page 864.
For LTE-A users with a primary serving cell of type LTE-A PCell selected from list b., Atoll selects secondary serving
cells from list c.
This step is carried out until either list c. is empty, or the numbers of downlink or uplink secondary serving cells
assigned to the user become equal to the maximum numbers defined in the terminal properties. Secondary cells are
selected based on the reference signal level or RSRP, according to the defined best server selection criterion.
Only secondary cells whose PDSCH C/(I+N) is higher than or equal to the secondary cell activation threshold defined
in the terminal reception equipment properties are activated for aggregation in downlink. Similarly, only secondary
cells whose PDSCH C/(I+N) and PUSCH C/(I+N) are both higher than or equal to the secondary cell activation threshold
defined in the terminal and cell reception equipment properties, respectively, are activated for aggregation in uplink.
The primary and secondary serving cells once assigned to a mobile do not change during a Monte Carlo simulation.
For more information on defining layers, see "Defining Network Deployment Layers" on page 966.
For coordinated multipoint transmission and reception (CoMP), i.e., within the best servers cell-edge region, Atoll
also determines additional CoMP servers in downlink and uplink (1 or 2, depending on the defined maximum trans-
mission and reception set sizes) from the same CoMP set as the best server.
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SU-MIMO criterion: You can select whether the SU-MIMO selection will be based on the RS C/N, RS C/(I+N), or PDSCH
or PUSCH C/(I+N). Atoll compares the selected criterion with the SU-MIMO threshold defined for the reception equip-
ment.
MU-MIMO criterion: You can select whether MU-MIMO is activated based on the RS C/N, RS C/(I+N), or PDSCH or
PUSCH C/(I+N). Atoll compares the selected criterion with the MU-MIMO threshold defined for the reception equip-
ment.
AAS criterion: You can select whether AAS is activated based on the RS C/N, RS C/(I+N), or PDSCH C/(I+N). Atoll com-
pares the selected criterion with the AAS threshold defined for the reception equipment.
Multi-antenna interference calculation method: You can select the calculation method for interference from non-syn-
chronised and adjacent channel multi-antenna cells. The calculated interference can be either proportional to the
number of antennas or independent of the number of antennas.
Uplink power adjustment margin: The margin (in dB) that will be added to the bearer selection threshold, for safety
against fast fading, when performing power control in uplink.
Figure 11.32 and Figure 11.33 give examples of downlink and uplink FDD resource blocks for the single antenna case using the
normal cyclic prefix.
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Selection margin (dB) of the layers table is no longer used in calculations as these have
been enhanced to model the connected mode mobility as defined by the 3GPP specifica-
tions. If you want to return to the cell selection mechanism based on the layer selection
margin as in Atoll 3.2.1, you must add a custom field named SELECTION_MARGIN of type
float to the Layers table.
1 77290
2 29511
3 107269
4 2811
The PRACH preamble format 4 can only be used for TDD cells. The best server cov-
erage limit due to PRACH preamble format 4 is only used when a cell uses a TDD
frequency band and:
Normal cyclic prefix with special subframe configuration higher than 4, or
Extended cyclic prefix with special subframe configuration higher than 3.
If a cells PRACH preamble format is set to 4 but the above conditions are not true,
PRACH preamble format 0 is used in the calculations instead.
The PRACH preamble format models the distance-related boundary of the best
server coverage. In order to model the PRACH overhead, you must use the Max
Traffic Load (UL) (%) field available per cell. For example, for a PRACH overhead of
5 % of the frame, you can set the Max Traffic Load (UL) (%) to 95 %.
ICIC mode: The inter-cell interference coordination method. You can select from Time-switched FFR, Hard FFR,
Soft FFR, and Partial Soft FFR. For more information on different ICIC modes, see "Inter-cell Interference Coordi-
nation" on page 978.
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Cell-edge power boost (DL) (dB): The downlink cell-edge power boost, i.e., the ratio of the power transmitted on
the cell-edge resource blocks with respect to the power transmitted on cell-centre resource blocks, for Soft FFR
and Partial Soft FFR ICIC modes. If you leave this column empty, Atoll automatically calculates the power boost
depending on the numbers of cell-centre and cell-edge frequency blocks.
Group 0 frequency blocks: The frequency blocks associated with PSS ID 0.
Group 1 frequency blocks: The frequency blocks associated with PSS ID 1.
Group 2 frequency blocks: The frequency blocks associated with PSS ID 2.
You can enter non-consecutive frequency block numbers separated with a comma, or you can enter a range of
frequency blocks separating the first and last index with a hyphen (for example, entering "1-5" corresponds to "1,
2, 3, 4, 5").
In time-switched and soft FFR, the frequency block group associated with a cells PSS ID serves cell-centre as well
as cell-edge users. The other two frequency block groups, associated with the other two PSS IDs, only serve cell-
centre users.
In hard and partial soft FFR, the frequency block group associated with a cells PSS ID covers cell-centre as well as
cell-edge users. The other two frequency block groups, associated with the other two PSS IDs, serve neither cell-
edge nor cell centre users.
If no frame configuration is defined for a cell using static ICIC, Atoll considers that group 0 frequency blocks cor-
respond to the first 1/3rd of the total number of frequency blocks, group 1 frequency blocks correspond to the
second 1/3rd of the total number of frequency blocks, and group 2 frequency blocks correspond to the third 1/
3rd of the total number of frequency blocks.
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i. Click the Selection thresholds button. The C/(I+N) Thresholds (dB) dialog box appears (see Figure 11.35).
ii. Enter the graph values. The values defined in the C/(I+N) Thresholds (dB) column must be unique and not re-
peated.
iii. Click OK.
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For more information on the default values of the bearer selection thresholds, see "Bearer Selection Thresholds"
on page 982. For converting receiver equipment sensitivity values (dBm) into bearer selection thresholds, see
"Calculating Bearer Selection Thresholds From Receiver Sensitivity Values" on page 983.
Quality Graphs: On this tab (see Figure 11.36), you can modify the quality indicator graphs for different bearers
and for different mobility types. These graphs depict the performance characteristics of the equipment under dif-
ferent radio conditions. For more information on bearers, quality indicators, and mobility types, see "Defining LTE
Radio Bearers" on page 968, "Defining LTE Quality Indicators" on page 968, and "Modelling Mobility Types" on
page 247, respectively.
i. Click the Quality graph button. The Quality Graph dialog box appears (see Figure 11.37).
ii. Enter the graph values.
iii. Click OK.
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PDSCH/PUSCH MIMO Gains: On this tab (see Figure 11.38), you can modify the SU-MIMO and diversity gains for
different bearers, mobility types, BLER values, and numbers of transmission and reception antenna ports. The
MIMO throughput gain is the increase in channel capacity compared to a SISO system. Diversity gains can be
defined for different diversity modes: transmit/receive diversity, SU-MIMO, and MU-MIMO. Diversity gain is
applied to the PDSCH or PUSCH C/N and C/(I+N) when the diversity mode is transmit or receive diversity. SU-
MIMO diversity gain is applied to the PDSCH or PUSCH C/N and C/(I+N) when the diversity mode is SU-MIMO. MU-
MIMO diversity gain is applied to the PDSCH or PUSCH C/N and C/(I+N) when the diversity mode is MU-MIMO.
For more information on bearers and mobility types, see "Defining LTE Radio Bearers" on page 968 and "Modelling
Mobility Types" on page 247, respectively. For more information on the different MIMO systems, see "Multiple
Input Multiple Output Systems" on page 976.
No MIMO gain (diversity, SU-MIMO, and MU-MIMO) is applied if the numbers of transmis-
sion and reception antennas are both equal to 1.
i. Click the Max MIMO gain graphs button. The Max MIMO Gain dialog box appears (see Figure 11.39).
ii. Enter the graph values.
iii. Click OK.
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You can define the gains for any combination of mobility type, bearer, and BLER, as well as the default gains for
"All" mobility types, "All" bearers, and a Max BLER of 1. During calculations, Atoll uses the gains defined for a
specific combination if available, otherwise it uses the default gains.
PBCH/PDCCH MIMO Gains: On this tab (see Figure 11.40), you can enter diversity gains for PBCH and PDCCH for
different mobility types, and numbers of transmission and reception antenna ports. The PBCH diversity gain is
applied to the PBCH C/N and C/(I+N) when the cell and terminal both support any form of MIMO in downlink. The
PDCCH diversity gain is applied to the PDCCH C/N and C/(I+N) when the cell and terminal both support any form
of MIMO in downlink.
4. Click OK. The Properties dialog box closes. The settings are stored.
5. Click the Close button ( ) to close the Reception Equipment table.
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keeps only as many users as the maximum number defined for resource allocation. If no limit has been set, all the
users generated during Monte Carlo simulations for this cell are considered, and the scheduler continues to allocate
resources as long as there are remaining resources.
2. Resource allocation for supporting the Min throughput demands: This is the minimum throughput that a service
must get in order to work properly. The scheduler is either able to allocate the exact amount of resources required to
fully support the minimum throughput demands, or the service does not get any resources at all.
The scheduler allocates resources, for supporting the minimum throughput demands, in the order of service priority.
The effective service priority is determined based on the QCI priority and the user-defined service priority. For exam-
ple, the order of resource allocation will be as follows: users of the service with the highest QCI priority and the highest
user-defined service priority to users of the service with the lowest QCI priority and the lowest user-defined service
priority.
In order to be connected, users active in downlink and uplink must be able to get their minimum throughput in both
directions. If a user active in downlink and uplink gets his minimum throughput in only one direction, he will be
rejected.
3. Resource allocation for supporting the Max throughput demands: Once the resources have been allocated for sup-
porting the minimum throughput demands in the previous step, the remaining resources can be allocated in different
ways to support the maximum throughput demands of the users.
For allocating resources to support the maximum throughput demands, the following types of scheduling methods
are available:
Proportional fair: The proportional fair scheduling method allocates the same amount of resources to all the users
with a maximum throughput demand. Therefore, the resources allocated to each user are either the resources it
requires to achieve its maximum throughput demand or the total amount of resources divided by the total
number of users in the cell, which ever is smaller. The proportional fair scheduler can also model the effect of
resource scheduling over time, i.e., how a proportional fair scheduler benefits from fast fading, by applying multi-
user diversity gains (MUG) to user throughputs.
Proportional demand: The proportional demand scheduling method allocates resources proportional to the
demands of users who have a maximum throughput demand. Therefore, users with higher maximum throughput
demands will have higher resulting throughputs than the users with lower maximum throughput demands.
Round Robin: The round robin scheduling method allocates the same amount of resources to all the users with a
maximum throughput demand. Therefore, the resources allocated to each user are either the resources it requires
to achieve its maximum throughput demand or the total amount of resources divided by the total number of users
in the cell, which ever is smaller.
Max C/I: This scheduling method allocates the resources required by the users to achieve their maximum
throughput demands in the order of their PDSCH C/(I+N) in downlink and of their PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) in
uplink. This means that users who are under good radio conditions will get the resources they require. The end
result of this scheduling method is that the cumulated cell throughputs are maximised.
For all the scheduling methods, resources are allocated to support the maximum throughput demand until either the
maximum throughput demands of all the users are satisfied or the scheduler runs out of resources.
The Schedulers table lists the available schedulers. You can add, remove, and modify scheduler properties, if you want.
To define LTE schedulers:
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the LTE Network Settings folder, right-click Schedulers and select Open Table.
The Schedulers table appears.
2. In the table, enter one scheduler per row. For information on working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75.
For each scheduler, enter:
Name: Enter a name for the scheduler. This name will appear in the cell properties.
Scheduling method: Select the scheduling method used by the scheduler for allocating resources to support the
maximum throughput demands.
Target throughput for voice services: Select the throughput that the scheduler will target to satisfy for all voice-
type services.
Target throughput for data services: Select the throughput that the scheduler will target to satisfy for all data-
type services.
Bearer selection criterion: Select the criterion for the selection of the best bearer.
Bearer index: The best bearer selected for throughput calculations is the one with the highest bearer index
among the bearers available in the reception equipment.
Peak RLC throughput: The best bearer selected for throughput calculations is the one with the highest peak
RLC throughput (including SU-MIMO gains) among the bearers available in the reception equipment.
Effective RLC throughput: The best bearer selected for throughput calculations is the one with the highest
effective RLC throughput (including SU-MIMO gains) among the bearers available in the reception equipment.
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Uplink bandwidth allocation target: Select the aim of the uplink bandwidth allocation.
Full bandwidth: All the frequency blocks are used for the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) calculations, i.e., no band-
width reduction is performed.
Maintain connection: The number of frequency blocks is reduced one by one in order to increase the PUSCH
& PUCCH C/(I+N) so that the mobile is able to get at least the lowest bearer.
Best bearer: The number of frequency blocks is reduced in order to increase the PUSCH & PUCCH C/(I+N) so
that the mobile is able to get the highest bearer available. The definition of the highest bearer depends on the
Bearer selection criterion, i.e., highest index, highest peak RLC throughput, or highest effective RLC through-
put.
When the Bearer selection criterion is set to Effective RLC throughput, Atoll calculates the effective RLC
throughput for all possible combinations of [number of frequency blocks, bearers], and keeps the number of
frequency blocks and the bearer which provide the highest effective RLC throughput.
3. Double-click a row corresponding to any scheduler in the Schedulers table. The schedulers properties dialog box
appears.
The General tab contains the scheduler properties described above. For Proportional fair schedulers, the properties
dialog box displays an additional MUG tab. On the MUG tab, you can edit the downlink and uplink throughput gains
due to multi-user diversity for different radio bearers and mobility types. You can also define the maximum PDSCH
and PUSCH C/(I+N) values above which their are no gains due to multi-user diversity.
To edit the downlink multi-user diversity gains for a radio bearer and a mobility type:
a. Click the DL MUG Graph button. The DL MUG dialog boxes appears.
b. Edit the downlink multi-user diversity gain values for different numbers of simultaneously connected downlink us-
ers.
c. Click OK.
To edit the uplink multi-user diversity gains for a radio bearer and a mobility type:
a. Click the UL MUG Graph button. The UL MUG dialog boxes appears.
b. Edit the uplink multi-user diversity gain values for different numbers of simultaneously connected uplink users.
c. Click OK.
4. Click OK.
5. Click the Close button ( ) to close the Schedulers table.
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For information on LTE transmission modes, their equivalent Atoll settings, and the algo-
rithm of diversity mode selection, see "LTE Transmission Modes and Equivalent Settings in
Atoll" on page 987.
Although the number of beams in a GOB is not limited, calculation times with a large
number of beams will be longer.
TDD LTE networks are more suitable for smart antennas than FDD because of the similar uplink and downlink channel char-
acteristics in TDD. Information gathered from a mobile in the uplink can be assumed valid for downlink as well.
Smart antenna equipment are used to define conventional beamforming smart antenna and grid-of-beams (GOB) smart
antenna systems.
To create smart antenna equipment:
1. In the Parameters explorer, expand the Radio Network Equipment folder and the Smart Antennas folder, right-click
Smart Antenna Equipment, and select Open Table from the context menu. The Smart Antenna Equipment table
appears.
2. In the Smart Antenna Equipment table, each row describes a piece of smart antenna equipment. For information on
working with data tables, see "Data Tables" on page 75. For the new smart antenna equipment, enter:
Name: Enter a name for the smart antenna equipment.
Smart Antenna Model: Select a smart antenna model from the list. By default, Conventional Beamformer and
Grid Of Beams models are available.
Main Antenna Model: Select the main antenna model to be used with the smart antenna equipment. The list con-
tains the antennas available in the Antennas table. When you assign the smart antenna equipment to a trans-
mitter, you can choose to replace the current main antenna model with this model.
3. Double-click the equipment entry in the Smart Antenna Equipment table once your new equipment has been added
to the table. The equipments Properties dialog box opens.
4. Under the General tab, you can modify the parameters that you set previously.
5. To modify the properties of the smart antenna model assigned to the smart antenna equipment, click the Parameters
button under Smart Antenna Model. The smart antenna models properties dialog box appears.
a. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the default Name of the smart antenna model.
b. Click the Properties tab. On the Properties tab, you can define the following:
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For information on LTE transmission modes, their equivalent Atoll settings, and the algo-
rithm of diversity mode selection, see "LTE Transmission Modes and Equivalent Settings in
Atoll" on page 987.
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tion antenna ports, the throughput over the transmitter-receiver link can be theoretically increased M or N times, whichever
is smaller, M or N. SU-MIMO improves the throughput (channel capacity) for a given C/(I+N), and is used for the regions of a
cell that have sufficient C/(I+N) conditions. SU-MIMO (single-user MIMO) is also referred to as SM (spatial multiplexing) or
MIMO.
In Atoll, you can set whether a cell supports SU-MIMO by selecting the corresponding diversity support mode in cell properties
(see "Cell Properties" on page 850). SU-MIMO capacity gains can be defined in the reception equipment for different numbers
of transmission and reception antenna ports, mobility types, bearers, and maximum BLER. For more information on SU-MIMO
gains, see "Defining LTE Reception Equipment" on page 969.
During calculations in Atoll, a user (pixel, mobile, or subscriber) using a MIMO-capable terminal, and connected to a cell that
supports SU-MIMO, will benefit from the SU-MIMO gain in its throughput depending on its PDSCH or PUSCH C/(I+N) if the
received SU-MIMO criterion (RS C/N, RS C/(I+N), or PDSCH or PUSCH C/(I+N)) is higher than or equal to the SU-MIMO thresh-
old defined in the reception equipment of the terminal or cell, respectively.
As SU-MIMO improves the channel capacity or throughputs, the PDSCH or PUSCH C/(I+N) of a user is first determined. Once
the C/(I+N) is known, Atoll calculates the user throughput based on the bearer available at the user location. The obtained
user throughput is then increased according to the SU-MIMO capacity gain and the SU-MIMO gain factor of the users clutter
class. The capacity gains defined in Max SU-MIMO gain graphs are the maximum theoretical capacity gains using SU-MIMO.
SU-MIMO requires rich multipath environment, without which the gain is reduced. In the worst case, there is no gain. There-
fore, it is possible to define an SU-MIMO gain factor per clutter class whose value can vary from 0 to 1 (0 = no gain, 1 = 100 %
gain). For information on setting the SU-MIMO gain factor for each clutter class or for all clutter classes, see "Defining Clutter
Class Properties" on page 127.
The SU-MIMO capacity gain vs. C/(I+N) graphs available in Atoll by default have been generated based on the maximum theo-
retical SU-MIMO capacity gains obtained using the following equations:
CC MIMO
G MIMO = ---------------------
-
CC SISO
TX RX C I + N
Where CC MIMO = Min N Ant N Ant Log 2 1 + ------------------------------------------ is the channel capacity at a given C/(I+N) for a MIMO
TX RX
Min N Ant N Ant
TX RX
system using N Ant transmission and N Ant reception antenna ports. CC SISO = Log 2 1 + C I + N is the channel capacity
for a single antenna system at a given C/(I+N). C/(I+N) is used as a ratio (not dB) in these formulas. You can replace the default
SU-MIMO capacity gain graphs with graphs extracted from simulated or measured values.
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No FFR
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losses or gains caused by shadowing are known as the shadowing margin. The shadowing margin is added to the path losses
calculated by the propagation model.
For example, a properly calibrated propagation model calculates a loss leading to a signal level of -70 dBm. You have set a cell
edge coverage probability of 85 %. If the calculated shadowing margin is 7 dB for a specific point, the target signal will be equal
to or greater than -77 dBm 85 % of the time.
In LTE projects, the model standard deviation is used to calculate shadowing margins on signal levels. You can also calculate
shadowing margins on C/I values. For information on setting the model standard deviation and the C/I standard deviations for
each clutter class or for all clutter classes, see "Defining Clutter Class Properties" on page 127.
Shadowing can be taken into consideration when Atoll calculates the signal level and C/(I+N) for:
A point analysis (see "Studying the Profile Around a Base Station" on page 861)
A coverage prediction (see "Studying Signal Level Coverage for a Single Base Station" on page 878).
Atoll always takes shadowing into consideration when calculating a Monte Carlo simulations. Atoll uses the values defined
for the model standard deviations per clutter class when calculating the signal level coverage predictions. Atoll uses the values
defined for the C/I standard deviations per clutter class when calculating the interference- based coverage predictions.
To display the shadowing margins per clutter class:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select Shadowing Margins from the context menu. The Shadowing Margins dialog box appears.
4. You can set the following parameters:
Cell edge coverage probability: Enter the probability of coverage at the edge of the cell. The value you enter in
this dialog box is for information only.
Standard deviation: Select the type of standard deviation to be used to calculate the shadowing margin:
Model: The model standard deviation. Atoll will display the shadowing margin of the signal level.
C/I: The C/I standard deviation. Atoll will display the C/I shadowing margin.
5. Click Calculate. The calculated shadowing margin is displayed.
6. Click Close to close the dialog box.
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Interference received by cells on the uplink: Interference can be received by cells of an LTE network on the uplink
from external base stations and mobiles in the vicinity.
Interference from external base stations (also called downlink-to-uplink interference) can be created by insufficient
separation between the downlink frequency used by the external network and the uplink frequency used by your LTE
network. Such interference may also come from co-existing TDD networks.
Interference from external mobiles (also called uplink-to-uplink interference) can be created by the use of same or
nearby frequencies for uplink in both networks. Unless the exact locations of external mobiles is known, it is not possi-
ble to separate interference received from external base stations and mobiles on the uplink. The effect of this inter-
ference is modelled in Atoll using the Additional UL noise rise definable for each cell in the LTE network. This noise
rise is taken into account in uplink interference-based calculations in Monte Carlo simulations but not in coverage
predictions. For more information on the Additional UL noise rise, see "Cell Properties" on page 850.
Interference received from external base stations on mobiles of your LTE network can be calculated by Atoll. Atoll uses the
inter-technology interference reduction factor (IRF) graphs for calculating the interference levels. An IRF graph represents the
variation of the Adjacent Channel Interference Ratio (ACIR) as a function of frequency separation. ACIR is determined from
the Adjacent Channel Suppression (ACS) and the Adjacent Channel Leakage Ratio (ACLR) parameters as follows:
1
ACIR = -------------------------------------
1 1
------------- + -----------------
ACS ACLR
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Victim bandwidth (kHz): The width in kHz of the channels (carriers) used by the interfered network. This channel
width must be consistent with that used in the main document.
Reduction factors (dB): Click the cell corresponding to the Reduction factors (dB) column and the current row in
the table. The Reduction factors (dB) dialog box appears.
i. Enter the interference reduction factors in the Reduction (dB) column for different frequency separation,
Freq. delta (MHz), values relative to the centre frequency of the channel (carrier) used in the main document.
This procedure is only recommended if you have a proper subscriber list and have
complete knowledge of the services they use.
If you want to determine user throughputs for all the subscribers in a subscriber list, you can run a Monte Carlo simulation
with the subscriber list as input after modifying the user profiles assigned to the subscribers such that the probability of activ-
ity for all the subscribers is 100 %.
1. Create a subscriber list with subscribers having an activity probability of 100%:
a. Create as many user profiles as there are services used by the subscribers in the list.
b. Assign only one service to each user profile.
c. Assign the following service usage parameters to the user profiles that you create:
i. For Voice services, set:
Calls/hour = 1.
Duration (sec.) = 3600.
ii. For Data services:
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Calls/hour = 1.
UL volume (KBytes) = Service uplink average requested throughput x 3600/8.
DL volume (KBytes) = Service downlink average requested throughput x 3600/8.
d. Assign these user profiles to subscribers in the subscriber list.
2. Create a Monte Carlo simulation based only on this subscriber list.
The simulation results will contain all the subscribers in the subscriber list with their respective user throughputs
determined by Atoll after the scheduling process.
The spectral efficiency is the number of useful data bits that can be transmitted using any modulation and coding scheme per
Hz, the transition points between any two modulation and coding schemes give the default bearer selection thresholds in
Atoll, and the normalised values from the slopes of the graphs, that represent the reduction in the spectral efficiency, give
the block error rate.
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SF N Used
CNR = RS + 114 NF 10 Log ------------------------------
N Total
Where RS is the receiver sensitivity in dBm, NF is the noise figure of the receiver in dB, SF is the sampling frequency in MHz,
N Used is the number of subcarriers corresponding to the number of frequency blocks, N Total is the total number of subcar-
riers, i.e., the FFT size.
In the above explanation, the term receiver refers to the base station in uplink and to the mobile/user equipment in the down-
link.
Bearer efficiency is similar to spectral efficiency. The only difference is in the units used. Here is a simple example that
compares spectral efficiency and bearer efficiency, and shows that the two are the same.
Spectral efficiency is given by:
SE = 1 BLER r Log 2 M bps Hz
Where BLER is the Block Error Rate, r is the coding rate for the bearer, and M is the number of modulation states. For simpli-
fication, we set BLER = 0, and use QPSK1/2, i.e., four modulation states and r = 0.5. With these values, we get a spectral effi-
ciency of 1 bps/Hz for QPSK1/2. In other words, a communication channel using QPSK1/2 modulation and coding scheme can
send 1 bps of useful data per unit bandwidth.
In order to compare the bearer efficiency and spectral efficiency of QPSK1/2, lets say that QPSK1/2 has a bearer efficiency of
1 bits/symbol. Here as well, the number of bits refers to useful data bits. The width of a subcarrier in LTE is F = 15 kHz ,
1
from which we can calculate the useful symbol duration as well: T U = ------- = 66,67 sec . In one second, there can be
F
1 sec 66,67 sec = 15000 symbol durations. If 15000 symbols are transmitted using QPSK1/2, this gives us a throughput
of 15000 Symbols/sec 1 bits/Symbol = 15000 bps , which is the throughput achievable using one subcarrier of 15 kHz. We
can find the spectral efficiency by normalizing the throughput to unit bandwidth. This gives:
15000 bps/subcarrier 15 kHz/subcarrier = 1 bps/Hz .
In order to compare equivalent quantities, we have ignored some system parameters, such as the cyclic prefix, and have
considered that the entire frame is transmitted in one direction, uplink or downlink.
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The actual voice throughput needed by the G.711 codec is 64 kbps, but with the lower layer headers and other added
bits, the needed RLC throughput could be between 66.4 and 107.2 kbps. In this example, we show how to model the
codec with header bits that lead to 85.6 kbps RLC throughput.
a. Create a new service with the following parameters:
Name: VoIP (G.711)
Type: Voice
Min throughput demand (DL) and Min throughput demand (UL): 64 kbps
Max throughput demand (DL) and Max throughput demand (UL): 64 kbps
Average requested throughput (DL) and Average requested throughput (UL): 64 kbps
Scaling factor: 74.77 %
Offset: 0 kbps
b. Set the Target throughput for voice services to "2 - Application Throughput" for the scheduler being used.
In this way, Atoll will allocate resources to the users of this service such that they get 64 kbps application throughput,
and around 85.6 kbps of effective RLC throughput.
G.729 VoIP Codec
The actual voice throughput needed by the G.729 codec is 8 kbps, but with the lower layer headers and other added
bits, the needed RLC throughput could be between 9.6 and 29.6 kbps. In this example, we show how to model the
codec with header bits that lead to 29.6 kbps required throughput.
a. Create a new service with the following parameters:
Name: VoIP (G.729)
Type: Voice
Min throughput demand (DL) and Min throughput demand (UL): 8 kbps
Max throughput demand (DL) and Max throughput demand (UL): 8 kbps
Average requested throughput (DL) and Average requested throughput (UL): 8 kbps
Scaling factor: 27.03 %
Offset: 0 kbps
b. Set the Target throughput for voice services to "2 - Application Throughput" for the scheduler being used.
In this way, Atoll will allocate resources to the users of this service such that they get 8 kbps application throughput,
and around 29.6 kbps of effective RLC throughput.
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During calculations, Atoll will consider the transmitters of type Inter-network (Interferer only) when calculating inter-
ference. These transmitters will not serve any pixel, subscriber, or mobile, and will only contribute to interference.
Modelling the interference from co-existing networks will be as accurate as the data you have for the interfering network. If
the interfering network is a part of your own network, this information would be readily available. However, if the interfering
network belongs to another operator, the information available might not be accurate.
Moreover, for other operators networks, and if the interfering networks use OFDM but are not LTE networks, their modelling
will not be accurate using LTE transmitters and cells. The number of subcarriers used in the interfering networks might be very
different.
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PDSCH EPRE (CC) (dBm): The energy per resource element of the PDSCH at the cell centre.
RS, SS, PBCH, PDCCH AAS Gain (dB): The gain in dB provided by a smart antenna on the RS, SS, PBCH, and PDCCH.
PDSCH AAS Gain (dB): The gain in dB provided by a smart antenna on the PDSCH.
For more information on the LTE logical and transport channels, see "Glossary of LTE Terms" on page 988.
RSI Cyclic Number of cyclic PRACH preamble Cyclic shift duration Corresponding Number of required
length shift size shifts per sequence duration (us) (us) maximum cell radius (m) sequences per cell
839 15 55 800 14.30 2145.41 2
839 18 46 800 17.16 2574.49 2
839 22 38 800 20.98 3146.60 2
839 26 32 800 24.79 3718.71 2
839 32 26 800 30.51 4576.88 3
839 38 22 800 36.23 5435.04 3
839 46 18 800 43.86 6579.26 4
839 55 15 800 52.44 7866.51 5
839 68 12 800 64.84 9725.86 6
839 82 10 800 78.19 11728.25 7
839 100 8 800 95.35 14302.74 8
839 128 6 800 122.05 18307.51 11
839 158 5 800 150.66 22598.33 13
839 202 4 800 192.61 28891.54 16
839 237 3 800 225.98 33897.50 22
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The above mapping tables show values calculated for ideal conditions (no delay spread) and perfect equipment (no process-
ing/implementation delay). Different equipment and propagation conditions may imply additional delays and margins which
impact the calculation of the number of required root sequence indexes per cell. For example, the maximum delay spread for
the normal cyclic prefix is 6.25 us and that for the extended cyclic prefix is 16.67 us. Moreover, as transmission/reception
equipment is not perfect, a certain margin may need be added in the calculation in order to compensate for implementation
delays. Supposing the implementation delay margin to be 1.2 us, the maximum cell radius for Set 1: Unrestricted set for nomi-
nal cells will be calculated to be:
839 32 26 800 30.51 3639.38 3
839 119 7 800 113.47 16082.76 10
N Speed of Light
- Delay Spread -------------------------------------- Implementation
Where R = T ----------
CS Delay-
---------------------------------------------------------
N ZC 2 2 3,3
AAS+Transmit/Receive Diversity
AAS+SU-MIMO
TM8: Dual layer beamforming AAS+MIMO
AAS+AMS
AAS+MU-MIMO
AAS+Transmit/Receive Diversity
AAS+SU-MIMO
TM9: 8 layer transmission AAS+MIMO
AAS+AMS
AAS+MU-MIMO
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The difference between transmission modes 2 and 6 and 3 and 4 is the absence and pres-
ence of channel state feedback (open and closed loop methods). In Atoll, this is inter-
preted as higher gains in the MIMO lookup tables for the reception equipment
corresponding to the closed loop mode compared to the open loop mode.
Depending on radio conditions, transmission modes can be downgraded as follows (downgrades already supported in Atoll
are highlighted):
Atoll allows selecting multiple MIMO modes simultaneously. The MIMO mode used for calculations for any user depends on
the modes activation thresholds and selection priorities as follows:
1. If SU-MIMO is supported by the cell and the value of the SU-MIMO criterion >= SU-MIMO threshold
MIMO mode = SU-MIMO
2. If MU-MIMO is supported by the cell and the value of the MU-MIMO criterion >= MU-MIMO threshold
MIMO mode = MU-MIMO
3. If transmit/receive diversity is supported by the cell
MIMO mode = Transmit diversity in downlink and receive diversity in uplink
4. Otherwise
MIMO mode = None.
In parallel to the MIMO modes, the AAS mode will be selected or not as follows:
1. If AAS is supported by the cell and the value of the AAS criterion < AAS threshold
AAS mode = AAS
2. Otherwise
AAS mode = None.
The user diversity mode displayed in calculation results is a combination of both MIMO and AAS modes.
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Traffic Loads: The uplink and downlink traffic loads are the percentages of the uplink and the downlink frames in use
(allocated) to the traffic (mobiles) in the uplink and in the downlink, respectively.
Resources: In Atoll, the term "resource" is used to refer to the average number of resource units, expressed in per-
centage (as traffic loads, when the average is performed over a considerably long duration) of the total number of
resource units in a superframe of 1 sec.
Uplink Noise Rise: Uplink noise rise is a measure of uplink interference with respect to the uplink noise:
I UL + N UL
- , or NR UL = 10 Log I UL + N UL 10 Log N UL
NR UL = ------------------------ in dB. This parameter is one of the two
N UL
methods in which uplink interference can be expressed with respect to the noise. The other parameter often used
UL I
instead of the uplink noise rise is the uplink load factor: L UL = ------------------------
- . Usually, the uplink load factor is kept as a
I UL + N UL
linear value (in percentage) while the uplink noise rise is expressed in dB. The two parameters express exactly the
same information, and can be inter-converted as follows:
I I+NN I I+N N I N N I I+N 1
------------ = ---------------------- => ------------ = ------------ ------------ => ------------ = 1 ------------ => ------------ = 1 ------------ => ------------ = ---------------------
I+N I+N I+N I+N I+N I+N I+N I+N I+N N I
1 ------------
I+N
1
=> NR = -----------
-
1L
The following table shows the relation between interference, load factor, and noise rise.
Interference (I) Load Factor (%) Noise Rise Noise Rise (dB)
0 0 1 0
=N 50 2 3.01
=9xN 90 10 10
= 99 x N 99 100 20
The reason why uplink interference is expressed in terms of noise rise (in dB) in Atoll instead of load factor (in percent-
age) is that the load factor varies somewhat exponentially with the increase in interference.
Frame: An LTE frame is 10 ms long. The duration of a frame is a system-level constant. Each frame comprises 10 1 ms-
long subframes, with each subframe containing 2 0.5 ms-long slots. Each slot can have 7 or 6 symbol durations for
normal or extended cyclic prefix, respectively, and for a 15 kHz subcarrier width. A slot can have 3 symbol durations
for extended cyclic prefix used with a 7.5 kHz subcarrier width. LTE includes specific frame structures for FDD and TDD
systems as shown in Figure 11.46. For TDD systems, two switching point periodicities can be used; half-frame or full
frame. Half-frame periodicity provides the same half-frame structure as a TD-SCDMA subframe. The PBCH, PSS, and
SSS are carried by subframes 0 and 5, which means that these 2 subframes are always used in downlink. A subframe
is synonymous with TTI (transmission time interval), i.e., the minimum unit of resource allocation in the time domain.
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Figure 11.46: LTE frame structures (DL: blue, UL: orange, DL or UL: green)
Resource Element, Symbol, or Modulation Symbol: In Atoll, a symbol refers to one resource element or one modu-
lation symbol, which is 1 symbol duration long and 1 subcarrier width wide, as shown in Figure 11.45.
Symbol Duration: In Atoll, a symbol duration refers to one OFDM symbol, which is the duration of one modulation
symbol over all the subcarriers/frequency blocks being used.
Subcarrier: An OFDM channel comprises many narrowband carriers called subcarriers. OFDM subcarriers are orthog-
onal frequency-domain waveforms generated using fast fourier transforms (see Figure 11.47).
Frequency Block: It is the minimum unit of resource allocation in the frequency domain, i.e., the width of a resource
block, 180 kHz. It is a system-level constant. A frequency block can either contain 12 subcarriers of 15 kHz each (see
Figure 11.47) or 24 subcarriers of 7.5 kHz each.
Resource Block: It is the minimum unit of resource allocation, i.e., 1 frequency block by 1 slot (see Figure 11.47).
Schedulers are able perform resource allocation every subframe (TTI, transmission time interval), however, the gran-
ularity of resource allocation 1 slot in time, i.e., the duration of a resource block, and 1 frequency block in frequency.
LTE Logical Channels: LTE logical channels include (see Figure 11.48):
Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) (DL): Carries broadcast control information.
Paging Control Channel (PCCH) (DL): Carries paging control information.
Common Control Channel (CCCH) (DL and UL): Carries common control information.
Dedicated Control Channel (DCCH) (DL and UL): Carries control information dedicated to users.
Dedicated Traffic Channel (DTCH) (DL and UL): Carries user traffic data.
Multicast Control Channel (MCCH) (DL): Carries multicast control information.
Multicast Traffic Channel (MTCH) (DL): Carries multicast traffic data.
LTE Transport Channels: LTE transport channels include (see Figure 11.48):
Broadcast Channel (BCH) (DL): Carries broadcast information.
Paging Channel (PCH) (DL): Carries paging information.
Downlink Shared Channel (DL-SCH) (DL): Carries common and dedicated control information and user traffic data.
It can also be used to carry broadcast and multicast control information and traffic in addition to the BCH and
MCH.
Uplink Shared Channel (UL-SCH) (UL): Carries common and dedicated control information and user traffic data.
Multicast Channel (MCH) (DL): Carries multicast information.
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Random Access Channel (RACH) (UL): Carries random access requests from users.
LTE Physical Layer Channels: LTE physical layer channels include (see Figure 11.48):
Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) (DL): Carries broadcast information.
Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) (DL): Carries paging information, common and dedicated control
information, and user traffic data. It can also be used to carry broadcast and multicast control information and
traffic in addition to the PBCH and PMCH. Parts of this channel carry the primary and secondary synchronisation
signals (PSS and SSS), the downlink reference signals, the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), the physical
HARQ indicator channel (PHICH), and the physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH).
Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) (UL): Carries common and dedicated control information and user traffic
data.
Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) (UL): Carries control information.
Physical Multicast Channel (PMCH) (DL): Carries multicast information.
Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) (UL): Carries random access requests from users.
Figure 11.48: LTE logical, transport, and physical layer channels (DL: blue, UL: orange, DL or UL: green)
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992
Chapter 12
3GPP Multi-RAT
Networks
This chapter explains how to This chapter covers the following topics:
use Atoll to design, analyse,
"Designing a 3GPP Multi-RAT Network" on page 995
and optimise a multi-RAT
network. "Planning and Optimising Base Stations" on page 997
"Optimising Network Parameters Using ACP" on
page 1016
"Optimising Network Parameters Using ACP" on
page 1016
"Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data"
on page 1017
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-
1
2
5b 5c
5a
10
11
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The steps involved in planning a 3GPP multi-RAT network are described below. The numbers refer to Figure 12.1.
3. Carry out basic coverage predictions ( 3 ) from the analysis of base stations: "Studying Base Stations" on page 1000
4. Allocate neighbours ( 4 ).
"Planning Neighbours" on page 1015.
5. For the GSM part of the network, estimate the required number of TRXs ( 5 ) in one of the following ways:
You can import or create traffic maps ( 5a ) and use them as a basis for dimensioning 5b ) (see "Studying GSM/
GPRS/EDGE Network Capacity" on page 327 in Chapter 7: GSM/GPRS/EDGE Networks).
You can define them manually either on the TRXs tab of each transmitters Properties dialog box or in the Subcells
table (see "Modifying a Subcell" on page 288) ( 5c ).
6. Once you have the required number of TRXs in the GSM part of the network, manually or automatically create a fre-
quency plan ( 6 ).
"Allocating Resources in GSM" on page 1016.
8. For the LTE part of the network, allocate frequencies and physical cell IDs ( 8 ).
"Allocating Resources in LTE" on page 1016.
9. Before making more advanced coverage predictions, you need to define cell load conditions ( 9 ).
You can define cell load conditions in the following ways:
You can generate realistic cell load conditions by creating a simulation based on a traffic map ( 9a and 9b ) (see
"Optimising Network Parameters Using ACP" on page 1016).
You can define them manually in GSM ("Importing OMC Traffic Data into the Subcells Table: Traffic Data" on
page 328), UMTS ("Setting the UL Load Factor and the DL Total Power" on page 543) and LTE ("Setting Cell Loads
and Noise Rise Values" on page 881) ( 9c ).
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A n te n n a
- A z im u t h
- M e c h a n i c a l t i lt
TMA
A n te n n a
- H e ig h t
F e e d e r C a b le
T r a n s m it t e r
- N o is e fig u r e
- Pow er
S it e
- X , Y c o o r d in a t e s
Atoll lets you create one site, transmitter, or cell or subcell at a time, or create several at once by using a station template. In
Atoll, a base station refers to a site with its transmitters, antennas, equipment, and cells or subcells.
Atoll allows you to make a variety of coverage predictions, such as signal level or transmitter coverage predictions. The results
of calculated coverage predictions can be displayed on the map, compared, or studied.
Atoll enables you to model network traffic by allowing you to create services, users, user profiles, environments, and termi-
nals. This data can be then used to make quality predictions, such as effective service area, noise, or handover status predic-
tions, on the network.
This section covers the following topics:
"Creating a Base Station" on page 998
"Creating a Group of Base Stations" on page 998
"Modifying Sites and Transmitters Directly on the Map" on page 998
"Display Tips for Base Stations" on page 999
"Creating a Repeater" on page 999
"Creating a Remote Antenna" on page 999
"Studying Base Stations" on page 1000
"3GPP Multi-RAT Predictions" on page 1000
"Printing and Exporting Coverage Prediction Results" on page 1007
"Allocating Resources in a 3GPP Multi-RAT Network" on page 1016
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If you want to add a transmitter to an existing site on the map, you can add the
transmitter by right-clicking the site and selecting New Transmitter from the context
menu. Because a 3GPP multi-RAT document models several technologies, the new
transmitter will be created using the technology (GSM, UMTS or LTE) of the station
template currently selected in the toolbar.
When you import data into your current Atoll document, the coordinate system of the
imported data must be the same as the display coordinate system used in the document.
If you cannot change the coordinate system of your source data, you can temporarily
change the display coordinate system of the Atoll document to match the source data. For
information on changing the coordinate system, see "Setting a Coordinate System" on
page 41.
The table you copy data from must have the same column layout as the table you are
pasting data into.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting a Table Record" on page 82.
Importing data: If you have data in text or comma-separated value (CSV) format, you can import it into the tables in
the current document. If the data is in another Atoll document, you can first export it in text or CSV format and then
import it into the tables of your current Atoll document. When you are importing, Atoll allows you to select what
values you import into which columns of the table.
When you create a group of base stations by importing data, you must import site data in the Sites table, transmitter
data in the Transmitters table, and cell or subcell data in the Cells or Subcells table, in that order.
For information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 85. For infor-
mation on importing table data, see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 86.
You can quickly create a series of base stations for study purposes using the Hexagonal
Design tool on the Radio Planning toolbar. For information, see "Placing a New Station
Using a Station Template" on page 289.
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map. You can also select a site to display all of the transmitters located on it in the Site explorer. When selecting a transmitter,
if there is more than one transmitter with the same azimuth, clicking the transmitters in the map window opens a context
menu allowing you to select the transmitter. You can also change the position of the station by dragging it, or by letting Atoll
find a higher location for it.
Modifying sites and transmitters directly on the map is explained in detail in Chapter 1: Working Environment:
"Selecting One out of Several Transmitters" on page 57
"Moving a Site Using the Mouse" on page 57
"Moving a Site to a Higher Location" on page 57
"Changing the Azimuth of the Antenna Using the Mouse" on page 57
"Changing the Antenna Position Relative to the Site Using the Mouse" on page 58.
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that has antennas. This can be done by modelling a repeater. For information on creating a repeater, see "Creating a
Repeater" on page 999.
In a 3GPP multi-RAT network, you can define remote antennas for GSM, UMTS and LTE transmitters. Remote antennas are
managed in a 3GPP multi-RAT network the same way for each technology. In the Network explorer, remote antennas are
found in the transmitter folder of the technology they belong to.
To create a GSM GPRS EDGE remote antenna, see "Creating a Remote Antenna" on page 301
To create a UMTS HSPA remote antenna, see "Creating Remote Antennas" on page 535
To create a LTE remote antenna, see "Creating Remote Antennas" on page 872
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Application Throughput: The throughput on the application layer that a cell can provide to the selected terminal per
pixel taking into account possible transmission errors (BLER) for the highest priority technology.
Max Application Throughput: the maximum throughput on the application layer that a cell can provide to the selected
terminal per pixel taking into account possible transmission errors (BLER), considering all available technologies.
To make a 3GPP multi-RAT throughput coverage prediction:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears.
3. Select New Prediction from the context menu. The Prediction Types dialog box appears.
4. Under Standard Predictions 3GPP Multi-RAT, select Coverage by Throughput (DL) and click OK. The multi-RAT Cov-
erage by Throughput (DL) Properties dialog box appears.
5. Click the General tab. On the General tab, you can change the assigned Name of the coverage prediction, the Reso-
lution, and you can add a Comment.
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12.2.7.3.1 Creating a Focus Zone or Hot Spot for a Coverage Prediction Report
The focus and hot spots define the area on which statistics can be drawn and on which reports are made. While you can only
have one focus zone, you can define several hot spots in addition to the focus zone.
It is important not to confuse the computation zone and the focus and hot spots. The computation zone defines the area
where Atoll calculates path loss matrices, coverage predictions, Monte Carlo simulations, etc., while the focus and hot spots
are the areas taken into consideration when generating reports and results. When you create a coverage prediction report, it
gives the results for the focus zone and for each of the defined hot spots.
To define a focus zone or hot spot:
1. Select the Geo explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Zones folder.
3. Right-click the Focus Zone or Hot Spots folder, depending on whether you want to create a focus zone or a hot spot.
The context menu appears.
4. From the context menu, select one of the following:
Draw Polygon
i. Click once on the map to start drawing the focus zone or hot spot.
ii. Click once on the map to define each point on the map where the border of the focus zone or hot spot changes
direction.
iii. Click twice to finish drawing and close the focus zone or hot spot.
Draw Rectangle
i. Click the point on the map that will be one corner of the rectangle that will define the focus zone or hot spot.
ii. Drag to the opposite corner of the rectangle that will define the focus zone or hot spot. When you release the
mouse, the focus zone or hot spot will be created from the rectangle defined by the two corners.
A focus zone is delimited by a green line; a hot spot is delimited by a heavy black line. If you clear the zones visibility
check box in the Zones folder of the Geo explorer, it will no longer be displayed but will still be taken into account.
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Vector Editor toolbar: You can use the New Polygon ( ) and New Rectangle ( ) buttons available in the Vector
Editor toolbar to draw the computation zone.
Existing polygon: You can use any existing polygon on the map as a focus or hot spot by right-clicking it and selecting
Use As > Focus Zone or Use As > Hot Spot from the context menu. You can also combine an existing focus zone or hot
spot with any existing polygon by right-clicking it on the map or in the explorer window and selecting Add To > Focus
Zone or Add To > Hot Spot from the context menu.
Importing a polygon: If you have a file with an existing polygon, for example, a polygon describing an administrative
area, you can import it and use it as a focus or hot spot. You can import it by right-clicking the Focus Zone or Hot Spots
folder in the Geo explorer and selecting Import from the context menu. When you import hot spots, you can import
the name given to each zone as well.
Fit Zone to Map Window: You can create a focus or hot spot the size of the map window by selecting Fit Zone to Map
Window from the context menu.
You can save the focus zone or hot spots, so that you can use it in a different Atoll
document, in the following ways:
Saving the focus zone in the user configuration: For information on saving the
focus zone in the user configuration, see "Saving a User Configuration" on
page 102.
Exporting the focus zone or hot spots: You can export the focus zone or hot
spots by right-clicking the Focus Zone or the Hot Spots folder in the Geo
explorer and selecting Export from the context menu.
You can include population statistics in the focus or hot spot by importing a popu-
lation map. For information on importing maps, see "Importing Raster Format Geo
Data Files" on page 120.
b. Define the order of the columns by selecting each column you want to move and clicking to move it up or
to move it down.
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You can load a configuration that you have saved previously and apply it to the current report:
a. Under Configuration, click the Load button. The Open dialog box appears.
b. Select the configuration you want to load and click Open. The loaded report configuration is applied.
You can save the current report format in a configuration:
a. Under Configuration, click the Save button. The Save As dialog box appears.
b. In the Save As dialog box, browse to the folder where you want to save the configuration and enter a File name.
6. When you have finished defining the format and content of the report, click OK in the Columns to Be Displayed dialog
box. The coverage prediction report table appears. The report is based on the hot spots and on the focus zone if avail-
able or on the hot spots and computation zone if there is no focus zone.
To generate a report for all the coverage predictions currently displayed on the map:
1. Select the Network explorer.
2. Click the Expand button ( ) to expand the Predictions folder.
3. Select the check box in front of each coverage prediction that you want to include in the report.
4. Right-click the Predictions folder. The context menu appears.
5. Select Generate Report from the context menu. The Columns to Be Displayed dialog box appears.
In case a hot spot was imported in your Atoll document, additional fields will appear at the bottom of the Columns to
Be Displayed dialog box if the hot spot description contains parameters other than Atoll-specific parameters.
6. Define the format and content of the report:
You can select the columns that will be displayed in the report and define the order they are in:
a. Select the check box for each column you want to have displayed.
b. Define the order of the columns by selecting each column you want to move and clicking to move it up or
to move it down.
You can save the current report format in a configuration:
a. Under Configuration, click the Save button. The Save As dialog box appears.
b. In the Save As dialog box, browse to the folder where you want to save the configuration and enter a File name.
You can load a configuration that you have saved previously and apply it to the current report:
a. Under Configuration, click the Load button. The Open dialog box appears.
b. Select the configuration you want to load and click Open. The loaded report configuration is applied.
7. Once you have defined the format and content of the report, click OK in the Columns to Be Displayed dialog box.
The coverage prediction report table appears, showing a report for each displayed prediction in the order they appear
in the Predictions folder. The report is based on the focus zone, if any (even if it is not displayed on the map), or on
the calculation zone if there is no focus zone.
By default, the ranges which do not contain any pixels do not appear in the report. By
setting an option in the Atoll.ini file, you can include these ranges in the report. For more
information, see the Administrator Manual.
You can include population statistics in the focus zone or hot spots by importing a population map. For information on import-
ing maps, see "Importing Raster Format Geo Data Files" on page 120. Normally, Atoll takes all geo data into consideration,
whether it is displayed or not. However, for the population statistics to be used in a report, the population map has to be
displayed.
To include population statistics in the focus zone or hot spots:
1. Ensure that the population geo data is visible. For information on displaying geo data, see "Displaying or Hiding
Objects on the Map" on page 50.
2. Display the report as explained above.
3. Select Format > Display Columns. The Columns to Be Displayed dialog box appears.
4. Select the following columns, where "Population" is the name of the folder in the Geo explorer containing the popu-
lation map:
"Population" (Population): The number of inhabitants covered.
"Population" (% Population): The percentage of inhabitants covered.
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"Population" (Population [total]: The total number of inhabitants inside the zone.
Atoll saves the names of the columns you select and will automatically select them the next time you create a cover-
age prediction report.
5. Click OK.
If you have created a custom data map with integrable data, the data can be used in prediction reports. The data will be
summed over the coverage area for each item in the report (for example, by transmitter or threshold). The data can be value
data (revenue, number of customers, etc.) or density data (revenue/km, number of customer/km, etc.). Data is considered
as non-integrable if the data given is per pixel or polygon and cannot be summed over areas, for example, socio-demographic
classes, rain zones, etc. For information on integrable data in custom data maps, see "Integrable versus Non-integrable Data"
on page 136.
1. Right-click the report and select Export from the context menu or click the Export button ( ) in the Table toolbar.
The Save As dialog box appears.
2. In the Save As dialog box, enter the File name and select the format from the Save as type list:
TXT: To save the report as a text file.
CSV: To save the report as a comma-separated values file.
XLS: To save the report as an Excel spreadsheet.
XML Spreadsheet 2003: To save the report as an XML spreadsheet.
3. Click Save to export the coverage prediction report.
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Value Difference: This display mode shows the dB difference between any two coverage predictions by signal level.
This display option will not be available if the coverage predictions were calculated using different resolutions.
To compare two similar coverage predictions:
1. Create and calculate a coverage prediction of the existing network.
2. Examine the coverage prediction to see where coverage can be improved.
3. Make the changes to the network to improve coverage.
4. Duplicate the original coverage prediction (in order to leave the first coverage prediction unchanged).
5. Calculate the duplicated coverage prediction.
6. Compare the original coverage prediction with the new coverage prediction. Atoll displays differences in coverage
between them.
This section contains the two following examples to illustrate the comparisons between predictions:
"Example 1: Studying the Effect of a New Base Station" on page 1008
"Example 2: Studying the Effect of a Change in Transmitter Tilt" on page 1010.
If you have an area in a network that is poorly covered by current transmitters, you have several options for increasing cover-
age. In this example, you can verify if a newly added base station improves coverage.
A signal level coverage prediction of the current network is made as described in "Studying Base Stations" on page 1000. The
results are displayed in Figure 12.5. An area with poor coverage is visible on the right side of the figure.
A new base station is added, either by creating the base station and adding the transmitters, as explained in "Creating a Base
Station" on page 998. Once the new site has been added, the original coverage prediction can be recalculated, but then it
would be impossible to compare the results. Instead, the original signal level coverage prediction can be copied by selecting
Duplicate from its context menu. The copy is then calculated to show the effect of the new base station (see Figure 12.6).
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Figure 12.6: Signal level coverage prediction of network with new base station
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If you have an area in a network that is poorly covered by current transmitters, you have several options for increasing cover-
age. In this example, you can see how modifying transmitter tilt can improve coverage.
A coverage prediction by transmitter of the current network is made as described in "Studying Base Stations" on page 1000.
The results are displayed in Figure 12.8. The coverage prediction shows that one transmitter is covering its area poorly. The
area is indicated by a red oval in Figure 12.8.
You can try modifying the tilt on the transmitter to improve the coverage. The properties of the transmitter can be accessed
by right-clicking the transmitter in the map window and selecting Properties from the context menu. The mechanical and elec-
trical tilt of the antenna are defined on the Transmitter tab of the Properties dialog box.
Once the tilt of the antenna has been modified, the original coverage prediction can be recalculated, but then it would be
impossible to compare the results. Instead, the original coverage prediction can be copied by selecting Duplicate from its
context menu. The copy is then calculated, to show how modifying the antenna tilt has affected coverage (see Figure 12.9).
As you can see, modifying the antenna tilt increased the coverage of the transmitter. However, to see exactly the change in
coverage, you can compare the two predictions.
To compare two predictions:
1. Right-click one of the two predictions. The context menu appears.
2. From the context menu, select Compare with and, from the menu that opens, select the prediction you want to com-
pare with the first. The Comparison Properties dialog box appears.
3. Click the General tab. You can change the Name of the comparison and add Comments.
The General tab contains information about the coverage predictions being compared, including their names and
resolutions.
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4. Click the Display tab. On the Display tab, you can choose how you want the results of the comparison to be displayed.
You can choose among:
Intersection
Merge
Union
Difference
In order to see what changes modifying the antenna tilt made, you can choose Union. This will display all pixels
covered by both predictions in one colour and all pixels covered by only one prediction in another colour. The increase
in coverage, seen in only the second coverage prediction, will be immediately clear.
5. Click OK to create the comparison. The comparison in Figure 12.10, shows clearly the increase in coverage due at the
change in antenna tilt.
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Load conditions: Select "(Subells table)" to calculate the multi-point analysis using the load conditions defined in
the subcells table. Select a simulation or a group of simulations to calculate the multi-point analysis using the load
conditions calculated by Monte Carlo simulations.
HCS Layer: Select the HCS layer for which you want to run the analysis.
Interference: Select the source of interference to be taken into account in the calculations, "Co-channel", "Adja-
cent", or both.
Based on: Select "C/I" or "C/I+N".
Shadowing taken into account: Select this check box if you want to consider shadowing and enter a Cell Edge Cov-
erage Probability.
Indoor coverage: Select this check box if you want to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency
per clutter class.
On the Conditions tab of a UMTS multi-point analysis, you can define the following parameters:
Load conditions: Select "(Cells table)" to calculate the multi-point analysis using the load conditions defined in the
cells table. Select a simulation or a group of simulations to calculate the multi-point analysis using the load condi-
tions calculated by Monte Carlo simulations.
Carrier: Select the carriers for which you want to run the analysis or select "Best." The best carrier depends on the
cell selection method.
Shadowing taken into account: Select this check box if you want to consider shadowing and enter a Cell Edge Cov-
erage Probability.
Indoor coverage: Select this check box if you want to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency
per clutter class.
Bearer Downgrading: Select this check box if you want to permit bearer downgrading.
On the Conditions tab of an LTE multi-point analysis, you can define the following parameters:
Load conditions: Select "(Cells table)" to calculate the multi-point analysis using the load conditions defined in the
cells table. Select a simulation or a group of simulations to calculate the multi-point analysis using the load condi-
tions calculated by Monte Carlo simulations.
Shadowing taken into account: Select this check box if you want to consider shadowing and enter a Cell Edge Cov-
erage Probability.
Indoor coverage: Select this check box if you want to add indoor losses. Indoor losses are defined per frequency
per clutter class.
4. Click the Points tab. On the Points tab, you can create a list of points on which the multi-point analysis will be calcu-
lated. Each point in the list is defined by its X and Y coordinates, a Height (m), a Service, a Terminal, and a Mobility.
To create a list of points, you can:
Import a list of points. See "Importing a List of Points in a Multi-point Analysis" on page 1012.
Add points on the map using the mouse. For more information, See "Adding Points to a Multi-point Analysis Using
the Mouse" on page 1013.
Paste a list of points from an external file.
The list of points must have the same coordinate system as the display coordinate system
used in the Atoll document. For more information on coordinate systems, see "Setting a
Coordinate System" on page 41.
Create points in the list by editing. You can create new points in the list by entering X and Y coordinates in the row
marked with the New Row icon ( ). You must also assign a service, a terminal, and a mobility to each point.
5. Click the Display tab. You can display multi-point analysis results on the map according to any input or calculated
parameter. For more information on defining display properties, see "Setting the Display Properties of Objects" on
page 51.
6. Once you have defined the multi-point analysis parameters, you can calculate it immediately or you can save it and
calculate it later:
Calculate: Click Calculate to save the multi-point analysis and calculate it immediately.
OK: Click OK to save the multi-point analysis without calculating it. You can calculate it later by opening the multi-
point analysis properties and clicking the Calculate button.
Once Atoll has finished calculating the multi-point analysis, the results are displayed in the map window. You can also access
the analysis results in a table format. For more information, see "Accessing Multi-point Analysis Results" on page 1013.
You can also organise multi-point analyses in folders under the Multi-point Analysis folder. For more information, see "Organ-
ising Multi-point Analyses in Folders" on page 1014.
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You can also export the list of point from a multi-point analysis to ASCII text files (TXT and
CSV formats) and MS Excel XML Spreadsheet files (XML format) by selecting Actions >
Export Table. For more information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text
Files and Spreadsheets" on page 85.
2. Select Add Points from the context menu. The mouse pointer changes to point addition mode ( ).
3. Move the mouse over the map window and click once to create each point you want to add.
4. Press ESC or click the Pointer button ( ) in the Map toolbar to finish adding points.
To place points more accurately, before clicking the map, you can zoom in on the map.
For information on using the zooming tools, see "Changing the Map Scale" on page 60.
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You can also export the multi-point analysis results table to ASCII text files (TXT and CSV
formats) and MS Excel XML Spreadsheet files (XML format) by selecting Actions > Export.
For more information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and
Spreadsheets" on page 85.
3. Click Close.
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LTE
- Intra-technology planning: see "Reasons for Allocation" on page 905
- Inter-technology planning: see "Reasons for Allocation" on page 960
In a 3GPP multi-RAT network, the automatic allocations of BSIC-BCCH (using the GSM AFP), scrambling codes (UMTS), and
physical cell IDs (using the LTE AFP) take inter-technology neighbour constraints into account. For example, different physical
cell IDs are assigned to two LTE cells that are neighbours of the same GSM transmitter or UMTS cell.
Before you launch ACP in a 3GPP network, make sure you have an ACP license token for
each technology used in the document.
ACP is primarily intended to improve existing network deployment by reconfiguring the main parameters that can be remotely
controlled by operators: antenna electrical tilt and cell pilot power. ACP can also be used during the initial planning stage of
a 3GPP multi-RAT network by enabling the selection of the antenna, and its azimuth, height, and mechanical tilt. ACP not only
takes transmitters into account in optimisations but also any repeaters and remote antennas.
ACP can also be used to measure and optimise the EMF exposure created by the network. This permits the optimisation of
power and antenna settings to reduce excessive EMF exposure in existing networks and optimal site selection for new trans-
mitters.
ACP uses user-defined objectives to evaluate the optimisation, as well as to calculate its implementation cost. Once you have
defined the objectives and the network parameters to be optimised, ACP uses an efficient global search algorithm to test
many network configurations and propose the reconfigurations that best meet the objectives. ACP presents the changes
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ordered from the most to the least beneficial, allowing phased implementation or implementation of just a subset of the
suggested changes.
ACP is technology-independent and can be used to optimise networks using different radio access technologies. Chapter 17:
Automatic Cell Planning explains how you configure the ACP module, how you create and run an optimisation setup, and how
you can view the results of an optimisation. In this section, only the concepts specific to 3GPP multi-RAT networks are
explained:
"3GPP Optimisation Objectives" on page 1017
"3GPP Quality Parameters" on page 1017
"3GPP Quality Analysis Maps" on page 1017
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The main and linked documents must have the same geographic coordinate systems.
If you want the Sites folder of the linked document to appear in the main document
automatically, you can set an option in the Atoll.ini file. For information on setting
options in the Atoll.ini file, see the Administrator Manual.
The same process can be used to display in the main document any folder or folder item of the linked document that has a
Make Accessible In option available in its context menu.
Once folders are linked, you can access their properties and the properties of the items they contain from either documents.
Any changes you make in a linked folder are taken into account in both documents.
If you close the linked document, Atoll displays a warning icon ( )in the main documents explorer window, and the linked
items are no longer accessible from the main document. You can re-open the linked document in Atoll by right-clicking the
linked item in the explorer window of the main document, and selecting Open Linked Document.
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3GPP2 Multi-
RAT Networks
This chapter provides This chapter covers the following topics:
information on using Atoll to
"Designing a 3GPP2 Multi-RAT Network" on page 1021
design, analyse, and
optimise a multi-RAT "Planning and Optimising Base Stations" on page 1022
network. "Optimising Network Parameters Using ACP" on
page 1040
"Analysing Network Performance Using Drive Test Data"
on page 1041
"Displaying Elements of One Atoll Document in a 3GPP2
Multi-RAT Document" on page 1041
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The steps involved in planning a 3GPP2 multi-RAT network are described below. The numbers refer to Figure 13.1.
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3. Carry out basic coverage predictions ( 3 ) from the analysis of base stations: "Studying Base Stations" on page 1025
6. For the LTE part of the network, allocate frequencies and physical cell IDs ( 5 and 7 ).
"Allocating Resources in LTE" on page 1040.
7. Before making more advanced coverage predictions, you need to define cell load conditions ( 8 ).
You can define cell load conditions in the following ways:
You can generate realistic cell load conditions by creating a simulation based on a traffic map (see Chapter 6:
Traffic and Capacity Planning).
You can define them manually in CDMA ("Setting the Reverse Link Load Factor and the Forward Link Total Power"
on page 658) and LTE ("Setting Cell Loads and Noise Rise Values" on page 881).
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A n te n n a
- A z im u t h
- M e c h a n i c a l t i lt
TMA
A n te n n a
- H e ig h t
F e e d e r C a b le
T r a n s m it t e r
- N o is e fig u r e
- Pow er
S it e
- X , Y c o o r d in a t e s
Atoll lets you create one site, transmitter, or cell at a time, or create several at once by using a station template. In Atoll, a
base station refers to a site with its transmitters, antennas, equipment, and cells.
Atoll allows you to make a variety of coverage predictions, such as signal level or transmitter coverage predictions. The results
of calculated coverage predictions can be displayed on the map, compared, or studied.
Atoll enables you to model network traffic by allowing you to create services, users, user profiles, environments, and termi-
nals. This data can be then used to make quality predictions, such as effective service area, noise, or handoff status predic-
tions, on the network.
This section covers the following topics:
"Creating a Base Station" on page 1023
"Creating a Group of Base Stations" on page 1023
"Modifying Sites and Transmitters Directly on the Map" on page 1024
"Display Tips for Base Stations" on page 1024
"Creating a Repeater" on page 1025
"Creating a Remote Antenna" on page 1025
"Studying Base Stations" on page 1025
"3GPP2 Multi-RAT Predictions" on page 1026
"Allocating Resources in a 3GPP2 Multi-RAT Network" on page 1040
"Allocating Resources in a 3GPP2 Multi-RAT Network" on page 1040
If you want to add a transmitter to an existing site on the map, you can add the
transmitter by right-clicking the site and selecting New Transmitter from the context
menu. Because a 3GPP2 multi-RAT document models several technologies, the new
transmitter will be created using the technology (CDMA or LTE) of the station template
currently selected in the toolbar.
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When you import data into your current Atoll document, the coordinate system of the
imported data must be the same as the display coordinate system used in the document.
If you cannot change the coordinate system of your source data, you can temporarily
change the display coordinate system of the Atoll document to match the source data. For
information on changing the coordinate system, see "Setting a Coordinate System" on
page 41.
The table you copy data from must have the same column layout as the table you are past-
ing data into.
For information on copying and pasting data, see "Copying and Pasting a Table Record" on page 82.
Importing data: If you have data in text or comma-separated value (CSV) format, you can import it into the tables in
the current document. If the data is in another Atoll document, you can first export it in text or CSV format and then
import it into the tables of your current Atoll document. When you are importing, Atoll allows you to select what
values you import into which columns of the table.
When you create a group of base stations by importing data, you must import site data in the Sites table, transmitter
data in the Transmitters table, and cell data in the Cells table, in that order.
For information on exporting table data, see "Exporting Tables to Text Files and Spreadsheets" on page 85. For infor-
mation on importing table data, see "Importing Tables from Text Files" on page 86.
You can quickly create a series of base stations for study purposes using the Hexagonal
Design tool on the Radio Planning toolbar. For information, see "Placing a New Station
Using a Station Template" on page 289.
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because the information is only displayed when you move the pointer over the object. You can display information
from any field in that object types data table, including from fields that you add. For information on defining the tip
text, see "Associating a Tip Text to an Object" on page 54.
Transmitter colour: You can set the transmitter colour to display information about the transmitter. For example, you
can select "Discrete Values" to distinguish transmitters by antenna type, or to distinguish inactive from active sites.
You can also define the display type for transmitters as "Automatic." Atoll then automatically assigns a colour to each
transmitter, ensuring that each transmitter has a different colour than the transmitters surrounding it. For informa-
tion on defining the transmitter colour, see "Setting the Display Type" on page 52.
Transmitter symbol: You can select one of several symbols to represent transmitters. For example, you can select a
symbol that graphically represents the antenna half-power beamwidth ( ). If you have two transmitters on the
same site with the same azimuth, you can differentiate them by selecting different symbols for each ( and ).
For information on defining the transmitter symbol, see "Setting the Display Type" on page 52.