Optimi

Success stories

Optimising UMTS/HSPA with xParameters 3G in Vodafone Spain

By Pablo Herrero, Radio Optimization Manager, Vodafone Spain

At the beginning of this year we have used Optimi’s xParameters 3G for a network optimization project in our UMTS/HSPA network, in order to have a fully empirical evaluation of the degree of performance improvement that this solution can bring in our own operational environment.

With the purpose of testing the solution in a challenging environment, we carried out the project in an urban area in Madrid, and gave the solution full freedom to optimize all the key radio resource management parameters it is designed to work with.

We had heard of remarkable results in other networks,but were still really impressed to see that the application of this innovative solution yielded outstanding performance improvements in our own environment. While still slightly improving our market leading dropped call rate figures, the solution managed to increase the amount of 3G CS traffic by a factor of 10%, there by improving the effective coverage of our 3G network layer without any negative impact on accessibility, which was actually improved by a factor of almost 20% in some cells. Additionally, comprehensive measurements have shown that the HSPA data throughput can be increased even a 20% after the optimization, while at the same time reducing the overall radiated power at the base station by 33%, which means that it will be possible to carry more traffic with the same spectrum and infrastructure.

Many news are being heard these days about Self-Organizing Networks (SON), but this is the first time we have experienced a true self-optimization mechanism that can be easily applied across our entire network and yields significant performance gains. Moreover, it is already available for today’s networks, so we do not need to wait for new technologies in order to enjoy the benefits of self-optimization