E101 ASSET 7 0 Training Guide GSM PDF

ENTERPRISE 7.
0
Training Guide
ASSET
GSM-GPRS Tool User
E101
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and describes
only the product defined in the introduction of this documentation. This document is
intended for the use of AIRCOM International's customers only for the purposes of
the agreement under which the document is submitted, and no part of it may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or means without the prior written permission
of AIRCOM International. The document has been prepared to be used by
professional and properly trained personnel, and the customer assumes full
responsibility when using it. AIRCOM International welcomes customer comments as
part of the process of continuous development and improvement of the
documentation.
The information or statements given in this document concerning the suitability,
capacity, or performance of the mentioned hardware or software products cannot be
considered binding but shall be defined in the agreement made between AIRCOM
International and the customer. However, AIRCOM International has made all
reasonable efforts to ensure that the instructions contained in the document are
adequate and free of material errors and omissions. AIRCOM International will, if
necessary, explain issues, which may not be covered by the document.
AIRCOM International's liability for any errors in the document is limited to the
documentary correction of errors. AIRCOM International WILL NOT BE
RESPONSIBLE IN ANY EVENT FOR ERRORS IN THIS DOCUMENT OR FOR ANY
DAMAGES, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL (INCLUDING MONETARY
LOSSES), that might arise from the use of this document or the information in it.
This document and the product it describes are considered protected by copyright
according to the applicable laws.
ASSET is a registered trademark of AIRCOM International.
Other product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks of their
respective companies, and they are mentioned for identification purposes only.
Copyright AIRCOM International 2010. All rights reserved.
Contents
1
Introduction to the ASSET Training Course 13

1.1
Overview of the ASSET GSM-GPRS Training Course ............................ 13
1.2
Course Objectives .................................................................................. 14
Introduction to ENTERPRISE 15
2.1
Objectives of this Session ....................................................................... 15
2.2
The ENTERPRISE Tools Suite ............................................................... 15
2.3
Obtaining User Assistance...................................................................... 16
2.3.1
2.3.2
2.4
The ENTERPRISE Database ................................................................. 19
2.4.1
Obtaining Support .......................................................................................... 17

Obtaining Further Information and Services .................................................. 19
Database Contents ........................................................................................ 20
2.5
The Two-Stage Commit Process ............................................................ 20
2.6
Session Summary Checklist ................................................................... 22
Setting Up the Project
23
3.1
3.2
Starting ENTERPRISE ........................................................................... 23
3.3
Logging into a Database ......................................................................... 24
3.4
Creating a New Project ........................................................................... 25
3.4.1
3.4.2
Using Shared Data ........................................................................................ 26

About the Modify Project Dialog Box ............................................................. 27
3.5
Setting the Required Technology for your Project ................................... 32
3.6
Viewing Settings for the Current Project ................................................. 33
3.7
Message Log Window ............................................................................ 33
3.8
Exercise: Starting a Project..................................................................... 34
3.9
ASSET Training Guide (GSM)

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Using the GIS and Other Visual Tools 37

4.1
4.2
Introduction ............................................................................................. 37
4.3
Opening the 2D View Window ................................................................ 37
4.4
Using the 2D View Window..................................................................... 39
4.4.1
4.4.2
4.4.3
4.4.4
4.4.5
4.4.6
4.4.7
4.4.8
4.4.9
4.4.10
4.5
Moving Around the Map .......................................................................... 53
4.5.1
4.5.2
4.5.3
4.5.4
4.5.5
4.5.6
4.6
About the Map View Toolbar ......................................................................... 39

Displaying Map Data...................................................................................... 40
Ordering the Data Shown on the Map ........................................................... 42
Selecting Items on the Map ........................................................................... 44
Selection Expert Toolbox ............................................................................... 44
2D View Context Menu .................................................................................. 44
Viewing Attribute Data on the Map as a Screentip ........................................ 45
Searching the Map View Window with the Quick Finder ............................... 47
Map View Gadgets Window .......................................................................... 50
About the Master View................................................................................. 52
Zooming In on the Map .................................................................................. 53
Zooming Out on the Map ............................................................................... 54
Saving a Favourite Zoomed View .................................................................. 54
Shortcut Keys for Zooming ............................................................................ 54
Repositioning the Map ................................................................................... 55
Redrawing the Map........................................................................................ 55
Saving a Favourite Map View ................................................................. 55
4.6.1
Editing and Deleting Favourite Views ............................................................ 56
4.7
Using GIS Export .................................................................................... 56
4.8
Printing Maps.......................................................................................... 58
4.8.1
4.8.2
4.8.3
4.9
Customising Page Layout for Printing Maps ................................................. 58

Printing the Map............................................................................................. 60
Printing a Specific Area of the Map View Window ........................................ 60
Exercise: Using the 2D View and Favourites .......................................... 61
4.10 Session Summary Checklist .................................................................. 62
Vectors and Polygons

5.1
5.2
Overview ................................................................................................ 63
5.3
Creating Your Own Vector File Features ................................................ 64
5.3.1
5.3.2
5.3.3
5.3.4
5.3.5
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63
Defining Attributes for a Vector File Feature ................................................. 67

Editing Lines and Polygons ........................................................................... 68
Managing Vector File Features ..................................................................... 70
Creating Holes or Islands for Polygons ......................................................... 74
Saving and Exporting Vectors ....................................................................... 77
5.4
Importing Vector File Data ...................................................................... 78
5.5
Classifying User Vector Files .................................................................. 79
5.6
Exercise: Creating and Displaying Vectors ............................................. 81
5.7

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Setting up a GSM Network
83
6.1
6.2
Importing Antennas................................................................................. 83
6.3
Setting Up Propagation Models .............................................................. 85
6.3.1
6.3.2
About the Enhanced Macrocell Model ........................................................... 86

Adding an Enhanced Macrocell Model .......................................................... 86
6.4
Using XML Exports and Imports ............................................................. 91
6.5
About GSM Carriers in ASSET ............................................................... 94
6.5.1
6.5.2
6.5.3
6.6
Using Carrier Layers and Cell Layers ..................................................... 99
6.6.1
6.6.2
6.6.3
6.6.4
6.6.5
6.7
Defining GSM and GPRS Carriers ................................................................ 95

Setting a BCCH Allocation Rule for TCH Allocation ...................................... 96
About GSM Frequency Bands ....................................................................... 96
About Carrier Layers...................................................................................... 99
Defining Carrier Layers ................................................................................ 100
About Cell Layers ........................................................................................ 101
Defining Cell Layers..................................................................................... 102
Making Carrier Layers Usable on a Sub-Cell .............................................. 103
About Templates .................................................................................. 106
6.7.1
Adding a Template for a Site or Node ......................................................... 107
6.8
Adding Sites or Nodes Using the Map View .......................................... 108
6.9
Setting Sub-Cell Parameters and Thresholds ....................................... 109
6.9.1
6.9.2
6.9.3
About the Signal Threshold and Pathloss Prediction Radius ...................... 110
Example of Using Signal Thresholds for Overlay/Underlay ........................ 111
Example of Using the Signal Offset ............................................................. 113
6.10 Viewing and Editing Antenna Configurations ....................................... 114

6.10.1
6.10.2
6.10.3
6.10.4
Using Instance IDs to Distinguish Antennas ............................................. 114

Moving Antennas in the Map View ............................................................ 116
Reorientating Antennas in the Map View .................................................. 117
Using Antenna Slots .................................................................................. 118
6.11 Quickly Viewing and Editing Site or Cell Information ........................... 119
6.12 Session Summary Checklist ................................................................ 122
Fields, Filters and Visualisers 123

7.1
Objectives of this Session ..................................................................... 123
7.2
Using Fields in ENTERPRISE .............................................................. 123
7.2.1
7.2.2
7.3
Using Filters in ENTERPRISE .............................................................. 127
7.3.1
7.3.2
7.3.3
7.3.4
7.3.5
7.3.6
7.3.7
7.4
Examples of Field Definitions ...................................................................... 124

Viewing and Editing Fields for Network Elements ....................................... 125
Purpose and Uses of Filters ........................................................................ 128
Creating a Dynamic Filter using the Filter Wizard ....................................... 129
Creating a Static Filter using the Filter Wizard ............................................ 134
Adding a Filter Using the Selection Expert .................................................. 135
Editing and Deleting Filters .......................................................................... 140
Exporting Filters using XML Export ............................................................. 141
Making Your Dynamic Filters More Efficient ............................................... 142
Using Visualisers .................................................................................. 143
7.4.1
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Adding Visualisers ....................................................................................... 144

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7.4.2
7.4.3
7.4.4
7.5
Session Summary Checklist ................................................................. 146
Predicting Pathloss and Displaying Coverage
8.2
Predicting Pathloss ............................................................................... 147
8.3
8.4
Displaying Coverage for a Single Site or Cell ............................................. 154
Creating Coverage Arrays .................................................................... 155
8.4.1
8.5
About Primary and Secondary Predictions .................................................. 148

Using the Pathloss Prediction Generator .................................................... 151
About Displaying Coverage .................................................................. 153
8.3.1
Creating Coverage/Interference Arrays (Non-Sim) ..................................... 155
Displaying Coverage Arrays ................................................................. 157
8.5.1
8.5.2
8.5.3
8.5.4
8.5.5
8.5.6
8.5.7
Example of Best Server Array ..................................................................... 158

Defining Coverage Schemas for GSM (Non-Sim) Arrays ........................... 159
Setting Display Properties for a GSM (Non-Sim) Array............................... 160
Creating and Displaying Coverage Simultaneously .................................... 161
Displaying Service Area Arrays ................................................................... 161
Viewing the Cell Signal Difference .............................................................. 163
Displaying Coverage for Specific Carriers ................................................... 164
8.6
Producing Coverage Reports/Statistics................................................. 165
8.7
Using the Array Manager ...................................................................... 166
8.7.1
8.7.2
8.7.3
8.7.4
8.8
Loading a Specific Array .............................................................................. 168

Saving Arrays .............................................................................................. 168
Deleting Arrays ............................................................................................ 168
About the Array Clipboard ........................................................................... 169
Traffic Planning on a GSM Network
171
9.1
9.2
About Terminal Types........................................................................... 171
9.3
Adding a Terminal Type ........................................................................ 172
9.3.1
9.3.2
9.3.3
9.4
9.5
About Vector Attribute Traffic Rasters ......................................................... 179

About Distributional Statistics ...................................................................... 180
About the Traffic Units ................................................................................. 180
About the Additional Traffic Arrays .............................................................. 180
Creating a Traffic Raster ....................................................................... 181
9.5.1
9.5.2
9.5.3
9.5.4
9.6
Adding a Terminal Type for GSM (Non-Sim) .............................................. 172

Adding a Terminal Type for GPRS (Non-Sim) ............................................ 173
Determining the Distribution of Traffic ......................................................... 174
About Traffic Rasters ............................................................................ 178
9.4.1
9.4.2
9.4.3
9.4.4
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147
8.1
8.2.1
8.2.2
Changing the Display Properties of Visualisers .......................................... 144

Copying and Resetting Display Properties of Visualisers ........................... 145
Exporting and Importing Display Properties of Visualisers ......................... 145
Creating a Traffic Raster with Specified Values .......................................... 182

Creating a Vector Attribute Traffic Raster.................................................... 183
Displaying Traffic Rasters ............................................................................ 185
Scaling Traffic Rasters................................................................................. 185
Running the Static Traffic Analysis ....................................................... 186

Version 7.0
9.6.1
9.6.2
9.6.3
9.6.4
9.6.5
9.7
10
Capturing Traffic and Applying Values to Sub-cells .................................... 187

Calculating the Carrier Requirements ......................................................... 188
Displaying Traffic per Sub-Cell on the Map View ........................................ 189
Displaying Blocking Per Sub-Cell on the Map View .................................... 191
About Channel to Transceiver Maps ........................................................... 192
Planning Neighbours
197
10.1 Objectives of this Session ................................................................... 197

10.2 About Neighbours in ASSET ............................................................... 197
10.3 Creating Neighbours ........................................................................... 198
10.3.1
10.3.2
Creating Neighbours in the Map View ....................................................... 198

Creating Neighbours in the Site Database ................................................ 199
10.4 Using a Simple CSV File to Add or Remove Neighbours ..................... 201
10.5 About the Neighbour Planning Wizards ............................................... 202
10.5.1
10.5.2
Using the Prediction-based Neighbour Wizard ......................................... 203

Setting the Prediction-based Neighbour Plan Parameters ........................ 204
10.6 About the Neighbour Analysis ............................................................. 206

10.6.1
Performing a Neighbour Analysis .............................................................. 207
10.7 Displaying Neighbours......................................................................... 215

10.7.1
10.7.2
10.7.3
10.7.4
Displaying All Neighbours .......................................................................... 215

Displaying Neighbours for an Individual Cell ............................................. 216
Cross-referencing the Neighbour Analysis with the Map View ................. 217
Customising the Display of Neighbours..................................................... 218
10.8 Committing All First Order Neighbours of a Cell .................................. 219

10.9 Converting Inward/Outward Neighbours to Mutual .............................. 219
10.9.1
10.9.2
Converting Neighbours in the Site Database ............................................ 219

Converting Neighbours using the Neighbour Analysis .............................. 220
10.10 Session Summary Checklist .............................................................. 221
11
Interference and Frequency Planning 223

11.2 Frequency Planning in ASSET ............................................................ 223
11.3 Editing Carrier Allocations Manually .................................................... 224
11.4 Analysing a Frequency Plan ................................................................ 225
11.4.1
How to Analyse a Frequency Plan ............................................................ 226
11.5 Generating Cell Information Reports ................................................... 227

11.6 Generating Frequency Plan Reports ................................................... 228
11.7 About the Interference Table for GSM ................................................. 229
11.7.1
11.7.2
11.7.3
Creating an Interference Table for GSM ................................................... 230

Loading an Interference Table for GSM .................................................... 235
Viewing an Interference Table for GSM .................................................... 236
11.8 About the GSM Interactive Frequency Analysis ................................... 241

11.8.1
11.8.2
11.8.3
Version 7.0
Prerequisites for the Interactive Frequency Analysis ................................ 243

Running the Interactive Frequency Analysis ............................................. 244
About the Interactive Frequency Analysis Dialog Box ............................... 246
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11.8.4
11.8.5
Changing Carrier Allocations in the Frequency Analysis .......................... 251

Linking the Frequency Analysis with the Map View .................................. 254
11.9 Planning BSIC Colour Codes for GSM ................................................ 255

11.9.1
11.9.2
11.9.3
11.9.4
11.9.5
Setting Up BSIC Schemas ........................................................................ 256

Prerequisites for the BSIC Planner............................................................ 257
Running the BSIC Planner ........................................................................ 258
About the BSIC Report Dialog Box ............................................................ 259
Applying the Planned BSICs to the Database ........................................... 265
12
Generating Reports
267

12.2 Generating Reports and Statistics ....................................................... 267
12.3 Generating Statistical Reports for Arrays ............................................. 268
12.3.1
Results of the Statistical Reports for Arrays .............................................. 269
12.4 Generating Database Reports ............................................................. 272

12.4.1
12.4.2
12.4.3
12.4.4
Generating Site/Node Reports .................................................................. 272

Generating Cell Information Reports ......................................................... 273
Generating Frequency Plan Reports ......................................................... 274
Generating Reports of Uncommitted Changes ......................................... 275
13
Setting Up Dual Band Networks
279

13.2 About GSM Frequency Bands ............................................................. 279
13.3 Overview of Dual Band Networks in ASSET ........................................ 280
13.3.1
13.3.2
Prerequisites for Dual Band Configuration ................................................ 280

Antenna Sharing in ASSET ....................................................................... 281
13.4 Configuring a Dual Band System ......................................................... 282

13.4.1
Configuring a Dual Band System using a Template .................................. 283
13.5 Viewing Coverage of the Dual Band Site ............................................. 284

14
Planning GSM Data Services 287

14.2 Overview of GPRS .............................................................................. 287
14.3 Defining the Targets of the GPRS Service........................................... 288
14.4 Defining Data Service Settings ............................................................ 289
14.4.1
14.4.2
14.4.3
Setting GPRS Channel Coding Schemes ................................................. 289

Defining Timeslot Distribution .................................................................... 290
Setting the Occupancy Table .................................................................... 292
14.5 Enabling GPRS on the Cells in the Site Database ............................... 293
14.6 Calculating and Analysing the GPRS Service Area ............................. 294
14.7 Defining Terminal Types for Data Services.......................................... 294
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14.8 Creating a GPRS Traffic Array ............................................................ 295

14.9 About the GPRS Arrays....................................................................... 297
14.9.1
14.9.2
14.9.3
GPRS Data Rate Array .............................................................................. 297

GPRS Average Data Rate per Timeslot Array .......................................... 298
GPRS Service Area Data Rate Array ........................................................ 298
14.10 Generating the GPRS Arrays ............................................................ 299

14.11 Capturing Traffic and Analysing Capacity Requirements ................... 300
14.12 Process Summary for GPRS Analysis ............................................... 300
15
What's New in ASSET 7.0?
303
15.1 LTE Support ........................................................................................ 303

15.2 Carried Traffic Analysis ....................................................................... 304
15.3 Interference Table Functionality .......................................................... 305
15.4 Antenna Instance IDs .......................................................................... 308
15.5 Google Earth Support .......................................................................... 309
15.6 Extended Character Set Support ......................................................... 311
15.7 Licensing Configurations and Permissions .......................................... 312
Index

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Version 7.0
SECTION 1
1 Introduction to the
ASSET Training Course
ASSET is a planning and analysis tool that provides a complete range of functionality
for the design and simulation of cellular networks. A wide range of technologies are
supported, including: GSM, GPRS, UMTS (FDD), joint GSM/UMTS, CDMA2000, EVDO, Fixed WiMAX and Mobile WiMAX, and LTE.
To create and use any of these networks, you need to have the appropriate technology
licence. In general, if required, multiple technologies can be used within the same
project.
Functionality includes hierarchical network planning, propagation modelling, service
definition, neighbour list definition, automatic frequency planning, analysis arrays,
detailed reporting, and simulation of network performance. In addition, measurement
data can be used for a variety of purposes.
1.1 Overview of the ASSET GSM-GPRS Training

Course
This document provides notes and supporting material for the ASSET Version 7.0
User Training Course for the GSM-GPRS technologies.
This course is intended for competent radio planners who want to understand how to
use the ASSET tool when planning GSM-GPRS networks. It is not intended to be any
kind of radio planning course (separate theory courses are available).
It is assumed that the tool has been installed and a suitable database configured by
the system administrator. Details of how to install ENTERPRISE and how to set up a
new database source are not covered by this course, but are covered by the
ENTERPRISE Administration Course.

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1.2 Course Objectives

The course is delivered in a sequence of sessions, enabling delegates to gain
confidence in using the ASSET tool. The course is intended to enable delegates to:
Have a basic understanding of the ENTERPRISE database
Define new projects or use existing projects
Understand how to use the Geographic Information System (GIS)
Create and use vectors and polygons
Set up a GSM Network
Use fields, filters and visualisers
Perform coverage planning
Set up traffic and capacity planning
Perform neighbour planning
Create interference tables and perform tasks for frequency planning
Generate reports
Understand how to plan multi-layered (dual band) networks
Understand the GPRS functionality in ASSET
Gain awareness of the new ASSET features in V7.0
For more detailed and precise handling of GSM & (E)GPRS networks, AIRCOM has
developed a simulation engine. This is an additional licensed module and is
recommended for operators with large networks and technologies covering: GSM and
(E)GPRS, or GSM & UMTS. This course does not cover the use of the simulation
engine.
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SECTION 2
2 Introduction to
ENTERPRISE
2.1 Objectives of this Session
During this session you will learn about:
The ENTERPRISE tools suite
The ENTERPRISE database and its contents
The two-stage Commit process
2.2 The ENTERPRISE Tools Suite

The ENTERPRISE suite of products incorporates a range of advanced tools which
provide valuable integrated support in the areas of planning, optimisation and
performance management. As well as operating standalone, the tools can operate
seamlessly together, sharing critical information without duplication.
The ENTERPRISE products link to a common industry standard relational database
(RDBMS) where you can store all your network data. In addition, ENTERPRISE
products use the same user-friendly Geographical Information System (GIS) to give
you a common interface.
The ENTERPRISE products are:
Product
Description
Administrator
For specifying and configuring your database, projects and users
ADVANTAGE
For automatic cell planning and network optimisation
ARRAYWIZARD
Automated tool for pathloss predictions and coverage arrays
ASSET
Radio network planning and information management for cellular networks
CONNECT
Network transmission and microwave link planning software
DATASAFE
Configuration management solution
DIRECT
Transmission and core network capacity planning and dimensioning tool
AIRCOM OPTIMA
Network performance monitoring, reporting and management
OSSEXPERT
For automating optimisation tasks

Version 7.0
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Product
Description
RANOPT
For efficiently finding faults in your network, and optimising and validating network
performance prior to commercial launch
WEBWIZARD
Web-based GIS and report distribution
ENTERPRISE can be 'run' in a number of configurations:

In an office environment over a Local Area Network (LAN)
Between offices using a Wide Area Network (WAN)
Standalone on a laptop computer in the office or field
The following diagram depicts the key functional elements of the system and their
interrelationships:
2.3 Obtaining User Assistance

Using Online Help
ENTERPRISE products come with a complete system of online Help which you can
access in three ways:
From the Help menu, click Help Contents. Scroll through the table of contents and
choose a relevant topic to display.
To search for something particular, from the Help menu, click Help Contents and
using the Index tab or Search tab, type in a letter or word to start searching for
relevant topics.
Press F1 in a dialog box to view context-sensitive help (available for most dialog
boxes).
If you are using ENTERPRISE within a CITRIX environment, to ensure that the
Help graphics are displayed, set your display settings to support more than 256
colours.
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Version 7.0
Using ENTERPRISE User Reference Guides

If you prefer to read printed content, we also provide User Reference Guides. To view
or print these as PDFs (portable document format):
1
Ensure you have an appropriate PDF reader installed on your PC.
Click Start on the taskbar, point to Programs, then AIRCOM International, then
ENTERPRISE, then Docs.
- or Navigate to the Docs folder in the location where you installed the product.
If neither of these exists, please contact your administrator.
Double-click the PDF file that you want to view.
If you have a customer web account, you can also download the latest User
Reference Guides from our website.
Checking Release Notes
Each release of the ENTERPRISE software is accompanied by Release Notes, giving
important information on system requirements, installation, known issues, upgrades
and so on. You can download these notes from our website.
For any further documentation, such as application notes and extra reference
information, please email the support team at the address described in Obtaining
Support on page 17.
2.3.1 Obtaining Support

If you have a difficulty you cannot resolve yourself using the online Help or
Reference Guides, or you have found a possible fault in the software, you can log a
support request. You may also wish to contact us if you want to:
Register for a customer web account to access the Support area
Obtain further documentation, such as application notes and extra reference
information
Logging Support Requests Online
To log a support request online:
1
Go to the AIRCOM website, at www.aircominternational.com.
Click the link for Product Support Login.
Log in, using your customer web account username and password.
In the Technical Support pane, click Online Helpdesk.
Click Log New UTS Call.
Type the details of your request, and then click Submit.

Version 7.0
Page 17
Contacting us by Telephone or Email

If you wish to contact us directly, here are the contact details of our regional offices:
Location
Regional Office
Contact Details
Europe
United Kingdom
Tel : +44 1932 442000

Fax :+44 1932 442005
support@aircominternational.com
Middle East, Africa and Central Asia
Belgium
support@aircominternational.be
France
support@aircominternational.fr
Germany
support@aircominternational.de
Italy
support@aircominternational.it
Sweden
support@aircominternational.se
United Arab Emirates
Tel : +971 4 391 2642

Fax :+971 4 391 8141
support@aircominternational.ae
South Africa
Tel : +27 11 745 1475

Fax : +27 11 465 1517
support@aircominternational.com
Americas
Mexico
support@aircominternational.com.mx
USA
Tel : +1 214 576 2700

Fax : +1 214 576 2794
support@aircominternational.us
Asia and Oceania
Brazil
support@aircominternational.com.br
Singapore
Tel: +65 6372 0548

Fax: +65 6372 0350
supportsg@aircominternational.com
China
Tel: +86 2162792779

Fax: +86 2162792855
supportsg@aircominternational.com
India
Tel: +91 124 4848200

Fax: +91 124 4517878
supportindia@aircominternational.com
When contacting us with a support query, it would help us if you:

Give us as much information as possible about the problem and the context in
which it occurred
State the version and build you are using
Have all the details of your query to hand
Are logged into the ENTERPRISE application
Can send extracts of your data sets if we need them to reproduce your problem
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Version 7.0
2.3.2 Obtaining Further Information and Services

As well as comprehensive online Help and User Reference Guides and dedicated
Product Support, AIRCOM provides:
Online Knowledgebase of Articles
If you register for a customer web account, you can view our searchable technical
database in the Product Support section of the AIRCOM website. This
Knowledgebase contains articles created by our support professionals who have
resolved issues for our customers, and is constantly updated, expanded, and refined
to ensure that you have access to the very latest information and frequently asked
questions.
Power Tools
If you register for a customer web account, you can download from a selection of
useful power tools, such as file conversion utilities.
Latest Copies of the User Reference Guides
If you register for a customer web account, you can download the latest User
Reference Guides (PDFs) from our website. If you do this, please check the table in the
About This Manual section for additions or corrections.
Consultancy Services
AIRCOM also provide full radio consultancy services in Network Audits, Business
Planning Support, Licence Applications, Radio Network Planning,
Telecommunications Research and System Modelling and Propagation Analysis and
Modelling.
Training
There is a wide variety of courses run by AIRCOM. These courses range from tool
training to technology training. For details, contact Competence Development
Solutions (training@aircominternational.com).
2.4 The ENTERPRISE Database

The ENTERPRISE database is common to all the tools. ENTERPRISE 7.0 supports
Oracle 10 and 11, and a number of Windows platforms, which are described in the
release notes supplied with the product.
The database typically resides on a dedicated server computer connected to your
network. The ENTERPRISE software is then installed and run from client
workstations connected to the same network. In an optional stand-alone
configuration, it is necessary to install the Oracle database on the same PC as the
ENTERPRISE client.

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2.4.1 Database Contents

The ENTERPRISE database stores all of the parameters required to fully describe the
network being modelled. For ASSET this includes details of items such as (but not
limited to):
Project definition settings (such as map projections, directory settings, and so on)
Switching Equipment
Physical Locations
Sites/Nodes
Cells
Carriers
Neighbours
Propagation Models
Antenna Radiation Patterns
Radio Equipment Details (for example, Feeders, Mast Head Amplifiers, and so on)
The full list of items is too large to present here but can be found in the database table
descriptions included in the Database Reference Guide.
2.5 The Two-Stage Commit Process

Data is stored in the database in two types of tables:
1
The COMMIT Tables, which contain the master set of data accessible to all users.
The DIFFERENCE (DIFF) Tables, which contain provisional changes to the master
Committed tables, for each individual user.
When a user makes a change to the database, the change is first "APPLIED", which
means that the change is stored in that user's "DIFF" tables and can only be seen by
that user. When the user is satisfied that the change is correct and that all users should
be aware of the new network data, it can then be "COMMITTED" to the master tables
using the 'COMMIT' or 'COMMIT ALL' buttons.
The COMMIT button saves selected changes within an open window to the database,
whereas the COMMIT ALL button saves everything within that window to the
database.
This two-stage process for storing data in the database enables users to experiment
with new designs without affecting other users, until satisfied with that particular
change.
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If a change has only been 'Applied' to the database it is possible to use the
RESTORE button in the Site or Link Database window to revert back to the previous
Committed state.
The changes committed to the database by one user will not be visible to another user
until the project is re-started (that is, after logging off and on again).

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2.6 Session Summary Checklist

This checklist has been provided as a self-assessment of the objectives stated at the
beginning of the session.
Please tick all objectives covered in this Session:
The ENTERPRISE tools suite
The ENTERPRISE database and its contents
Additional Notes:
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SECTION 3
Setting Up the Project

In this session you will learn how to:
Start the ENTERPRISE suite application
Login to the ENTERPRISE database
Create a new project
Set up the project with the appropriate co-ordinates and map data directories
Set the required technology
3.2 Starting ENTERPRISE

Once your system administrator has set up the ENTERPRISE database and created a
user account for you, you can start ENTERPRISE and create a new project ready for
planning work.
To start ENTERPRISE, from the Windows Start Menu select:
Start>All Programs>AIRCOM International>ENTERPRISE V7.0>AIRCOM
ENTERPRISE Suite
Once you have started ENTERPRISE, the main toolbar will appear along the top of
the screen, with tabs corresponding to the different modules available. Which tabs
you see depends on which modules have been licensed.
Example of tabs - these correspond to the different modules that have been licensed and installed

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3.3 Logging into a Database

Before you can log in to a database, an administrator must have used the
ENTERPRISE Administrator program to set you up as an authorised user of a
database. For information on using this product, see the ENTERPRISE Installation
and Administration Guide.
To log in to a database:
1
Ensure the Database Login dialog box is open.

If it is not, from the File menu, click Login or click the Login button
The Database Login dialog box appears:
On the Database Login dialog box, ensure the correct database is shown in the
Data Source box.
Choose whether to log into ENTERPRISE:

By typing in a username and password as set up by your administrator.
Automatically, using authentication from the operating system (OS) where

you are connected automatically to the database if the server confirms that you
exist. This means you do not have to use a separate password here.
Click Login.
If you belong to the Administrators group, you have the additional choice of:
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Logging in as yourself.
Impersonating another user who is not already logged into the project. For
example, to create new objects on their behalf.
Select which user to log in as then click OK.

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3.4 Creating a New Project

When you have logged into a database, the Start Project dialog box appears, showing
any projects that are currently available within the database.
However, if you have permission to do so, you can also create a new project. To do
this:
1
In the Start Project dialog box, click Add.
If you have no existing projects, go to step 3. If you have existing projects, the
Table Selection dialog box appears:
Choose to:
Use new project data

- or -
Share existing project data
Only share data if your map data cannot be contained within a single
projection or zone as then you will need multiple projects to accurately model the
site co-ordinates. You cannot share projects whose project data is already shared.
For more information, see Using Shared Data on page 26.
3
If you choose to share project data, select the project whose data you want to share
from the drop down list.
This project will subsequently appear at the top level of the tree shown in the Start
Project dialog box with the new project shown underneath.
If ENTERPRISE has been set up with a settings database schema, the Project
Defaults field is enabled in the Table Selection dialog box. You can use the browse
button to select a .stt file containing user settings to be used as defaults in the new
project. For more information about the settings schema, see Database Settings
Management in the ENTERPRISE Installation and Administration Guide.

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In the Modify Project dialog box, set up your project including:
On the Map Data Directories tab, enter the locations that contain the various
index files for map data elements you are using. If your map data does not
contain a particular element, leave the box for that type of data blank.
On the User Data Directories tab, specify paths for certain user preferences,
such as favourite views. Also indicate if you want to load in all your own user
vectors, all the user vectors for the people in your group, or all user vectors.
For information on setting up groups, see the ENTERPRISE Installation and
Administration Guide.
More information about what to specify on all the tabs of the Modify Project
dialog box is given in the following sections.
6
When you have entered all the required information on the tabs, click OK.
3.4.1 Using Shared Data

Sharing data between projects in the same database is useful in countries where the
radio network spans more than one co-ordinate projection system. For example,
Australia could span seven different UTM projection zones, each requiring different
settings to obtain the correct co-ordinate conversion between spherical co-ordinates
(latitude/longitude) and Cartesian co-ordinates (grid).
In this case, it would be possible to set up seven different projects, one for each set of
map data but have them all connected to the same set of database tables containing
network data.
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You could also use shared data in conjunction with loading a region or sub-set of a
project. For example, you could have one project where all the sites are visible and a
number of sub-projects each with different load areas.
Shared projects are shown in the Start Project dialog box as a hierarchy, with the
project whose data is shared at the top level and the newer project as a sub-folder.
Only two levels are permitted:
Shared Projects Shown in the Start Project Dialog Box
If you have anything shared between projects, for example antennas, and you
export and re-import as a new project in the same database you will get a message
telling you that you are re-importing duplicate information. This message appears for
each data point on an antenna, so ideally, do not try and re-import items that are
shared between projects.
3.4.2 About the Modify Project Dialog Box

To access the Modify Project dialog box, in the Start Project dialog box, select the
required project and click Info.
3.4.2.1 Overriding Database Directory Settings

Your ENTERPRISE administrator should have configured the database directory
settings for all the projects stored in the database, so you will not usually want to
override database directory settings.
However, if you are working remotely with a copy of the database on a laptop and no
longer have a connection to the map data file server, you must override the global
settings by selecting the Override Database Directory checkbox, then setting these
directories to be your local ones:
Map data
Predictions
Preferences
Colour palette
You cannot override any other settings unless you have administrator privileges.
If you have created user vectors that you want to use on the laptop, you will need
to import the vector files to your new folder.

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3.4.2.2 About the Coord System Tab

The map co-ordinate system is used to translate between geographic co-ordinates and
Cartesian co-ordinates based on the projection system which the mapping data uses.
It is important to set this correctly because mapping data is only valid for the
particular co-ordinate system to which it relates.
ENTERPRISE is designed to work with one (and only one) projection/ellipsoid
combination per project. The projection/ellipsoid settings for the project MUST match
the settings for the map data that will be used since the map data is stored in
Cartesian not spherical co-ordinates.
On the Coord System tab of the Modify Project dialog box, you can set which coordinate system group, co-ordinate system, datum and unit of measurement are used.
You can also set the Co-ordinate System data values for a visualisation co-ordinate
system which enables you to specify geographic co-ordinates using a different datum
to that specified by the map co-ordinate system. You might use this so that
geographic co-ordinates reported by a GPS receiver could be entered directly into
ENTERPRISE, regardless of the map co-ordinate system.
Do not set a visualisation co-ordinate system if you have already created sites as
they will shift locations.
On this tab, you can also:
Create and edit datums and ellipsoids
Select which MapInfo projection setting will be used for MapInfo vectors data in
the project
Import and export your settings
3.4.2.3 About the Map Data Directories Tab

On the Map Data Directories tab of the Modify Project dialog box, enter the locations
that contain the various index files for the map data categories you are using (for
example, clutter, heights and so on). You can either use the Browse option to find the
directory, or type in the pathname.
It is essential that you set up your map data directories to point to the correct
folders. If your map data does not contain a particular category, leave the box for that
type of data blank.
In the Backdrops box, specify a path to a folder that can contain map backdrops
and aerial photos as sub-folders. For example:
An index file and data file(s) should exist in each of the sub-directories.
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3.4.2.4 About the User Data Directories Tab

On the User Data Directories tab of the Modify Project dialog box, you can specify
directory paths for certain categories of user data. You can do this either by typing the
path, or using the Browse option.
Important :
It is strongly recommended that you do not share the same directory paths
between different databases
It is also recommended that you set these directory paths to be unique per project
(rather than shared between projects), and enter paths to directories that are
currently empty
The above advice is especially applicable to the Prediction directory, because it
simplifies the management of prediction files.
To specify the directory paths:
1
Specify a path for User preferences, to store your favourite views.
Specify a Prediction directory where all your pathloss predictions will be stored.
You can also view any prediction folders already known to the database, using the
drop-down box.
You should ensure that all users of this project have adequate read/write
permissions for the files and folders in the specified directory.
Specify a value that represents the maximum disk space you want to reserve for
the storage of prediction files.
For information on specifying this value, see About the Prediction File
Caching System on page 30.
In the colour palette box, specify a path to a text file that details the RGB values for
the 253 colours that are used in your project.
Specify a path for coverage or interference arrays that you may want to save.
Specify a path where you will store your user vectors (lines, polygons or points),
and indicate if you want to load:
Your own user vectors only
The user vectors for everyone in your Group
All user vectors that exist in the database
This depends whether the paths to other people's user vectors are shared. If the
user vector folder is shared between users, you should be aware that any folder
deletion will impact other users trying to use that folder until they restart that
project.
If you want to edit other people's user vectors, you will need the correct permissions,
which are set by your administrator.

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About the Prediction File Caching System

Prediction files contain data that can be freshly regenerated at any time, but, as this
process takes time, it is more efficient to store the files on the disk every time they are
created, and manage them as a cache of precalculated data.
Therefore, in ENTERPRISE, the concept behind the storage of the prediction files is
that they are stored on disk and remain stored, even if they become 'invalid' due to
changes to the cell parameters or locations. The major benefit of this is that they can
be reused whenever they become 'valid' again.
It is evident from the above approach that, on some occasions, the disk might become
full and consist of many unwanted prediction files.
For this reason, these files are automatically managed within ENTERPRISE by a
caching algorithm, which can dispose of unwanted files on the basis of specific
criteria.
As a vital input to this algorithm, you need to specify the maximum disk space for the
storage of these files, on a per prediction folder basis. This limit must be specified on
the User Data Directories tab of the Modify Project dialog box.
Example of Setting Maximum Disk Space for Prediction File Storage in the Modify Project dialog box
Notes :
The default value, if selected, represents 80% of the free disk space on the drive
where the prediction folder exists.
The specified settings for maximum disk space are stored in a configuration file in
the root of the prediction folder.
The concept of the Prediction File Caching System is also described in the Predicting
Pathloss and Displaying Coverage section of the ASSET User Reference Guide,
including the speed, efficiency and benefits involved in the creation and loading of
prediction files.
The caching algorithm is described in the ASSET Technical Reference Guide.
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3.4.2.5 About the Map Data Extents Tab

On the Map Data Extents tab of the Modify Project dialog box, click Calculate for
ENTERPRISE to read the map data and set the grid co-ordinates so that the whole of
the mapped area can be viewed. An automatic border of 5% is included.
This means that when the map is first opened, it will display the correct part of the
World.
If the extents look incorrect, it is likely that erroneous points exist in one of the
map data index files.
If you require only a part of the mapped area, then these can be set manually to cover
a smaller area, by entering the grid co-ordinates of the extent of the map that you
want to be visible in the Map View window.
3.4.2.6 About the Region Load Tab

Use the Region Load tab of the Modify Project dialog box to load only sites or nodes
in a specified region, which can be either a polygon or rectangle. By loading a sub-set
of site data, ENTERPRISE can run faster.
You can create a polygon within an open project, with your sites and required
map layers visible on the Map View. Then, after closing the project, you can use that
polygon to define the region.
After selecting to use a region load, when you open the project, the title bar indicates
that you have a region loaded. The project will contain:
All 'Committed' network elements (sites, nodes, links, repeaters and so on) that
are inside the region you have chosen
All 'Applied-only' network elements (sites, nodes, links, repeaters and so on)
relating to the individual user, regardless of the chosen region
All hierarchy-related MSCs and BSCs, WMSCs, RNCs, SGSNs, CDMA MSCs,
CDMA BSCs and the Properties they are on, regardless of the chosen region
3.4.2.7 About the Info Tab

Use the Info tab of the Modify Project dialog box to add supplementary information
about your project.
This tab displays the time and date when the project was created and when it was last
modified.
If required, you can enter a brief description of the project and any further comments
related to it.

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3.5 Setting the Required Technology for your

Project
Setting up your preferences is the next step after you have set up and opened a
project, and before you begin planning a network.
It is essential that the correct technology is activated for your project.
To do this:
1
From the File menu, click Preferences.
In the Preferences dialog box, click the Technology tab.
Select the technology type(s) you require.
Click OK.
Notes:
The technology options are always dependent on what licences you have.
In general, multiple technology modes can be used within the same project. Only
the 2g technologies are mutually exclusive.
This picture shows an example of the Technology tab in the Preferences dialog box:
Preferences Dialog Box - Technology Tab
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3.6 Viewing Settings for the Current Project

Once a project is open, you can view its settings:
From the File menu, click View Project Settings.
You cannot modify the settings in this dialog box. If you want to modify them:
1
Close the current project by clicking Close Project on the File menu.
Again from the File menu, click Open Project and select Info>>.
Edit as needed.
3.7 Message Log Window

The message log window opens automatically when a project is started and contains
confirmation Messages, Warnings and other types of messages. This is very useful for
troubleshooting purposes.
Message Log window

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3.8 Exercise: Starting a Project

This exercise will enable you to set up a new project prior to commencing Radio
Planning.
1
Launch the ENTERPRISE suite from the Windows Start Menu.
Select the correct data source, login to the database with the appropriate user
name and password:
Data Source
User Name
Password
In the Start Project dialog box, click on the Add button.
In the Table Selection dialog box, select the New Project data option, then click
Continue.
In the Modify Project dialog box, name your new project JerseyCom.
On the Co-ordinate System tab, click the Change button and choose the following
settings:
Group
Universal Transverse Mercator
System
Zone 30N (6W to 0W)
Datum
WGS84
Linear Unit
METERS
On the Map data directories tab, define all available mapping data for the project.
On the User data directories tab, complete all settings.
On the Map Data Extents tab, click the Calculate button.
10 In the Modify Project dialog box, click OK.

11 In the Start Project dialog box, select your newly-created "JerseyCom project and
click Start.
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Start the ENTERPRISE suite application
Login to the ENTERPRISE database
Create a new project
Set up the project with the appropriate co-ordinates and map data directories
Set the required technology
Additional Notes:

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SECTION 4
Using the GIS and Other

Visual Tools
During this session you will learn about:
Opening a new 2D View window
Using the 2D View window
Using the Zoom and Panning functions
Saving Favourite Views
Printing from the 2D View
4.2 Introduction
The GIS is a fundamental part of the ENTERPRISE suite in which you can view the
different data available within ENTERPRISE including site data, connectivity and
mapping data. The GIS is also referred to as the Map View or 2D View.
The Map View and Site Database window are fully synchronised so that changes
made in one window are reflected in the other. Similarly, when you click on a
network element or property in the Map View, an open Site Database window will
update dynamically to display the selected item.
4.3 Opening the 2D View Window

The Map View window is a fundamental part of the ENTERPRISE suite in which you
can view all the different elements of your network including site data, connectivity
and mapping data.
As with all windows, the Map View window and Site Database window are
synchronised so that changes you make in one are reflected in the other. For example,
when you click something in the map, the Site Database window updates
dynamically. You can have more than one Map View window open to view different
areas of the network.

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To open a Map View window:

On the main toolbar, click the New 2D View button
or
From the View menu, click New 2D View.
A blank Map View window opens.
If you want the Map View window to stay always on top of other windows on
your desktop, right-click the window title and click Always On Top.
This picture shows an example Map View window:
Map View window
There are many buttons included in the 2D View, which are arranged into toolbars
with different functions. We will now look at each of these toolbars in turn and
discuss their functions.
You open multiple 2D View windows to display different kinds of data
simultaneously.
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4.4 Using the 2D View Window

There are many ways in which you can use the 2D View to display, select and search
geo-data and network data.
4.4.1 About the Map View Toolbar

This toolbar is always shown on the Map View window:
The Map View toolbar
The toolbars and buttons that you see are always dependent on the products you
have installed. For specific information, see the relevant User Reference Guide.
This table describes the tools available on the Map View toolbar:
Tool
Description
Select object. This button is also useful for deactivating any previously selected options (such as Pan or Zoom).
Selection Filter toolbox. For more information, see Adding to the Selection Filter Using the Map View Window on
page 136.
Clear Selection Filter.
Zoom around the centre of the Map View.
Zoom to the extent of a rectangle that you draw on the Map View.
Pan around the Map View.
Quick finder.
Jump to location.
Display site tips.
Key legend.
Show data types for display.
Favourite views.
Create new vector.
Vector manager.
Hot track mode.
Pixel select mode.

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4.4.2 Displaying Map Data

To see what available data types can be displayed on a map:
In the Map View window, click the Show Data Types button
or
Use the Data Types tab of the Map Information and Control dialog box, available
by clicking the Key/Legend button
Here is an example of the available data types:
The data types available for display include vectors, text, backdrops, height data,
clutter data, site filters, cell information, network connections and coverage.
Before you display anything else, display some standard line data, such as
coastline, then zoom to the area you are interested in. This will ensure you do not
slow down your PC by trying to display rasters, such as heights and clutter data, for
whole areas that you are not interested in.
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To expand a category and see the data types beneath it:

Click the + sign.
To display a data type on the map:
Ensure you have selected the checkbox next to the type:
Selecting Data Types
For User Vectors and Measurements, WFS Services, and Clutter Data, you can select a
category or sub-category and all items within that category are automatically selected
and will be displayed:
Similarly, clearing the checkbox for the whole category will mean all items are no
longer selected.
If you are using the Data Types dialog box, to return to the Map View window click
OK & Redraw.
To change the display style of any data category:
1
In the Data Types dialog box, double-click the category name.

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The appropriate Display Properties dialog box appears, enabling you to change
the properties of the displayed data.
The different properties shown will depend on the item selected.

3
To save the changes, click OK, and then click OK & Redraw to display the change.
After you have customised the colours and styles for each item these will be
automatically saved for future sessions.
If you want to display 'rasterised' data such as heights or clutter, ensure that you
are not zoomed out too far. This kind of data can require a large amount of RAM to
display - the amount being a function of the area being displayed divided by the area
of a single pixel of the rasterised data (resolution).
If the area you have selected requires more physical RAM than your PC has available
the drawing process will be VERY slow. Therefore, it is recommended to draw some
vector data first in order to navigate to the required view area (this requires much less
RAM) before displaying the heights or clutter data.
4.4.3 Ordering the Data Shown on the Map

If you have many items displayed simultaneously on the Map View window, you
may want to manage the order in which they are displayed, so that one thing is not
hidden by another.
To select the order in which the selected data types are displayed:
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Click the Key/Legend button
In the Map Information and Control dialog box that appears, click the Layer Order
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This tab shows the currently selected data types in the order they are displayed on
the map, with the highest item in the list being the last one to be displayed on the
map.
To select more data types for display, use the Data Types tab of this dialog box.
3
To move a data type up or down in the order, select the required layer and click
the up or down arrow buttons as required then click Redraw to automatically
redraw the Map View window with your changes.
To delete data layers, select the data layer(s) that you want to delete, then click the
Remove Selected button. You can also click Remove All. Both these buttons are the
equivalent of clearing the checkboxes in the list of data types.
Double-clicking an item on the Layer Order tab brings up the display properties
dialog box in which you can change how items are displayed in the usual way.
You can also use the Map Information and Control dialog box for:
Displaying and changing items in the legend.
Selecting data types for display.

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4.4.4 Selecting Items on the Map

To select items in the Map View window, click the Select button
This is selected by default. If you have performed another function, for example,
moving sites, you may need to click the Select button to return to Select mode.
4.4.5 Selection Expert Toolbox

The various buttons contained within the Selection Expert toolbox allows for easy
selection of elements to be placed into a 'Selection' filter. The selected elements will
then appear in the Selection Expert where they then can be saved or exported as a
filter.
This functionality will be covered in the Session on Filters and Fields.
4.4.6 2D View Context Menu

You can open the 2D View Context menu by right-clicking in the display area of the
2D View window. This is a versatile menu that contains some of the most useful
display control features, which are described in this table:
Item
Description
Redraw
Refreshes the screen after manipulating data.

This is also linked to the Key/Legend window to update all listed data.
Mouse Zoom
Zooms into a desired location by defining the required areas with a resizable box.
Menu Zoom
In contrast to the above, this function zooms to:

A set multiplication factor (x_)
A set window size (_km)
The previous view (Last)
A defined home view (Home)
The current view will determine whether zooming in or out will occur.
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Item
Description
Add to Favourites
Stores frequently used Map Views, which includes remembering both the visual layers displayed
as well as the exact region, zoom level and resolution selected.
To quickly toggle between the different favourite views, use the Favourites drop-down list on the
Map View Toolbar:
These can be stored, and optionally shared amongst other users.

Organise Favourites
Offers a way of renaming or removing existing favourites.
Set Home
Sets the Home view and specifies the zoom level with which any new 2D View window initially
opens.
4.4.7 Viewing Attribute Data on the Map as a Screentip

In ENTERPRISE, you can display network element data in the Map View window as
screentips, which appear as you hover over cells/repeaters in your network. This
picture shows an example for UMTS, where the cell ID, azimuth, carrier and
scrambling code are displayed as screentips for the closest cell:
Viewing attributes on a site as screentips

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To do this:
1
On the Map View toolbar, click the Display Site Tips button
The Site Tip Attributes dialog box appears:
In the Available Attributes pane, expand the required network element, and
either:
Click the name of the attribute that you want to display on the Map View, and
click the right arrow button
- or -
Select the checkboxes of the attribute(s) that you want to display on the Map
View
The attributes are added to the Selected Attributes pane.

Tips:
If you want to remove an attribute from the Selected Attributes pane, select the
required attribute and click the left arrow button
If you want to re-order the way that the attributes will be displayed, click the
up
and down
arrow buttons to change the position. The attribute at
the top of the list is displayed first and the attribute at the end of the list is
displayed last.
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When you have selected all of the required attributes, click OK.
The chosen attributes are then available as screentips when you hover the mouse
over the cell.
Your chosen attributes are saved for future use. However, if you close and reopen
the Map View, you will need to click the Display Site Tips button
Site Tips.
again to see the
4.4.8 Searching the Map View Window with the Quick Finder
You can search the Map View window using the Quick finder dialog box. This
enables you to locate items such as a location, Property, link or piece of text or
attributes such as carried traffic. This picture shows an example where any Property
ID containing the number 56 is listed in the Quick Finder dialog box and highlighted
with an arrow in the Map View window:
Using the Quick Finder with the Map View
If the Quick finder dialog box has not been used before, you will need to set it up. For
more information see Setting Up the Quick Finder on page 49.

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To search the map using the Quick finder:

1
Click the Quick finder button
In the first drop-down field select the item that you wish to search for.
In the second drop-down field, if applicable, refine your search by selecting a

parameter to search for. The item and parameter that you have chosen are shown
in "Look for" field.
If you have selected a parameter at step 3, click the button by the "Where" field.
"Where" in this context is used to mean for example, find all cells where the cell ID
includes the text "site."
You can specify an expression to be applied to the search of your chosen item and
parameter by selecting an operator and a value.
The operators available depend on the parameter selected and can include
regular expressions.
You can also select the Not option to locate items that do not match the expression
or value chosen.
Optionally click the button by the "Search in" field. For all items except text a
drop-down list enables you to choose whether to search in a filter, a view, or in
existing search results.
If you choose to search in:
A filter, specify which filter
A view, use the Click View button to select one
Existing results, a subset of these that match your refined search criteria will
appear in the "Results" field after you click the Find button
For text items a drop-down field enables you to choose whether to search all text
or just the text currently displayed in the Map View window.
6
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Optionally click on the button by the "Highlight on view" field. You can use this
to determine how your search results are to be identified in the Map View
window. You can choose:
An arrow or a target symbol to highlight the item
The colour of the arrow or target
The colour of the surround (halo) around the arrow or target
The colour of the symbol (dot) representing the item
Whether or not text identifying the item is displayed
The colour of the text used
The size and transparency of the arrow or target used
Click Find. Your search results are shown in the Map View window and listed in
the Quick finder dialog box under the "Results" field.

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You can select the Append option if you want the current search results to be
retained and appended to the results of your next search. This table shows the
options available if you right-click on any of the results listed:
Select This Option
To Do This
Select All
Select all the items in the search results list and highlight all the associated features in
the Map View window.
Re-centre in view
For single selected items, position the item in the centre of the Map View window.
Re-centre and zoom in view
For single selected items, position the item in the centre of the Map View window and
zoom in to 5km.
Quick Edit
Change the parameters associated with a GSM or UMTS item.
Generate report
Create a report including all the items shown in the list of search results.
Save as selection filter
Create a selection filter that can subsequently be used to display the items identified
by the search in the Map View window. For more information on filters, see Using
Filters in ENTERPRISE on page 127.
4.4.8.1 Setting Up the Quick Finder

If the Quick finder dialog box has not been used before, you will need to set it up by
selecting the criteria, such as network elements and parameters, that you want to have
available to choose from when searching.
To set up the Quick finder dialog box:
1
Click the Quick finder button

picture shows an example:
. The Quick finder dialog box appears. This
Click
Choose the items that you want to have available for selection in the drop-down
list. You can do this by clicking on individual items or you can right-click and
choose to Select All or Deselect All.
Click OK. Your chosen items are listed in the drop-down list. They will continue to
be listed there whenever the Quick finder dialog box is opened for this project,
unless you subsequently change your choice of listed items by the same method.
In the first drop-down field, select the first item.
by the first drop-down list to open the Select/Deselect Items dialog box.

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Click
by the second drop-down list to open the Select/Deselect Parameters
dialog box.
If applicable, choose the parameters associated with this item that you want to
have available for selection in the drop-down field. You can do this by clicking on
individual parameters or you can right-click and choose to Select All or Deselect
All.
Click OK. Your chosen parameters for this item are listed in the drop-down field.
They will continue to be listed there whenever the Quick finder dialog box is
opened for this project, unless you subsequently change your choice of listed
parameters for this item by the same method.
To choose parameters for other search items, in the first drop-down list, select the
next item and then repeat steps 6 to 8 until you have chosen parameters for all
applicable items.
4.4.9 Map View Gadgets Window

The Map View Gadgets window provides information about a particular pixel/point
on the 2D View. The Gadgets window can be either attached and detached at the
bottom of the 2D View.
1
In the 2D View, from the View menu, click Show Map View Gadgets.
The Gadgets window opens.
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You can choose which information will be displayed in the Gadgets window by
clicking the Edit Map Information button
Add items as required (for example, Building Height, Visibility, and so on) by
selecting the item in the 'Available items' pane and clicking the Add button to
move them to the 'Selected items' pane.
Similarly, to remove items, select the item in the 'Selected items' pane, and then
click Remove to return the item to the 'Available items' pane.
You can change how the location is displayed and the building heights are
calculated by double-clicking the item in Gadgets window.
To begin with, the Gadgets window is attached to the bottom of the 2D View window,
but it can be detached and then moved to any location (including another 2D View
window is more than one is open).
To do this, from the View menu click Pin Map View Gadgets. Clicking this option
again will re-attach the window to the bottom of the 2D View.

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4.4.10
About the Master View
The Master View window is a small-scale map, which indicates with a rectangle the
position of any currently opened map view.
To open the Master View window:
From the View menu, click Master View.
To choose what data is displayed on the Master View:

1
On the Master View, right-click and from the menu that appears, click Properties.
In the Data Types dialog box, select the data you require:
You can edit the display properties of a data type by double-clicking it.
3
Click OK & Redraw.
You can scroll your Map View using the Master View window. To do this, drag
the rectangle to the required position.
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4.5 Moving Around the Map

There are several ways of zooming in and out on the map.
While in Zoom mode, you can hold down Shift to change temporarily to Pan
mode. This is useful for zooming and then scrolling and zooming again.
4.5.1 Zooming In on the Map

This table describes how you can zoom in:
To Zoom In
On a particular place
Do This
Click the Zoom button
and click on the map where you want the centre of the zoom to be.
or
and click and hold the left mouse button down while dragging the
mouse downwards on the map.
Using the mouse to select
a boxed area
(method one)
Using the mouse to select

a boxed area
(method two)
Click the Zoom Box button

.
Click and hold down the left mouse button on the map where the centre of the box will be
and drag the mouse to create a box.
Release the mouse button.
The Map View window redraws to display only the area selected. The aspect ratio of the region
will match that of the current map view.
then hold down Alt.
Click where you want the upper left of your area to be and drag the mouse towards the
lower right area to create a rectangle.
The Map View window redraws to display only the area selected. The aspect ratio of the region
will match that of the current map view.
To a set width (km)
Right-click anywhere on the Map View window, and point to Menu Zoom then click the required
width.
To a set magnification
Right-click anywhere on the Map View window, and point to Menu Zoom then click the required
magnification (for example, x5)..
To a previous or defined
Home view
Right-click anywhere on the Map View window, and point to Menu Zoom then click Last or
Home.
To stop zooming, either click another button, the Select Arrow button or the Display
Data Types button.

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4.5.2 Zooming Out on the Map

Zoom out by doing one of these:
of the zoom to be.
, and right-click on the map where you want the centre

, hold down Ctrl and click on the map where you want
the centre of the zoom to be.
and click and hold the left mouse button down while
dragging the mouse upwards on the map.
While using either of the above you are in Zoom mode. You can hold down
Shift to change temporarily to Pan mode. This is useful for zooming and then
scrolling and zooming again.
Right-click on the map, and point to Menu Zoom then click the required zoom, for
example, x0.5.
To stop zooming, either click another button, the Select Arrow button or the Display
Data Types button.
4.5.3 Saving a Favourite Zoomed View

You can temporarily set a level of zoom as your Home and return to it during the
current session of ENTERPRISE. To do this:
1
In the Map View window, right-click and from the menu that appears click Set
Home.
To return to this level of zoom, right-click, point to Mouse Zoom then click Home.
For information on setting up permanent favourite views, see Saving a Favourite
Map View on page 55.
4.5.4 Shortcut Keys for Zooming

This table shows the shortcut keys that you can press when in different modes. You
have to press these keys after selecting the mode and before clicking the map:
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Mode
Ctrl
Alt
Shift
Zoom
Zoom Out
Mouse Zoom
Pan
Zoom Box
Mouse Zoom
Zoom
Pan
Zoom

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4.5.5 Repositioning the Map

To reposition the displayed data:
1
Click the Pan button
The cursor changes to a hand shape.

2
Click and hold down the left mouse button and drag the data to the required
location.
You can continue to drag until you are happy with the displayed data.
To cancel the panning function, click another toolbar button.
4.5.6 Redrawing the Map

When you have added or removed display items, you may need to redraw or refresh
the information shown in the Map View window.
To do this:
In the Map View window, right-click and, from the menu that appears, select
Redraw.
4.6 Saving a Favourite Map View

You can save a map view as a favourite. This means you can easily return to a
predefined working environment which includes the screen position of the Map View
on your desktop, display attributes and coverage, interference and traffic arrays, the
resolution of height, building heights and clutter arrays. You can also store favourites,
and share them among other users.
To save a favourite map view:
1
In the Map View window, right-click.
From the menu that appears, point to Favourites and click Save.
In the dialog box that appears, type a name for the favourite and choose what
optional information to store with it.
If you have run any coverage or interference arrays, or traffic rasters, you can
save them all now by selecting the appropriate checkbox(es).
The favourite is stored in the Preferences folder that you have defined on the User
Data Directories tab of the Modify Project dialog box.
To access a favourite view:

Select the name of the view on the toolbar:

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4.6.1 Editing and Deleting Favourite Views

To edit or delete a saved favourite:
1
In the Map View window, from the View menu, point to Favourites and click
Organise.
In the dialog box that appears, select the favourite you wish to edit or delete then
click the appropriate button, Edit or Delete.
If you selected Edit, edit the favourite and click OK.
Click Close.
4.7 Using GIS Export

You can export map information for use with:
MapInfo
Google Earth
To export map information to MapInfo format, it is recommended that you have
MapInfo software installed on either your computer or a computer within your
network. Information held in the Map View labels is translated into MapInfo
attributes or Google Earth extended data.
Vector layers are already in MapInfo format.
There is an example of exporting data to Google Earth on page 309.
To run the GIS export:
1
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For items that you want to export, in the Map View window, double-click the item
in the list of Data Types, and either:
In the Display Properties dialog box that appears, click the GIS Export tab.
- or -
For the All filter, in the Display Properties dialog box that appears, click the
General icon
at the top of the list.
Choose to export your data as a raster image, rectangle, polygon or as symbol

points. If you select raster image, also choose the type of output file. If you intend
to use your output with Google Earth Pro, select one of the GeoTIFF output file
types. This table describes the options available:
Option
Description
Output files
Raster Image
Usual image format where each pixel of an item is given a colour.
As selected in the list of Data

Types in the Map View.
The colour white is marked as the 'transparent colour', which

improves the usability of the export in MapInfo format (especially
when exporting multiple layers).
Also accompanied by a TAB file.

Version 7.0
Option
Description
Output files
RLE
Rectangles
Contains run-length encoded rectangles. This scans the coverage

array and encodes consecutive pixels with the same value into
rectangles in the MapInfo output. So you have multiple small
rectangles representing the coverage area rather than one larger
polygon.
MID/MIF file pair

- or TAB/DAT file pair
Benefits : Fast method, and MapInfo software handles the results

more easily.
Drawbacks : The file size is larger and may prevent analysis in
MapInfo.
Polygons
Creates a true polygon for each coverage area but requires more
processing time.
MID/MIF file pair

Symbol points Exports display filters as scalable font symbols. These are set for
each filter and for each visualiser. Symbol points are only available
on filters and visualisers and are not available on other MapInfo
property pages.
MID/MIF file pair

Due to MapInfo software and font limitations the export may not
reproduce the exact appearance of the Map View.
In the Map View window, from the File menu, click GIS Export.
If you do not have MapInfo software installed then you will be prompted to
browse for a file called MAPINFOW.PRJ. If you do not have this file, click OK,
then in the Open dialog box, click Cancel and then OK.
If you do not browse for the MAPINFOW.PRJ file, then a Non-Earth projection
will be used when producing the exported map information.
In the GIS Export dialog box, either:
Type the name of a folder to which you want to export the output files, and
then add a filename prefix
- or -
Click the Browse button

, locate the folder to which you want to export the
output files, and then enter a filename prefix
If you are exporting image files, choose whether or not to include a TAB file.
If you are exporting polygons or rectangles, choose to generate either TAB/DAT
or MID/MIF files (and which version).
If you are exporting symbol points, choose to generate either TAB/DAT or
MID/MIF files unless you are exporting for Google Earth, in which case choose
KML files. If you choose KML files you can also choose to have your KML file
opened in Google Earth automatically on export.
If you are exporting a large array, it is recommended to split the output array into
tiles. To do this, select the 'Split the export' option, and then select the required
number of tiles.
Select a projection from the list of projections (unless you are exporting symbol
points for Google Earth in which case a projection is not required).

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The MapInfo CoordSys pane will be empty and greyed out when using NonEarth projection.
Click OK. A progress bar will appear and ENTERPRISE proceeds to export all
selected layers to the selected formats. A different file is created for each layer.
4.8 Printing Maps

In ENTERPRISE, you can print the whole contents of a Map View window, or specific
areas of it. You can also choose to print on paper, or to a file for archiving, including
in reports and so on.
4.8.1 Customising Page Layout for Printing Maps

To set up how the contents of the Map View window will print:
1
On the Map View window, from the File menu, point to Print Setup and click
Printer and Page Layout.
The Page Setup dialog box appears; the settings default to those assigned by the
Windows printer driver.
Specify the page size, source and orientation and change the printer as required
then click OK.
Do not change the margins here as these are not used by ENTERPRISE.
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From the File menu, point to Print Setup and click Legend and Title and specify
any title, copyright and comments that you require. The default title is Untitled or
the last used title of the current session.
Also choose whether to print the default logo or a different one. As this is a raster
format, you may need to experiment with various image sizes to obtain the best
image on the hard copy printout. Any number of colours can be used
(monochrome to 24-bit colour).

Version 7.0
Select the Print to Scale checkbox if you want to scale your mapping data
appropriately. For example, if a 1:100000 scale is used on the output, every
centimetre on the printout will represent 1 kilometre. The midpoints of the current
view are used as the centre of this printout.
Click OK.
From the File menu, click the Print Preview button to see what the printout will
look like and to choose where on the page you want the key, the map and the
scale. For example:
When you are satisfied, either:
Print the whole map as shown in the Map View window
Print a defined area of the map
Print the map or area of map to file

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4.8.2 Printing the Map

To print the whole contents as shown in the Map View window:
1
Set up the page layout as required.
From the File menu, click Print.
4.8.3 Printing a Specific Area of the Map View Window

To print a specific area of map rather than the whole contents of the Map View
window:
1
Set up the page layout as required.
On the Map View window, from the File menu, click Print Area.
Using the cursor, click and drag to select an area of map that you want to print.
The Print Preview dialog box appears so you can check the map before printing.
Note that:
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The scale used is that found in the current view
The region displayed may vary so that the scale may be maintained, based on
paper size, layout and so on
If you select the Print to Scale option in the Print Legend, only the centre point
of the area selected is used and also depending on paper size and the layout of
the print, the region will most likely be resized to maintain scale

Version 7.0
4.9 Exercise: Using the 2D View and Favourites

This exercise will show you how to display and capture different types of mapping
data through the 2D View window.
In your JerseyCom project, open a 2D View window and display the following data
types, before saving each as a favourite:
'Main View' Favourite
1
Display:
Coastline (Colour - Black, Width - 1)
Main-roads (Colour - Grey)
Streets (Colour - Brown)
Save as a favourite and name it 'Main View'.
'Height Block Data' Favourite

1
Display:
Block Height data (Colour - Green, Min 0, Interval 5, Resolution 50m, Min
Height Colour - White)
Save as a favourite and name it 'Height Block Data'.
'Airport' Favourite
1
Display:
Map Backdrop/AirPhoto Backdrop (Display Coloured)
Use the 'Jump to Location' button

(5451026).
, to search for Easting (558579) and Northing
Use the Zoom facility to display the Airport Runway.
Save as a favourite and name it 'Airport'.
Now, click the drop-down list at the top of the 2D View, and review the favourites
that you have created and verify that they were saved correctly:

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Please tick all objectives covered in this session:
Opening a new 2D View window
Using the 2D View window
Using the Zoom and Panning functions
Saving Favourite Views
Printing from the 2D View
Additional Notes:
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SECTION 5
Vectors and Polygons

In this session you will learn about:
Creating user polygons and other vector file features - lines, points and text
Adding features to a vector
Adding attributes to a polygon
Viewing attributes
Importing vector/polygon data
Classifying vectors
5.2 Overview
You can create and display your own vector file features, which are saved with the
project.
There are a number of different types of vector file feature, which are described in the
following table:
Feature Type
Description
Polygon
A set of points connected by lines that form a closed shape.
Line
Two or more points connected by lines that form an unclosed shape.
Point
A geometric element that has no dimensions, and whose position is based on its
coordinates.
Text
A set of words or letters.

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This picture shows an example vector file feature (displayed in red):
Example polygons
5.3 Creating Your Own Vector File Features

To create your own vector file features:
1
Ensure you have specified a system vector folder and user vector folder in your
project. For more information, see About the Map Data Directories Tab on page 28
and About the User Data Directories Tab on page 29.
It is recommended that you set these directory paths to be unique per project
(if you have multiple projects). If the user vector folder is shared between users,
you should be aware that any folder deletion will impact other users trying to use
that folder until they restart that project.
Ensure you have a Map View window open with the required area displayed.
From the Map View window toolbar, click the Create new vector button
-or Press Ctrl + E.

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Version 7.0
The Vector Manager appears:
The vector file features are organised in separate sub-folders (for example
Buildings, Transportation Routes and so on).
When you use the Create new vector button
, the new vector file feature is
added to the uppermost sub-folder folder that has its classification set as
'Unclassified'. If no such sub-folder exists, then a New Folder is automatically
created.
You can also create a new vector directly in the Vector Manager. To do this,
from the Options menu, click:
Add Vector, if you want to create a new vector and store the tab file in the
folder defined for User (line) vector data on the User data directories tab of the
Project Settings dialog box. For more information, see About the User Data
Directories Tab on page 29.
Add Vector to Folder, if you want to create a new vector and store the tab file
in a different folder.
In the Vector Structure Editor, type a name for the new vector.
Click Add to add an initial attribute to the vector:
Enter an attribute name, for example Population
Choose whether you want the value to be a float, integer or string
Click OK
For a full description of attributes, see Defining Attributes for a Vector File Feature
on page 67.
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If you selected the Add Vector to Folder option, then in the Browse for Folder
dialog box that appears, select the folder in which you want to store the vector:
- or If you clicked the Create new vector button

or the Add Vector menu option (or
you click Cancel in the Browse for Folder dialog box), the tab file is stored in the
folder defined for User (line) vector data on the User data directories tab of the
Project Settings dialog box. For more information, see About the User Data
Directories Tab on page 29.
A new blank vector tab file with its own sub-folder in the User Vectors folder is
automatically created.
7
To rename the folder, right-click and select Rename, type the required name and
then click OK.
To create the new vector file feature, for example the path of a new road or an area
that you want to define, select the new vector tab file and select the required
button, depending on what you want to create. The following table describes the
available options:
Click this button
To create
A line, or set of lines, in a vector.
A polygon (a closed shape).
A point.
A text item.
For more information on the different types of vector file features, see the
ENTERPRISE User Reference Guide.
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Version 7.0
In the Map View window, follow the appropriate instructions depending on

which feature you are creating:
If you are creating a
Do this
Line
1. Click the start point and all the subsequent points, as required.
2. Double-click the final point to complete the line.
Polygon
1. Click the start point and all the subsequent points.

2. Double-click the final point to complete the polygon.
Point
Click the location at which you want to add the point.
Text item
1. Click the location on the Map View window at which you want to add the text.
2. In the dialog box that appears, type the required text.
3. Click OK.
10 You can now add attributes to the vector or polygon. For more information on
how to do this, see Defining Attributes for a Vector File Feature on page 67.
In the Vector Manager, you can save your vector file feature changes. To do this:
From the Options menu, click Save All.
For more information on saving and exporting vectors, see Saving and Exporting
Vectors on page 77.
In the Vector Manager, you can also delete vectors. To do this:
1
Select the vector that you want to delete.
From the Options menu, click Remove Vector.
5.3.1 Defining Attributes for a Vector File Feature

When you are creating a vector file feature, you can add attributes to it. Attributes can
include such information as salary, quality of area, population data and so on, that
you can assign a value to.
If your vector file feature contains more than one feature (for example, two polygons),
they will share the same attributes.
To add an attribute:
1
In the Vector Manager, right-click the required vector file feature and click
Structure.
In the Vector Structure Editor dialog box, click Add.
In the dialog box that appears:
Enter an attribute name, for example Population
Choose whether you want the value to be a float, integer or string
Click OK and the attribute is added to the list.

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To specify which columns are used in statistics reports, in the Attribute name
columns pane, type the required row numbers, each separated by a comma. In this
example, only CountyName will be displayed in statistics reports:
For more information about setting values for the attributes, see Managing Vector File
Features on page 70.
5.3.2 Editing Lines and Polygons

In the Vector Manager, you can edit lines and polygons in a number of ways:
To move a particular point in the line/polygon to another location, click the Move
Point button
location
, click the point that you want to move, and then click the new
To move an entire line/polygon (including any holes or islands) to another

location, select the line/polygon that you want to move (using the Select Shape
button
), click the Move Shape button
and then click the new location
To delete a particular point in the line/polygon, click the Delete Point button
and click the point that you want to delete
To delete a line/polygon, select the polygon/line using the Select Shape button
, and then click the Delete Shape button
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To append an existing line with another line:
Select the line using the Select Shape button
Click the Append Existing Vector button
Add the new line as required.
To add a point to an existing line/polygon:
Select the line/polygon using the Select Shape button
Click the Insert a Point within a Shape button
Add the new point as required.
For information on how to save your changes, see Saving and Exporting Vectors on
page 77.
- or If you do not want to save your changes, right-click the required vector and click
Undo All Changes.
You can also create holes in polygons, or islands (two or more separate shapes that
are still treated as the same polygon). For more information on how to do this, see
Creating Holes or Islands For Polygons on page 74.

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5.3.3 Managing Vector File Features

After you have created vector file features, and defined attributes for them, you can
manage them in the Table Browser, by:
Setting values for the attributes
Highlighting specific features within a vector in the Map View window
Searching for details of specific features within a vector
To do this:
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Right-click the required vector file.
From the menu that appears, click Table Browser:

Version 7.0
The Table Browser dialog box appears. This picture shows an example:
The top pane lists all of the features (polygons, appended polygons, lines, points and
so on) that belong to the vector file feature. Each feature is individually numbered (in
the Feature# column) based on its sequence of creation within the vector file feature.
The associated attribute columns correspond to the attributes already defined for the
vector file feature.
To set the attribute values:
1
In the top pane, select the required feature, and double-click the attribute value
that you want to edit.
Type the required value and press Return.

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This picture shows an example:
To highlight specific features in the Map View window:

1
In the Display selection pane, choose whether you want to have the selected
feature:
Highlighted in the Map View window

- or -
Highlighted and focused in the centre of the Map View window
In the top pane, select the required feature from the list.
The selected feature is highlighted (and if applicable, centred) in the Map View
window:
To search for specific details of features:

1
In the Search pane, select the item(s) on which you want to search - you can search
on the feature 'number', and/or any number of the attributes.
To define the search criteria for one of the items, double-click the corresponding
Expression row, and in the dialog box that appears, select the required options
and click OK.
If you are searching based on more than one item, you should do this for each
item.
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Click Search.

Version 7.0
The Table Browser highlights the features and attribute values that match the
chosen search criteria. This picture shows an example:
Tips :
If you just want to display the search results, select the Display search results
only checkbox.
To highlight each of the search results in order, click the arrow buttons
To create a new vector containing a sub-set of the features displayed in the search
results:
Ensure that the Display search results only checkbox is selected.
Select the checkboxes for the required features under the Feature# column:
Click Create vector.
A new vector is created in the Vector Manager, and its name is displayed in the
Message Log.
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5.3.4 Creating Holes or Islands for Polygons

After you have created a polygon, you can add a hole to represent a sub-section
within it. For example, your polygon may encompass the whole of a city, but you may
want to have a centre section representing the densely-populated city centre, with the
outer section representing the less densely-populated suburbs:
Example Hole in Polygon
In this way, you can, for example, generate population statistics based on the suburbs
only or the centre only, and plan separate strategies accordingly.
Alternatively, you may want to represent certain sub-sections of one area, but not the
area as a whole. To model this, you can create separate islands for a main polygon.
For example, blocks of flats spread across a wide area:
Example Island for a Polygon
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Version 7.0
To add a hole or island to a polygon:

1
Ensure you have a Map View window open with the required area displayed.
From the Tools menu of the Map View window, click Vector Editor.
- or From the Map View window toolbar, click the Vector Manager button
- or Press Ctrl + R.
The Vector Manager appears:
Click the Select Shape button

, and in the Map View window, select the
polygon to which you want to add the hole or island.
From the Vector Manager toolbar, click the Append Existing Polygon
In the Map View window, click the start point and all subsequent points of the
polygon, either inside an existing one (which would make it a hole) or somewhere
else on the Map View (which would make it an island).
button.
All points of the hole must be within the same polygon.

6
To link up the two ends of the polygon, double-click.
To save the polygon, from the Options menu, click Save.

For more information on how vectors can be saved, see Saving and Exporting
Vectors on page 77.
When you select the hole or island, the main polygon should be selected too, and
vice versa.

Version 7.0
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This picture shows a polygon with a smaller island to its right:
You can add extra lines to existing lines or sets of lines in a similar way:
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Click the Select Shape button

, and in the Map View window select the line or
set of lines that you want to add an extra line to.
From the Vector Manager toolbar, click the Append Existing Vector button.
In the Map View window, click the start point and all subsequent points of the
line.
To finish the line, double-click.
To add the line to the database, from the Options menu, click Save.

Version 7.0
5.3.5 Saving and Exporting Vectors

After you have created or edited the vectors in your project, you can save them in a
number of ways. You can:
Save them locally with the current MapInfo projection setting included, so that
you can use the vector data in other tools, for example, MapInfo.
Save them to the default vector folder.
To check where this is, from the File menu, click View Project Settings. On the
Map data directories tab, the default vector folder is defined as the Line (Vector)
Data folder.
Export them locally, without the current MapInfo projection setting.
Saving Vectors Locally
To save vectors to a local folder:
1
In the Vector Manager, select:
The vector name, if you want to save a vector and all of its associated files
The individual vector file, if you want to save a single file as a vector
Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Save Copy As.
In the dialog box that appears, browse to the folder in which you want to save the
vector file feature.
If you are saving an individual vector file, you must also specify the TAB filename.
Click OK.
The selected file(s) are saved to the chosen location, using the MapInfo projection
setting defined in the project settings.
Saving Vectors to the Default Vector Folder

To save vectors to the default vector folder:
In the Vector Manager:
Right-click the required vector name and from the menu that appears, click
Save
- or -
Select the required vector, and from the Options menu, click Save
The selected vector is saved to the default vector folder.

If you want to save all of the vectors that you have created, from the Options
menu, click Save All.

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Exporting Vectors
To export vectors to a local folder, which saves an exact copy of the original file
without including the current MapInfo projection setting:
1
In the Vector Manager, select:
The vector name, if you want to export a vector and all of its associated files
The individual vector file, if you want to export a single file as a vector
Right-click, and from the menu that appears, click Export.
In the dialog box that appears, browse to the folder in which you want to export
the vector file feature.
If you are exporting an individual vector file, you must also specify the TAB
filename.
Click OK.
The selected file(s) are exported to the chosen location.
5.4 Importing Vector File Data

You can import selected vector file data from MapInfo format TAB files into the
database at any time.
To import vector file data:
1
In the Vector Manager, right-click a folder or top level node and from the menu
that appears, click Import Vector File:
A new vector file feature is created and the vector data file is imported. If the
vector file feature consists of a single TAB file, the import is complete.
2
If the vector file feature is made up of multiple TAB files, you should now rightclick the new vector file feature name and from the menu that appears, click
Import Vector File.
The vector file feature is updated with the additional TAB file.
3
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Continue to add TAB files, until all of the files have been imported.
Version 7.0
If the vector file feature has any missing files, it is still loaded and the missing
files marked with a red cross.
5.5 Classifying User Vector Files

You can classify your user vectors so that you can subsequently search for and
display only those vectors that belong to the classification you are currently interested
in. This is achieved by assigning classifications to sub-folders in the Vector Manager
and then moving vectors into the appropriate sub-folders.
The ability to classify user vectors can be particularly beneficial when using the
following items in ENTERPRISE:
Map Information & Control / Data Types (Map View window)
Select Vectors dialog box (Statistics dialog box)
Select Exclusion Polygons dialog box (Measurements Toolbox)
Vector Attribute Gadget Properties (Map Information pane, from Map View
Gadgets)
This table shows the available classifications and the vectors that should be associated
with them:
Use This Classification
For Sub-folders Containing Vectors That
Building
Line
Measurement
Point
Polygon
Postal Code
Text
Unclassified
specify building heights

display only polygon properties
contain only lines
display only line properties
are non editable
contain only point features
display only point properties (the display variable is preset to show
power)
display x and y coordinates, and power, in the Table Browser
contain only point features
display only point properties
display x and y coordinates in the Table Browser
contain only polygons
display only polygon properties
specify postal codes
display only point properties
display x and y coordinates in the Table Browser
contain only text
display only text properties
do not fit any other classification
To create a sub-folder in which to place, for example, all your Roads vectors:
1
In the Map View window, from the Tools menu, select Vector Manager.
Right-click on User Vectors and Measurements.
Click on Add Folder. A new folder called New Folder 1 appears on the vector tree.
Right-click on New Folder 1.
Click on Rename and type an appropriate name such as Roads.

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You should ideally have sub-folders for each of the classifications shown in the table,
ensuring that each one has the appropriate classification.
To assign a classification to a sub-folder:
1
In the Vector Manager, right-click on the sub-folder in the vector tree to which a
classification is to be assigned.
Click on Classifications. A submenu appears. This picture shows an example:
Click on the required classification. The classification is assigned to the sub-folder

such that any vectors placed in that sub-folder belong to the sub-folder's
classification.
To re-classify a user vector file:
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In the Vector Manager, right-click on the vector file to be re-classified.
Click Cut.
Right-click on the sub-folder representing the classification to which you want the
vector to belong.
Click Paste. The vector file appears under the chosen sub-folder in the vector tree
and inherits the classification assigned to that sub-folder.

Version 7.0
For an example of how useful the vector classifications can be, here is a picture of the
Select Vectors dialog box that is displayed when you are producing a Statistics Report
for an array, and wish to restrict the statistics to one of more vectors. Notice how you
can use the Advanced pane to limit the types (classifications) of vector that are listed
for selection:
Example of Select Vectors dialog box
5.6 Exercise: Creating and Displaying Vectors

This exercise will show you how to create and display vectors in the 2D View.
1
In your JerseyCom project, open a 2D View window and display the 'urban'
clutter regions.
Open the Vector Manager.
Create a user polygon called 'Urban Polygon' consisting of two features - two
polygons around each of the Urban clutter regions.
Display the Urban Polygon in the 2D View.
Change the display properties, filling the polygons in red.
Save the view as a favourite called Urban Polygon.

Version 7.0
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Creating user polygons and other vector file features - lines, points and text
Adding features to a vector
Adding attributes to a polygon
Viewing attributes
Importing vector/polygon data
Classifying vectors
Additional Notes:
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Version 7.0
SECTION 6
Setting up a GSM
Network
Importing and committing antennas into the database
Setting up an appropriate propagation model
Using XML exports and imports
Defining carriers
Defining carrier layers and cell layers
How to define a site template
Setting the cell parameters in the Site Database
Adding sites in the Map View
Editing antenna configurations
Quickly editing site/cell information
6.2 Importing Antennas

The database stores detailed information regarding the antenna types you will use in
your network. In particular it stores the horizontal and vertical radiation patterns (or
masks) used when calculating the coverage from a particular cell.
The simplest way of entering this data into the tool is to import it from a file supplied
by the antenna manufacturer. ENTERPRISE supports various formats, including
PlaNet/EET and XML.
The steps described here relate to the PlaNet format:
1
From the File menu, point to Import, then Project Data, and click the PlaNet/EET
option.

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Click the Antennas tab and select the checkbox at the top left to enable the import.
If you do not select the Add to all projects checkbox, the antennas are available for
assignment to cells for the project you currently have open. If you select the
checkbox, they are available to all projects within the database.
3
Click the Add button.
The Explorer window appears.
Navigate to the location where your PlaNet format antenna files are stored on the
network. Select the antenna files you want to import and click Open.
The antennas are then added to the import list within the PlaNet Import dialog
box.
6
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Click Import.
Version 7.0
The antennas now appear in the Cellular Antennas dialog box, which can be accessed
from the Equipment menu. This example shows the information stored under the
Mask tab:
Example of Cellular Antennas Dialog Box
If necessary, you can move antennas from one folder to another.

You should Commit the newly imported antennas to the database. The easiest way to
do this is to click the Commit All button.
6.3 Setting Up Propagation Models

Propagation models are mathematical attempts to model the real radio environment
as closely as possible. Most propagation models need to be tuned (calibrated) by
being compared to measured propagation data, otherwise you will not be able to
obtain accurate pathloss predictions.
Carrier Wave measurements (survey data) help you produce an accurate propagation
model that functions correctly. No model could be applied with accuracy to every
situation, and the choice of model is not as important as the fine tuning that you do
according to the environment. Normally this calibration process is carried out by a
specialist.
For the purposes of this training course we will use the Enhanced Macrocell model,
which is has several advantages over the Standard Macrocell model.

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6.3.1 About the Enhanced Macrocell Model

In addition to the Standard Macrocell models, there is an Enhanced Macrocell model.
Like the Standard models, it incorporates an optimal dual slope loss model with
respect to distance from the base station. It also incorporates algorithms for effective
base station heights, diffraction loss, and the effects of clutter.
The Enhanced Macrocell model has the following distinct characteristics compared to
the Standard Macrocell models:
On the pathloss calculation parameters for the model, you can specify the slope
and intercept model parameters (k1 and k2) independently for LOS and NLOS. The
appropriate parameters are used dynamically during propagation calculations by
identifying where there is LOS and NLOS.
On the effective antenna height for the model, an extra Knife-Edge based option is
available for selection.
On the diffraction options for the model, you can also specify a maximum number
of knife-edges to consider, and an extra option (Giovaneli) is available for
selection.
It is advantageous to use this model in environments containing hilly terrain.
The model tuning process for this particular model has been improved, and is
more user-friendly.
For the above reasons, it is generally recommended that you use the Enhanced
Macrocell model rather than the Standard Macrocell models.
For the purposes of this model only, the definitions of LOS and NLOS are as
follows:
A point is considered to be LOS if there are no obstructions in the direct path
between the transmitter and receiver. However, it is still possible to have some
diffraction loss if any terrain falls within the first Fresnel zone of the transmitted
ray
A point is considered to be NLOS if it suffers any diffraction loss, that is, one or
more points along the transmit/receive path are inside the 1st Fresnel zone
6.3.2 Adding an Enhanced Macrocell Model

To add the Enhanced Macrocell Propagation Model:
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From the Configuration menu, click Propagation Models.
In the dialog box that appears, click Add.
Choose Enhanced Macrocell, and click Add.
If, for this model, you want the prediction system to perform bilinear smoothing
on the height data when predictions are created, select the 'Smooth height data
when predicting' checkbox. This is useful if you sometimes predict at a resolution
for which height data is not available.

Version 7.0
Click the
button.
On the General tab, set up the general parameters, including the frequency and
effective earth radius.
The Standard Deviation of Interference can be used when running the
Interference Table wizard (dynamic method), and also when using the Neighbour
Planner wizard. The default value is 7.5dB.
On the Path Loss tab, set the various model parameters. For suggested values, see
Recommended Starting Parameters for the Enhanced Macrocell Model on page 88.
On the Eff Ant Height tab, choose the effective site antenna height calculation
method to be used.
On the Diffraction tab, choose the diffraction loss calculation method to be used.
You can also set the knife-edge parameters.
10 On the Clutter tab, you can specify Correction values to allow for different
pathloss characteristics in different clutter environments. To do this, click and edit
the required values for each clutter category.
When specifying the Clutter options in your propagation models, it is
generally recommended that you only specify or edit the Offset-loss values. In
order to do this, ensure you leave the correction distance at 0.00, so that the
correction value is only considered at the pixel location of the mobile station.
If required, you can specify a generic correction distance, which limits how far
from the mobile station the correction values are applicable. The total clutter loss
for a prediction point is calculated by examining the clutter lying between the
mobile station and the base station. Only points lying within the specified distance
from the mobile station contribute to the total clutter loss. You can choose either:
Distance Weighting: When calculating the total clutter loss, the individual
clutter losses are weighted in a similar way to through-loss in other models.
For more information, see About Through-Loss for Clutter on page 89.
Uniform Weighting: When calculating the total clutter loss, the individual
clutter losses are equally weighted.
11 Click OK.
12 Apply and commit your changes as required, then click Close.

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6.3.2.1 Recommended Starting Parameters for the Enhanced Macrocell

Model
These tables provide suggested default parameters for the Enhanced Macrocell
model. These values need to be entered in the Propagation Models dialog box.
These values only represent typical starting values based on an urban
environment, and they may not be suitable for all types of map data. For your live
projects, you must tune (calibrate) the pathloss values in accordance with the real
environment.
Common Parameters
Mobile Rx Height
1.5
Earth Radius
8493
Effective Antenna Height (Heff)algorithm
Relative
Diffraction Loss algorithm
Giovaneli
Merge knife-edges closer than: 0.00
Maximum number of knife-edges: 10
Clutter parameters
Leave unaltered (0.00)
K values
450 MHz
900 MHz
1800 MHz
2000 MHz
2500 MHz
3500 MHz
k1 for LOS
142.3
150.6
160.9
162.5
164.1
167
k2 for LOS
44.9
44.9
44.9
44.9
44.9
44.9
k1 (near) for LOS
129.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
k2 (near) for LOS
31.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
d < for LOS
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
k1 for NLOS
142.3
150.6
160.9
162.5
164.1
167
k2 for NLOS
44.9
44.9
44.9
44.9
44.9
44.9
k1 (near) for NLOS
129.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
k2 (near) for NLOS
31.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
d < for NLOS
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
k3
-2.22
-2.55
-2.88
-2.93
-3.04
-3.20
k4
-0.8
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
k5
-11.70
-13.82
-13.82
-13.82
-13.82
-13.82
k6
-4.30
-6.55
-6.55
-6.55
-6.55
-6.55
k7
0.4
0.7
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.8
If you are using frequencies that are not in the above tables, you can deduce the
starting values from those of the nearest frequency.
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Version 7.0
6.3.2.2 About Through-Loss for Clutter

Some of the supplied propagation models can be set up to use through-clutter loss
and through-loss distance.
For these model types, on the Clutter tab of the Propagation Models dialog box, each
clutter category may be given an associated through-clutter loss (dB/km). The total
through-clutter loss for a prediction point is calculated by examining the clutter lying
between the mobile station and the base station.
A through-loss distance (referred to as
) must also be set. Only points lying
within this distance from the mobile station contribute to the total through-clutter
loss.
This diagram shows an example:
Diagram showing through-loss distance
When calculating the total through-clutter loss, the individual through-clutter losses
are weighted so that the clutter nearest the mobile station has the highest effect. The
weighting is linear with a maximum weight of 1 (at the mobile station) and a
minimum weight of zero (for clutter at distances >=
).
The formula is as follows:
Where:
is the distance of the clutter pixel (resolution-dependent) from the mobile station.
is the through-loss distance.
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The formula ensures that when

zero.
is greater than
, the weight always becomes
In the case where the distance between the mobile and base station is less than
only the clutter lying between the mobile station and the base station is taken into
account.
6.3.2.3 Example of Path Loss tab for Enhanced Model
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Version 7.0
6.4 Using XML Exports and Imports

In addition to importing antenna files using the PlaNet format, or setting up your
propagation models, it is also possible to use the XML import/export. This is a
powerful and flexible way of importing a wide variety of project elements,
configuration settings and templates. It is especially useful for exporting/importing
between projects.
To import XML data:
1
From the File menu, point to Import, and click XML.

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Click the Browse
button and locate the *.xml file(s) that you want to import.
When you have located the folder containing the required files, select the Index
file and click Open'.
In the XML Import dialog box, on each tab, select the items you want to import.

Version 7.0
On each tab, if required, you can use the Select All checkbox.
Select how you want conflicts to be handled during the import. You can be
prompted on an individual basis, or merge the data, or or leave the existing data
as it is, or replace the data in the project with the imported data.
For example, if you are importing items like Carrier Layers, Cell Layers, Antennas,
and so on, your current project may already have some of these. In this case, you
can choose Leave and it will only import those items which you do not have.
Another case is when you have some sites already, and you want to import the
same sites but with a different configuration. In this case, select Replace, and the
new settings will replace the old settings.
Click Import.
During the import, if there are any comments or problems, the message log will
display them. Depending on the problem, you will get different choices to make.
After the import has finished, you will need to Commit the imported items either
using individual commits or via the Global Commit All option under the Database
menu.

Version 7.0
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Using XML Export

The export process is a simplified version of the import process, and is therefore not
described here. The main difference, of course, is that you need to specify a
destination folder for the saved files.
6.5 About GSM Carriers in ASSET

This section is also relevant to users of AMPS/TDMA or TETRA/PMR/iDEN.
Most radio network systems divide up spectrum into pairs for uplink and downlink
communication. Rather than refer to the pair of absolute frequencies in terms of MHz,
it is convenient to refer to a carrier number, which abstracts the absolute frequency
from the carrier definition. This is known as the ARFCN (Absolute Radio Frequency
Carrier Number).
You should ensure that all the carriers licensed to your network are added as
available for use within your ASSET project. This is done using the Configuration
menu, where you can add the appropriate GSM carriers. It is also recommended that
you also identify other carrier numbers for areas beyond your control, for example,
across country boundaries or those of other network operators, to ensure that any
interference these create is also considered.
ASSET allows carriers to be intelligently used throughout the network to reduce
interference and improve perceived quality. To do this effectively, you need to
understand the concepts of carrier layers and cell layers:
Item
Use
Carrier layers
To group together carriers under a logical group.

For example, in a 900MHz network:
Carriers to be used as control channels could be grouped into a carrier layer
called 900BCCH, with a maximum allocation per cell of 1.
Carriers to be used as traffic channels could be grouped into a carrier layer
called 900TCH, with a maximum allocation per cell of >1.
You may, in the case of a dual band network, need to set up equivalent layers for
1800MHz.
Frequency groups (Frequency

Re-Use Patterns)
To group carriers into regular Frequency Re-Use Patterns that you allocate either
manually or automatically. Although groups allow structured frequency plans to be
quickly generated, they are not always suitable for irregular or high density
networks.
Cell layers
To define different logical groups of transceivers on a cell. Typically, this means

you can distinguish between micro cells and macro cells or between carriers of
different frequency bands, for example 900MHz versus 1800MHz .
The primary purpose of the Cell Layer is to match the relevant Carrier Layers to the
appropriate sub-cells* in your network.
* When a cell layer is utilised on a cell, it is referred to in ENTERPRISE as a subcell. Sub-cells define the actual physical radiating properties for each individual cell,
whereas cell layers are abstract concepts.
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Version 7.0
6.5.1 Defining GSM and GPRS Carriers

If you have the relevant permissions, you can define and remove carriers.
To define available carriers:
1
From the Configuration menu, point to Carriers and click GSM + GPRS.
To add an individual carrier or a range of carrier values, enter the number(s) in the
text boxes and click Add.
or
Select the checkboxes for whole default bands to add their carriers automatically.
Although the second option adds a whole band of carriers, you can
subsequently remove them selectively.
This example shows how to add a range of carriers, between 1 and 40:
When finished, click OK.

Adding carriers is immediate. There is no apply and commit procedure.
To remove an unused carrier:

1
From the Options menu, click Carriers.
Select the required carrier and click Remove.

or
Clear any checkboxes for frequency bands whose carriers you no longer want to
include.
You cannot remove carriers that are assigned to a carrier layer.

Version 7.0
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6.5.2 Setting a BCCH Allocation Rule for TCH Allocation

In a GSM network configuration, there may be a requirement that cells in the Site
Database should never have TCH carriers allocated without a BCCH carrier already
allocated.
ASSET provides an option to activate this 'BCCH prerequisite rule' in your project.
This option can be set (depending on user permissions) on the General tab of the
Preferences dialog box, under the File menu. For more information, see the
If you decide to activate this restriction rule, specific user actions will be monitored, as
follows:
(These actions refer to manual changes in the Site Database at the sub-cell level.)
Allocating/De-allocating Carrier Layers on the Carriers tab
When allocating a TCH carrier layer (or assigning an MA List), there must be a
BCCH carrier layer already allocated.
When de-allocating a BCCH carrier layer (assuming it is the only one), there must
not be any TCH carrier layers still allocated (or MA Lists still assigned).
Allocating/De-allocating Carriers on the Carriers tab
When allocating a TCH carrier (or assigning an MA List), there must be a BCCH
carrier already allocated.
When de-allocating a BCCH carrier (assuming it is the only one), there must not be
any TCH carriers still allocated (or MA Lists still assigned).
Where any of the above rules are broken, the change is prevented and a relevant
message is displayed.
6.5.3 About GSM Frequency Bands

This section is also relevant to users of AMPS/TDMA or TETRA/PMR/iDEN.
In ASSET, the GSM carriers are based on individual carrier numbers, known as
ARFCNs (Absolute Radio Frequency Carrier Numbers), thus abstracting the absolute
frequencies. For more information, see About GSM Carriers in ASSET on page 94.
However, if required, you can decide to use frequency bands (that is, the absolute
frequencies) in a project.
If you use ILSA, there is an option to consider intermodulation interference between
carrier frequencies during the automatic frequency planning process. This requires
the absolute frequencies.
Considering the effects of intermodulation can slow down the automatic
frequency planning process, so it is not necessary to use frequency bands unless it is
essential to your planning.
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Version 7.0
The frequency bands contain formulae that specify how the actual frequencies of a
particular carrier are calculated. Most of the standard GSM bands are already set up
for you (but, if necessary, you can add your own new bands, or modify the formulae
of the existing bands).
In a project, by default, these bands can be used as selection shortcuts within the
System Carriers dialog box, as described in Defining GSM and GPRS Carriers on page
95. However, by default, they are inactive within the Carrier Layer Configuration
dialog box.
In summary, you only need to choose to use frequency bands if you want to:
Consider the effects of intermodulation interference if you use ILSA, the automatic
frequency planning tool. For more information, see the ILSA User Reference
Guide.
- and/or Delimit the carriers you can assign to a carrier layer. This simply means that if you
define a carrier layer in the Carrier Layer Configuration dialog box, the carriers
that you assign to that layer on the Carriers tab must be within the range within
the frequency band selected on the General tab. For more information, see
Defining Carrier Layers on page 100.
6.5.3.1 Using Frequency Bands

If you decide that you need to use frequency bands in your project, you must first
carry out this step:
1
From the File menu, select Preferences.
On the General tab, select Use Frequency Bands.
This activates the Frequency Band drop-down box on the Carriers tab within the
Carrier Layer Configuration dialog box.
If you use ILSA, you can choose to consider intermodulation interference between
carrier frequencies during the automatic frequency planning process. For information
on how to do this, see the ILSA User Reference Guide.
Considering the effects of intermodulation can slow down the automatic
frequency planning process, so it is not necessary to use frequency bands unless it is
essential to your planning.

Version 7.0
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6.5.3.2 Defining Frequency Bands

The frequency bands contain formulae that specify how the actual frequencies of a
particular carrier are calculated. Most of the standard GSM bands are already set up
for you. However, if necessary, you can add your own new bands, or modify the
formulae of the existing bands.
To do this:
1
From the Configuration menu, click Frequency Bands. Depending on your

licences, you may then need to click the technology option.
The Frequency Bands dialog box appears.
You can add, modify or remove a frequency band. If you choose to Add or
Modify, a dialog box appears showing the formulae that are used when
calculating whether carriers at a cell are causing intermodulation interference. The
general form for a formula is:
Where:
A is the starting frequency
B is the spacing needed between each carrier
F is the actual frequency
n is the carrier number
X and Y are the range of carriers to which the formula will apply
For each frequency band, a number of sub-bands are added by default.
There can be many frequency band formulae for one frequency band. ASSET
checks that the range of carriers do not overlap for different formulae and
determines which formula to apply for a particular carrier by assessing which
range the carrier is in.
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Specify values for the constants A, B, X and Y and the Uplink-Downlink frequency
separation. You are calculating the frequency for each carrier on the uplink to see
whether you are in the correct range.
Click Apply.
Click Close.
In the Frequency Bands dialog box, click Close.

Version 7.0
6.6 Using Carrier Layers and Cell Layers

For a site to be of any use for mobile coverage, it must have at least one cell.
Traditionally each cell was considered as a single radiating source at a fixed power
level. With the advent of techniques such as Underlay/Overlay, Multiple Re-use
Patterns/Fraction Re-use Patterns and dual band networks, it has been necessary to
produce more sophisticated models.
For GSM networks, ASSET provides the concept of carrier layers and cell layers,
which enables you to model any of the above combinations.
If you want to set up a dual band network (for example, GSM900 and GSM1800), you
should also refer to Setting Up Dual Band Networks on page 279.
6.6.1 About Carrier Layers

A carrier layer is a sub-set of the total list of available carriers, grouped together
under a common name. This allows logical groups of carriers to be associated with
the relevant cells in the network.
For example, for a 900 MHz network:
Carriers to be used as control channels could be grouped into a carrier layer called
900BCCH.
The maximum allocation per cell would be set to 1.
Carriers to be used as traffic channels could be grouped into a carrier layer called
900TCH.
The maximum allocation per cell would be set to a value greater than 1.
(You may, in the case of a dual band network, need to set up equivalent layers for
1800 MHz.)
You may require variants of the BCCH layer in order to provide a solution to
border interference with other networks. For example, you may need a 'BCCH' carrier
layer and a 'BCCH_border' carrier layer, with a reduced set of carriers on the latter.
In the simplest scenario, you would normally need to have at least two carrier layers
per cell layer, one containing carriers required for control and one for carriers of
traffic.

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6.6.2 Defining Carrier Layers

To define a carrier layer:
1
Ensure you have defined 2g carriers.
From the Configuration menu, point to Layers and click Carrier Layers.
In the dialog box that appears, click Add and name the layer.
If the carrier layer being defined is a control layer (BCCH), select the Control
Layer checkbox.
If you wish to make this layer into a 'pre-defined' MA list for use by the MA List
Planner, select the MA List checkbox.
This option should only be used for 'pre-defined' MA lists, and is only relevant
to Synthesised or Site Hopping networks.
If you have chosen to use frequency bands to consider intermodulation, you need
to select the appropriate band.
On the Carriers tab, associate the required carriers with the carrier layer by
moving them from the Available list into the Assigned list.
In the Maximum Allocable Carriers box, specify a limit on the number of carriers
from this carrier layer that can be allocated on any one cell. For example, the limit
for a BCCH or control layer in GSM would be 1. For the traffic channel(s), you
might enter a limit greater than 1, depending on your network's equipment
configuration. In the case of a Hopping network (unless using pre-defined MA
lists), this value must be set accordingly.
These limits cannot be overridden, whether you are making manual allocations
in the Site Database, or whether you use ILSA to make automatic allocations.
However, the limits can be modified whenever necessary.
The Group tab options are not relevant unless you wish to use frequency re-use
patterns.
10 Apply any changes that you make, and, if you want other users to see them,
commit the changes.
In order to make the Carrier Layer appear in the Site Database, it must be
associated with a Cell Layer. For instructions on this, see Defining Cell Layers on page
102.
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Here is an example of the 900MHz layer. Here it has been named 900 Ctrl (but it could
be named 900 BCCH):
Example of Carrier Layer Configuration Dialog box
6.6.3 About Cell Layers

Cell layers define logical groups of transceivers on a cell. Using cell layers means you
can distinguish between micro cells and macro cells or between carriers of different
frequency bands.
When a cell layer is associated with a cell, together with all the other RF details, it is
referred to as a sub-cell. Sub-cells differ from cell layers because they define the
physical radiating properties, whereas cell layers are abstract concepts. In other
words, the term sub-cell defines the 'instance' of a cell layer in the network.
In ASSET, cell layers can have any number of carrier layers associated with them.
Assuming that the carriers have been defined, and that the carrier layers have been
defined, you can now determine the specific control and traffic carriers available for
each cell layer.
In the simplest scenario, you would normally need to have at least two carrier layers
per cell layer, one containing carriers required for control (BCCH and so on) and one
for carriers of traffic (TCH). It may be that some cell layers have more than one carrier
of traffic (for example, TCH1, TCH2 and so on).
In general terms, each cell layer should have one (and only one) control carrier
layer assigned to it. In the case where two control carrier layers are necessary (for
example, to accommodate border interference problems), you should ensure that only
one is 'usable' on each sub-cell, as described in the following sections.
The colours and category names used to display coverage are common to all cell
layers but the signal thresholds they correspond to may be different for each cell
layer. For information on adding coverage schemas, see Defining Coverage Schemas
for GSM (Non-Sim) Arrays on page 159.
Through the use of prioritised cell layers, you can configure an underlay/overlay cell
layer structure. This would enable you to have a method of determining the best
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If you have more than one cell layer, you need to set their respective priorities, with
the highest priority being 1. For example, if a macro and a micro cell layer were
created, then the micro cell layer would be given the higher priority. The priorities are
used to control which layer provides service when there is overlapping coverage from
multiple layers.
6.6.4 Defining Cell Layers

To define a cell layer:
1
Ensure that the necessary carrier layers already exist.
From the Configuration menu, point to Layers and click Cell Layers.
In the Cell Layer Configuration dialog box, click Add, and then name the layer.
If required, you can change the priority of a cell layer, so that it will be prioritised
compared to other layers when a coverage array determines the serving cell. To do
this, select the layer and click the '+' or '-' button.
For example, layers with a priority of 1 will always 'win' as the serving cell against
a layer with priority 2. So, for instance, you may have Micro layer =1, Macro layer
= 2 and Umbrella layer = 3.
On the Coverage Type tab, choose the C/I Threshold, which dictates the point at
which the connection quality begins to suffer, the C/A Offset, and channel to
transceiver map to be associated with the cell layer.
On the Carrier Layers tab, specify which carrier layers are to associate with the cell
layer, by moving them to the Allocated pane, then order the layers using the
arrow buttons.
The order should reflect the order in which you want carrier requirements to be
assigned when performing traffic analysis or frequency planning. Therefore, the
control carrier layer should be at the top, followed by subsequent traffic layers.
On the Coverage Thresholds tab, select the coverage schema you require and
double-click a category to set its level properties. You can also add your own
coverage schemas. For information on this, see Defining Coverage Schemas for
GSM (Non-Sim) Arrays on page 159.
Apply any changes that you make and Commit if you want other users to see
them.
Here is an example of the 900MHz cell layer. Here it has been named GSM-900, and
the related 900MHz carrier layers have been associated to it:
Example of Cell Layer Configuration Dialog box
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Then, on the General tab in the Site Database, you can define the parameters for the
sub-cells which use this cell layer. For more information, see Setting Signal
Thresholds for Sub-Cells on page 109.
6.6.5 Making Carrier Layers Usable on a Sub-Cell

Each sub-cell has one or more cell layers assigned to it. The cell layer, in turn,
determines which carrier layers are available to the sub-cell.
However, it is possible to configure the carrier layers as 'usable' or not usable on the
sub-cell. This enables some flexibility. For example, to accommodate border
interference with other networks, the cells in your network may need to have several
carrier layers available, but each can be made usable or not usable, depending on the
cell's location. So, you might associate two control carrier layers ('BCCH' and
'BCCH_border') to a cell layer, but then make only one of them usable on each cell.
Here is a different example where two TCH layers are available on a sub-cell; in this
case, TCH1 is usable (allocated), but TCH2 is not:
Example of Carrier Layers made Usable/Not usable on a Cell
To allocate a carrier layer (that is, make it usable) to a particular sub-cell:

1
In the Site Database window, select the required sub-cell. For example:

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Click >> to expand the Site Database window and then click the Carriers tab.
In the Carrier Layers pane, select a carrier layer and select the Allocated checkbox.
A carrier layer needs to be allocated to a cell before you can view and edit the
frequency allocations in the Carriers pane.
The purpose of the 'Allocated' checkbox is to determine whether a carrier layer
is 'usable' on the sub-cell.
If you will be using ILSA to automatically assign your carriers, enter a number in
the Carriers Req. box. This cannot be greater than the maximum you chose when
defining the carrier layer.
If you try to allocate a carrier that has already been allocated in another carrier
layer, a warning appears asking you if you want to continue with the allocation.
Apply any changes that you make and, if you want other users to see them,
Commit the changes.
Where you have used a common BCCH, only one cell layer in a cell has a BCCH
carrier layer. You should ensure that you have set that cell layer as a master BTS on
the cell layer BCF tab.
Tips :
Use the Global Editor to allocate carrier layers for many cells simultaneously.
You can also pre-set the above options as defaults in the Templates dialog box.
For information on using the Global Editor or creating Templates, see the
BCCH Prerequisite Rule
There is an option in ASSET that activates a rule that cells in the Site Database should
not have TCH carriers allocated without having a BCCH carrier allocated.
If this restriction rule is activated in the project, specific user actions will be
monitored, as follows:
When allocating a TCH (or assign an MA List) carrier layer, there must be a BCCH
carrier layer already allocated.
When de-allocating a BCCH carrier layer (assuming it is the only one), there must
not be any TCH carrier layers still allocated (or MA Lists assigned).
Where any of the above rules are broken, the change is prevented and a relevant
message is displayed.
For more information, see Setting a BCCH Allocation Rule for TCH Allocation on
page 96.
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6.6.5.1 Allocating, Fixing and Forbidding Carriers

To change the status of a carrier:
1
In the Site Database window, select the required cell layer (sub-cell).
On the Carriers tab, select the relevant carrier layer in the Carrier Layers pane.
If the layer does not appear, ensure it has been associated with the cell layer, as
explained in Defining Cell Layers on page 102.
In the Carriers pane, select the required carrier.

If you prefer to show carriers grouped in their frequency re-use pattern, click
Group View, then select a carrier.
Select the relevant checkbox(es) to change the status. You can choose:
Status
Description
Allocated
The carrier is allocated.
Forbidden
The carrier cannot be allocated manually unless the forbidden flag is removed.
Fixed
The carrier is allocated and cannot be de-allocated manually unless the fixed flag is
removed.
None
The carrier is not allocated.
For more information on this tab, see Editing Carrier Allocations Manually on
page 224.

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6.7 About Templates

When planning a network, it is very likely that many sites or nodes will have the
same characteristics. Instead of setting the parameter values on each site individually,
you can create and define templates, then select one of these templates as a basis for
adding new sites. The new sites will then contain the default characteristics of the
template.
Although you can create as many templates as you want, only one template of each
network element type can be active at any one time.
Example of Templates dialog box (in this case, specific to GSM element types)
The element types appearing in this dialog box are dependent on the technology
you are using.
You cannot Commit templates, you can only Apply them. This means that they
are only visible to you, and cannot be shared directly with other users logged into the
same database. The only way to make them available to other users is by exporting
them as an XML file. For more information, see the ENTERPRISE User Reference
Guide.
Project Defaults
In order to make an ASSET project easy to use right from the start, the following
default objects, with pre-set parameters, are provided:
Antenna default
Propagation model defaults (450, 900, 1800 and 2100MHz)
Template defaults (for each technology)
Terminal type default (for each technology)
These default objects represent the minimum parameters required to add/place sites
and generate coverage arrays. The default templates include sites (or nodes) and cells
(or sectors) that in turn make use of the default propagation models and antenna.
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These defaults are only present when new projects are added in ENTERPRISE.
Existing projects will not have these defaults created.
6.7.1 Adding a Template for a Site or Node

To add a new template for a site or node:
1
From the Database menu, click Templates.

or
In the Site Database window, from the View menu, click Templates.
In the dialog box that appears, the tree pane lists the network element types
appropriate to your licensed technologies. Each element type already contains a
default template. You can either modify the default template or add a new one.
To add a new site or node template, right-click the appropriate element type.
Depending on the technology, this will be one of the following:
Cell Site
UMTS NodeB
CDMA BS
Fixed WiMAX Node
Mobile WiMAX Node
eNodeB
Click Add Template.
On the tabs, name the template and set the required parameters.
You can now add cells/sectors to the template. To do this:

1
Right-click the relevant site or node template and from the menu that appears,
click Add Cell (or Add CDMA Sector).
Continue doing this for each of the cells (or sectors) you want to add.
On the tabs, define the parameters as required.
Ensure the checkbox of your new template is selected, if you want to activate it as
the current template. Here is an example:
Click Apply to save the changes, then click Close.
For GSM, each cell also contains a sub-cell, which represents an instance of a cell
layer. (Initially, this is always the default cell layer. If you want a different layer, you
can right-click on the layer and delete it, then right-click on the cell and add a
different cell layer.) You should set the parameters for both the cell and the sub-cell.
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6.8 Adding Sites or Nodes Using the Map View

You can add network elements (such as sites or nodes) to your project in several
ways. For example, you can add elements directly in the Site Database window, or
you can import them from a file. Each of these methods is described in the
Alternatively, you can add network elements by using the appropriate toolbox in the
site design toolbar of the Map View window.
You need the correct privileges to be able to add and modify network elements.
Contact your administrator if you do not have the correct permissions.
This picture shows the buttons available in the Add Network Elements toolbox,
which is part of the site design toolbar:
Add Network Element toolbox (part of Site Design toolbar)
The buttons available are dependent on the technologies you are using.
You should consider pre-specifying the network parameters for new sites/nodes
by using templates. For information on how to do this, see About Templates on page
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6.9 Setting Sub-Cell Parameters and Thresholds

On the General tab for a sub-cell in the Site Database, you can:
View and edit the CS traffic. For more information on how this value can be
automatically populated, see Running the Static Traffic Analysis on page 186.
Set the appropriate signal strength or pathloss parameters, to restrict the coverage
of the cell. See the separate section below.
Set the load thresholds (if you are using the GSM Simulator) in terms of
percentage of TS (Timeslots) allocated. These are:
Overflow load threshold: This is the percentage of the timeslots allocated for a
cell layer. A cell will overflow if the percentage of the timeslots allocated is
exceeded, without reaching the total amount of timeslots available.
HR (and AMR) activation threshold: This is tested for connection when the
overflow load threshold is reached.
Setting Signal Strength or Pathloss Parameters

In ASSET, the signal thresholds and related parameters can be used to determine the
minimum service level of individual cells. This will of course have a direct influence
on the signal strength and service area arrays, and the interference arrays.
Signal Strength and Pathloss Parameters on General Tab of Sub-Cell
To restrict a cell's service area, you can specify one or more of these parameters, in the
Site Database or the Templates dialog box:
Parameter
Description
Signal Offset (SS option) Signal offset only operates between cells of the same priority cell layer, and is specified in dB. An
offset is applied to the cell when calculating which cell is the best server.
Pathloss Threshold (PL
option)
This value determines the highest pathloss for the sub-cell's coverage. The coverage will not extend
further than this limit. For example, if this is set to 132dB, the pathloss will never exceed this limit. Also,
if you select the Dynamic checkbox, you can enter a Traffic Weighting.
Signal Threshold
This value determines the lowest signal strength (received power) for the sub-cell's coverage. The
coverage will not extend further than this limit. For example, if this is set to -102dBm, the coverage will
extend no lower than this limit. Typically, Signal Thresholds may be set differently to represent
hierarchical cell structures (Underlay/Overlay).
TA Threshold
Used in conjunction with other cell configuration parameters to restrict the overall coverage radius
provided by the sub-cell to either the minimum signal strength or the maximum timing advance,
whichever is reached first.
For a cell using extended range where two timeslots are used, the maximum timing advance is 133,
otherwise the maximum is normally 63.

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Where there are multiple thresholds in use, the coverage is restricted by the limit that
is reached first.
You can globally override the values for Signal Threshold and TA Threshold by
using the Array Settings dialog box.
6.9.1 About the Signal Threshold and Pathloss Prediction Radius

When you are setting signal threshold parameters for sub-cells, bear in mind that the
signal strength and service area arrays will not only be influenced by the Signal
Threshold, but also by the Prediction Radius. The Prediction Radius always operates
as a hard limit.
The purpose of the Signal Threshold value is to limit a cell's service area. But when
pathloss predictions are made, the downlink signal (received power) will be limited
by the chosen Prediction Radius. The signal will NOT radiate beyond the perimeter of
the specified radius (even if the Signal Threshold has not yet been reached).
The following pictures illustrate signal strength arrays made with the same Signal
Threshold, but where each has a different underlying Prediction Radius. Notice that
the signal will try to extend to its threshold level, but is always limited by the
perimeter of the prediction radius.
The hexagon radii in the pictures are for visual aid purposes only. They have no
influence on the predictions.
Example of how signal strength and service area arrays are limited by the Prediction Radius
For the purposes of interference calculations, the signal always propagates

beyond the Signal Threshold value, down to a level of -200dBm, or down to a pathloss
of 200dB, or to the Prediction Radius (whichever is reached first).
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6.9.2 Example of Using Signal Thresholds for Overlay/Underlay

In ASSET, Signal Thresholds can also be used to set up a hierarchical cell structure by
combining Cell Layer priorities and using different Signal Thresholds for each layer.
This means that an Overlaid cell layer will extend its service area to a specified Signal
Threshold, but no further. The Underlaid cell layer would have a larger service area,
beyond that of the Overlaid cell layer, and extend it to a lower signal level.
In this example, the Overlaid cell layer has a higher priority than the Underlaid cell
layer, but its Signal Threshold is set to a more restrictive level.
Signal Threshold for an Underlaid cell set to -102 dBm
Signal Threshold for an Overlaid cell set to -80 dBm
Using these parameters for an Omni-site would provide a smaller radius of service
area for the overlaid sub-cell, extending out to a signal strength of -80dBm, whereas
the underlaid sub-cell's service area extends out to -102 dBm.

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This is illustrated in this diagram:
Service area provided by overlaid and underlaid sub-cells
If sub-cells are defined that need to use different propagation models, one can be
chosen within the sub-cell such that it will override the one defined in the cell. You do
not have to override the model if the sub-cell requires the same model as that defined
at cell level.
This diagram shows a similar scenario for a three-sector site, showing the Service
Area (Block), available in the Map View, for the individual sub-cells:
Service area of a 3-sector site with overlaid/underlaid sub-cells
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6.9.3 Example of Using the Signal Offset

In ASSET, the Signal Offset can be used to apply an offset (positive or negative) when
calculating which cell is the 'best server'. This offset only operates within a cell layer.
The following example illustrates this effect.
A 3-sector site is using 2 cell layers. In the Cell Layer dialog box, GSM1800 has been
set as higher priority than the GSM900. The Signal Thresholds (minimum service
level) for the cells are set at -85dBm for GSM1800 and -102dBm for GSM900.
This picture shows the coverage with Signal Offsets of zero, where (due to the
priorities) the 1800MHz coverage dominates down to -85dBm, giving way to 900MHz
coverage beyond this:
No Signal Offsets used
If the Signal Offset of the 120 sector for the GSM900 layer is set to (+) 6dB, the picture
changes:
GSM900 120 modified by signal offset of 20dB
There is a significant encroachment of the GSM900 120 sector onto the other sectors.
But note that this has not affected the GSM1800 coverage, because it only affects the
best server calculation within the same cell layer.
This makes no difference to the calculated received signal levels; it only has an
influence on which cell is considered to be the best server.

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6.10 Viewing and Editing Antenna Configurations

In ASSET, there are various antenna-related options available when using the Map
View or Height Profile window.
6.10.1
Using Instance IDs to Distinguish Antennas
If your network uses a distributed antenna system (DAS), where there are many
antennas assigned to a single cell (or any similar scenario), it may be useful to use the
Instance ID parameter.
This optional parameter (available on the Antennas tab for a cell in the Site Database)
enables you to give a unique identity to each antenna instance on such cells, which
helps to identify individual antennas in the following situations:
Map View
The Antenna Instance ID helps you to select the correct antenna, for example for
antenna re-orientation.
In the example picture above, the "NY_n" represents the Instance ID, and, if
applicable, the "[ ]" would contain the Shared Antenna ID. These are followed by
the antenna device name, pattern name and azimuth.
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Filters
You can create filters based on the Antenna Instance ID, and use the filter for its
normal variety of purposes, such as:
Limiting the list of network elements displayed in the Site Database, the Map
View or Site Reporter
Varying the customised appearance of different filters in the Map View
Controlling which items are to be included in the various wizards
Site/Node Reporter
You can include the Instance ID in the generated reports.

Site Quick Edit and Cell Quick Edit
The Antenna Instance ID helps you to select the correct antenna.

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6.10.2
Moving Antennas in the Map View
If you are moving an antenna that is shared between cells and technology types on
the same Property, any changes made will affect other antennas with the same shared
antenna identity. For information on shared antennas, see the ENTERPRISE User
Reference Guide.
To move antennas for a cell in the Map View window:
1
From the Move/Edit Network Element toolbox, click the Move Antenna button
.
Select the appropriate cell.
If a list of antennas appears, choose the required one.

The Antenna Instance ID parameter may be useful in specific situations. See
Using Instance IDs to Distinguish Antennas on page 114.
Click at the new location for the antenna.
This change will automatically be applied in the Site Database, on the Antennas tab.
The updated antenna location can be viewed in the Antenna Location pane:
This location can be viewed either relative to the Property location, or in absolute
terms.
You can either leave the change in the applied state, or commit it, or restore the last
committed settings.
If necessary, you can re-predict the site, and create a new coverage array.
Alternatively you can directly edit the values in the Site Database, and this would
be automatically reflected in the Map View.
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Setting Up Distributed Antennas

If more than one antenna exists at the cell then each one can be moved to a different
location. This, for example, enables you to locate two antennas at different ends of a
long rooftop.
6.10.3
Reorientating Antennas in the Map View
If you are reorientating an antenna that is shared between cells and technology
types on the same Property, any changes made will affect other antennas with the
same shared antenna identity. For information on shared antennas, see the
To change the azimuth of a cell interactively in the Map View window:
1
From the Move/Edit Network Element toolbox, click the Reorientate Antenna
button
Select the appropriate cell.
If a list of antennas appears, choose the required one.

The Antenna Instance ID parameter may be useful in specific situations. See
Using Instance IDs to Distinguish Antennas on page 114.
Hold down the mouse button to move the antenna to the required position.
As you move the cursor, the azimuth of the antenna will be displayed in the topleft corner of the Map View:
When satisfied, release the mouse button.

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This change will automatically be applied in the Site Database, on the Antennas tab.
The updated azimuth can be viewed in the Antenna Properties pane:
You can either leave the change in the applied state, or commit it, or restore the last
committed settings.
If necessary, you can re-predict the site, and create a new coverage array.
Alternatively you can directly edit the values in the Site Database, and this would
be automatically reflected in the Map View.
6.10.4
Using Antenna Slots
In ENTERPRISE, an antenna slot is a logical grouping of antennas. Sub-cells (which

represent groups of transceivers) are mapped to particular slots, enabling you to
define cell configurations where transceivers are connected to different antenna
systems.
This can be done either in the Site Database or when setting up Templates.
You can, for example, map a sub-cell to multiple antenna slots to model distributed
antenna systems, or where you need more than one antenna in the same location.
You can also utilise the antenna slots to model dual band configurations.
Slots can also be used to temporarily switch cells OFF when performing coverage
predictions. This is easier than deleting the cell.
Example of Slots in the Site database window
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6.11 Quickly Viewing and Editing Site or Cell

Information
You can quickly view and edit site or cell information in a summary dialog box in the
Map View window, rather than having to use the Site Database.
The Site Quick Edit enables you to view or edit any of the cells parented to a site or
node, whereas the Cell Quick Edit enables you to view or edit a specific cell.
This feature is available for GSM, UMTS, LTE and Mobile WiMAX.
In addition, after making any changes, coverage can be freshly calculated for the
selected site or cell.
To do this:
1
In the Map View window, from the Move/Edit Network Element toolbox, click
the Site Quick Edit button, or the Cell Quick Edit button:
Site Quick Edit
Cell Quick Edit
On the Map View, click on or near the site/cell that you want to view or edit.
If there is more than one site/cell available at this location, from the list that
appears, click the required site/cell.

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The Quick Edit dialog box for this site/cell appears:
Depending which button you clicked, the dialog box shows all the site's cells, or
just one specific cell.
The Antenna Instance ID parameter (shown in the example Quick Edit dialog
box as 'NY_189') may be useful in specific situations. See Using Instance IDs to
Distinguish Antennas on page 114.
4
Edit the required parameters by clicking the current value and typing in the new
value or selecting the required option (for example, the antenna pattern) from the
drop-down list.
If the parameter value can be generated using a wizard (for example, BSICs),
you can click the Browse button
to start the wizard from this dialog box.
You can only edit one shared antenna per site using this option.
5
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If you also want to re-calculate the coverage based on these parameter changes,
select the Calculate coverage checkbox. (In the case of GSM, select Sim or NonSim, as appropriate.)
For GSM Non-Sim, the coverage calculation displays the coverage for a single
site or single cell, and does not update any existing displayed arrays.
For GSM Sim, and all other technologies, the coverage calculation updates any
existing displayed coverage array, and any other related displayed arrays.

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Click Apply to update the Site Database with the new parameter values.
If you have also chosen to freshly calculate the coverage, this takes place and the
Map View is re-drawn.

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Importing and committing antennas into the database
Setting up an appropriate propagation model
Using XML exports and imports
Defining carriers
Defining carrier layers and cell layers
How to define a site template
Setting the cell parameters in the Site Database
Adding sites in the Map View
Editing antenna configurations
Quickly editing site/cell information
Additional Notes:
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SECTION 7
Fields, Filters and

Visualisers
The purpose and uses of fields
How to assign field options to network elements
The purpose and uses of filters
How to create and define dynamic filters
How to create and define static filters
How to use the selection expert
The purpose of visualisers
How to create visualisers
7.2 Using Fields in ENTERPRISE

Status fields are primarily used to enable project managers to manage and oversee the
network engineering cycle, from initial design to the rollout phase.
ENTERPRISE enables you to set up any number of fields in your project, so that they
can provide information about individual network elements (such as sites, cells or
microwave links) in the Site Database. Fields may be used for a variety of reasons, for
example, to track the rollout phase of a site, or record its equipment, or its region, or
perhaps the name of the planner in charge.
Fields can serve as a useful way of creating filters. This means that you can, for
example, display "In Build" sites in the Map View, or generate a coverage array for
"On Air" cells, or generate an interference analysis for microwave links which are
"Live", and so on.
At the initial stage of setting up these fields, they must be associated with specific
network element types. After this has been done, the fields appear on the associated
network elements in the Site Database. This enables you to assign the appropriate
field option for individual network element types (such as site, cell, link or Property).
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You define status fields within the ENTERPRISE Administrator module, in the
Field Definer dialog box. For more information, see the ENTERPRISE Installation and
Administration Guide.
It is generally advised that fields be set up as early in the project as possible, so that
they are available for the planner to assign the relevant option to the relevant network
elements in the Site or Link Database, or in the Templates.
This picture shows an example of the Field Definer:
Example Field Definer
7.2.1 Examples of Field Definitions

Some examples of fields that could be created are:
Field
Type
Options
Rollout Phase
Picklist
unset, Planned, Acquired, In-Build, On-Air
Vendor Equipment
Picklist
unset, Nokia, Ericsson, Siemens
Region
Picklist
unset, North, South, East, West
Equipment Costs
Float
any decimal number
Planner's Name
String
any text
Visit Due
Boolean
True or False
Phase Number
Integer
0,1,2,3,4...
When defining fields, it is important that you associate each field with the
appropriate network element(s) (such as Properties, sites, cells or microwave links).
For picklists, it is strongly recommended that the first option in each group is
named unset, or similar, so that this can be the default when no particular option
has yet been assigned.
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7.2.2 Viewing and Editing Fields for Network Elements

When the fields have been defined in the ENTERPRISE Administrator module and
committed to the database, you can view and edit the fields within the Status tabs of
the Site Database, listed against the relevant network elements, and, in the case of the
Link Database, against each link.
You can also view the status of the parent elements on this tab.
To do this:
1
In the Site Database window, in the tree pane, click the required element.
Click the Status tab to see a list of the fields for this network element, and for any
parent elements that it may have.
Fields displayed in grey are read-only - you do not have permissions to edit
these. The group permissions for the currently selected field are displayed in a
panel at the bottom of the status tab.
To change an associated field, click in the field value column and select the
required value from the drop-down list as shown here:
Any fields that you have edited - but not yet Applied - are displayed in bold.
In the case of the Link Database, you can find the Status tab under the General tab for
a microwave link.

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7.2.2.1 Examples of Fields in the Site Database

This example shows the five possible types of field that can be defined (Picklist, Float,
String, Boolean, Integer):
Example of all types of field
This next example shows the Picklist options expanded, so that one of them can be
selected:
Example of the Picklist field type
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7.2.2.2 Examples of Fields in the Link Database

This example shows how the fields appear in the Link Database:
7.3 Using Filters in ENTERPRISE

Filters provide a logical grouping of network elements according to their
characteristics or functions. They enable you to sub-divide the network into more
manageable sections for analysis, diagnosis and display, and they therefore represent
a powerful way of selecting a subset of items such as Properties, sites, links or cells,
from the ENTERPRISE database.
You can create your filters according to many different criteria, including element
type, hierarchy, fields and polygons, as well as attributes such as antenna type,
frequency band, carried traffic, and so on. For example, you could create a filter to
display all operational sites within a geographical region which are using a particular
vendors equipment.
Filters can be defined as either Static or Dynamic, and there is an additional Selection
Expert filter. This table summarises each type:
Filter Type
Description
Static Filters
These are static lists of objects specified by the user. These filters can only be changed by the user
adding or deleting objects from the list.
There are various ways of adding and removing objects.
Dynamic Filters
The lists of objects in dynamic filters will constantly update as the network evolves. These filters
select network elements based on criteria such as:
Object type (for example, BSC, Site, Cell, Link)
Status Flag assignment
Cell Layers assigned
Parenting
Geographical Location (for example, within a polygon)
These filters are 'dynamic' because the inclusion list will automatically be updated whenever a
change is made to any of the parameters forming the filter definition criteria.
Selection Expert

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There is also an 'on-the-spot' memory filter which can swiftly and powerfully select items from the 2D
View or Site/Link Database. Also, the memory filter can optionally be saved as a static filter for
future use.
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In the Filters Database, static filters always appear as RED, and dynamic filters
always appear as BLUE. This helps you to quickly identify the filter type.
7.3.1 Purpose and Uses of Filters

Filters represent a highly important feature in ENTERPRISE.
You can use filters to:
Limit the list of network elements displayed in the Site Database
Determine which combination of network elements appear in the Map View
Vary the customised appearance of different filters in the Map View
Control which items are to be included in the various wizards
Limit which items will be included in any global edits in the Site Database
Limit which items to include in the various reports
On the Filters tab of the Preferences dialog box under the File menu, you can
choose from a variety of options to determine which user filter folders to display.
This picture shows selecting a filter in the Site Database window:
Selecting a filter in the Site Database
Created filters can either be stored in a System folder (for everyone to use) or in
the User folder, which means that they are not available to other users (unless they
expressly choose to 'show all user filters' on the Filters tab of the Preferences dialog
box under the File menu). The Apply and Commit principles are the same as for any
other object saved to the database.
The general recommendation is to make sensible usage of the system and (personal)
user folders, and only commit filters that are essential to all users.
On the Filters tab of the Preferences dialog box under the File menu, you can
make various choices of which user filter folders to display.
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7.3.2 Creating a Dynamic Filter using the Filter Wizard

To create a dynamic filter:
1
From the Database menu, click Filters:
The Filter Database appears, displaying any folders and filters which have already
been set up:
The Selection Filter is a special filter which is used by the Selection Expert, and
is described in a subsequent section.
3
Select the folder in which you want to store the new filter and then click Add. This
will launch the Filter Wizard, which guides you through the creation process.
You can create sub-folders, if required, by right-clicking on the System folder
or on your individual User folder.

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Step 1 of the Filter Wizard prompts you to give the filter a meaningful name (this
can be modified later if required):
If your new filter has similar selection criteria as an existing filter, you can choose
the option to use an existing filter as a template and select it from the drop-down
menu.
Click Next.
5
Step 2 of the Filter Wizard displays a list of Available Attributes. Move each
required element type to the Selected Attributes pane by double-clicking it,
dragging it, or selecting it and using the right arrow button. This will define which
objects are to be considered in the filter.
For example, one method would be to expand one of the items in the Available
Attributes pane to reveal the selection of fields already set up for the project in
ENTERPRISE Administrator. The required field can then be selected as an
attribute for the filtering criteria.
Polygons represent another way in which network elements can be filtered. All
available polygons can be displayed by expanding the Property element in the
Available Attributes pane.
In this example, the Cell Site element has been expanded, and the 'Rollout Phase'
field has been selected as an attribute to be considered in the filtering process:
You can specify the logical operators by right-clicking on them to toggle between
the two types:
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If you choose OR, a value will be returned if any of the attributes are present
If you choose AND, a value will be returned only if all the attributes are
present

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It is also easy to modify these operators on the next screen, and to dynamically
preview the resulting item selection. (In this particular example, this will make no
difference, since there is only one attribute selected.)
You can group attributes together with their own logical operator, and create
rules within rules. The easiest way to do this is to drag and drop the attributes into
their logical groupings. The Selection Rules will be activated from top to bottom,
branching where specified. For some ideas on how to create 'faster' filters, see
Making Your Dynamic Filters More Efficient on page 142.
When you have all the element types and criteria that you want to filter on, click
Next.
6
Step 3 of the Filter Wizard prompts you to set the definitive rules and criteria for
the filter and enables you to modify the logical operators using the associated
radio buttons.
On this screen, you must click on each of the selected attributes to ensure that
the appropriate options appear on the right-hand side.
Define the exact rule for each element type or criterion by selecting it in the
'Selected Attributes' pane, and:
Selecting a rule definition (for example, 'Equals'). You can also reverse the rule
definition (for example, 'Not Equal To') by selecting the 'Not' checkbox.
Typing a value in the box or, if applicable, clicking the 'Values' button to select
the value(s) that you are interested in (for example, when selecting Field
values).

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In this example, click the 'Values' button, and tick the ON AIR option:
Then click OK.

You can click Preview to see a list of all the elements that are included in the filter
according to your latest definitions. This will help you to refine the filter further if
necessary.
When satisfied with your criteria, click Next.
7
Step 4 of the Filter Wizard displays the list of elements currently included in your
filter. The filter will be 'Dynamic' (unless you now decide to switch it to 'Static' but if you want to create a static filter, it is easier to carry out the steps in the
following section).
In this example, we have used the simple approach of using only the Field
attribute; notice that all items associated with the filtered sites are also included in
the filter, in other words, their related objects, such as Properties, MSC, BSC, cells,
and so on. If we had selected the cell site AND its field attribute in Step 2, we
would only have the cell sites in the filter, and not the related objects.
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Step 5 of the Filter Wizard enables you to set up the customised display settings
for the items which are included in your filter. If you selected the Use existing
filter as template option in Step 1, this screen will default to those settings. You
can also easily modify these later in the Map View.
Step 6 of the Filter Wizard (the final step) enables you to modify the name of the
filter, and also to establish which other users, if any, will be able to modify this
filter in the future (assuming it is committed, and assuming they have the
appropriate permissions).
10 When satisfied, click the Finish button to complete the Filter creation process.
The newly created filter appears in the Filters Database, in the folder you selected at
the start of the process. As a Dynamic filter, it will appear with a BLUE symbol, as in
this example:
Example of Dynamic Filter
In the Filters Database, any of the filters may be committed, modified or removed,
and also moved or copied between folders.
If you want this filter to be available for use by other users, you can Commit the filter.
Otherwise, it will only be available locally on your machine.
All created filters are available for use in various parts of ENTERPRISE, such as the
Site Database, Link Database, Map View, Coverage Arrays, Wizards, Reports, and so
on.

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7.3.3 Creating a Static Filter using the Filter Wizard

The process to create static filters is exactly the same as for dynamic filters, except
that:
You ignore Steps 2 and 3, by clicking Next each time
In Step 4, you need to select the Static option
You can now manually select whichever elements you require by using the methods
described in this table:
This table describes what you can do on the tabs that appear:
Tab
Description
Identifier
Use exact matches

or regular
expressions
How to Add Items to the Filter

Select the element type that you want to add.
Type the element ID, either defining an exact match or defining the match with a
regular expression. You can make this case-sensitive by selecting the Match
case option.
Click Add, and all of the elements matching this identifier will be displayed in the
Active Elements box.
You can also remove items from the filter. To do this, in the Active Element pane,
right-click the elements(s) and from the menu that appears, click Remove. You can
also select the item(s) in the Active Element pane and then click the Remove button
that appears in the Identifier tab.
File List
Browse to a text file

listing the identifiers
on separate lines
Filters
Use a combination of
chosen filter and
element types
Map View
Choose selected or
All elements in a
particular Map View

Type in a file name or click the Browse button and locate the correct file.
The file format of this text file is a list of site identifiers each on a separate line.
Click Add, and all of the elements matching this identifier will be displayed in the
Active Elements box.
Choose the filter from which you want to add elements of the type selected, and
click Add.
Open a Map View window and select it by clicking in it.
In the Filter wizard, select the Element Type that you want to add.
Click the Add All Elements button then click the Map View window again. All
elements of the type you have selected that are shown in the window are added
to the filter.
You can use the Add Element button to select an individual item in an open Map
View window and the Remove Element and Remove All Elements buttons to remove
items from a filter.
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All newly created filters appear in the Filters Database, in the folder you selected at
the start of the process. Static filters appear with a RED symbol, as in this example:
Example of Static Filter
7.3.4 Adding a Filter Using the Selection Expert

As well as using the Filter Wizard to add a filter, you can use the Selection Expert.
This is a powerful way of creating a filter because you can select to add to the
Selection filter any subset of items by:
Choosing items individually in the Map View
Choosing single or multiple items in the left pane or on the Hierarchy tab of the
Site Database
Creating a polygonal, circular or rectangular region in the Map View that contains
the items of interest
Then you can perform an operation on all the sites in this Selection filter, such as
globally editing them and re-predicting their coverage.
This section describes how to use the Selection Expert.
7.3.4.1 About the Selection Expert and Selection Filter

The Selection Expert:
Is a powerful way of creating a filter. Using it, you can select any subset of items
by choosing them individually in the Site Database or Map View, or by creating in
the Map View a polygonal, circular or rectangular area that contains the sites you
want. Then you can perform operations, such as globally editing and then repredicting the coverage, for only the sites in this Selection filter.
Acts as a handy clipboard - to easily allow you to cut and paste network elements
between different parents, cells between sites and so on.
Acts as a viewing window for all filters - you can quickly review all filters, (static,
dynamic and Selection) and edit the static and Selection filters.

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The Selection Filter:

Is a static filter that exists only in memory. It is not stored in the database and
therefore cannot be Applied or Committed.
Can be renamed and saved as a normal static filter.
Can be used as the basis for creating a static filter in the Filter Wizard.
7.3.4.2 Adding to the Selection Filter Using the Map View Window
To add items to the Selection filter using the Map View window:
1
If required, choose to limit the element types that are added.
From the Database menu, click Selection Expert.
In an open Map View window, ensure you are displaying the area and elements
from which you will be selecting.
Click the down arrow on the Selection filter toolbox

To
Do This
Select individual network

elements
Click the Single Select
to see the options.
button.
Hold down Shift and click each network element that you want to
include in the Selection filter.
If you click an element that already exists in the Selection filter, it
will be removed from the filter. That is, holding down Shift while clicking
will toggle an item in and out of the Selection filter.
You can also replace the contents of the Selection filter with your
new selection by clicking without holding down Shift.
Select network elements in a
rectangular area that you will
draw
Click the Rectangular Select
button and hold down Shift.
Click where you want a corner to be and then drag to create a

rectangle. The elements within the rectangle are added to the
Selection filter.
As you do this, the width and height dimensions are displayed, along
with the units that you chose in the Preferences dialog box.
new selection by clicking and dragging without holding down Shift.

circular area that you will draw
Click the Circle Select
Click and hold down the mouse button where the centre of the circle will
be, and drag outwards to set the radius of the circle. The currently
selected elements inside the circle are added to the Selection filter.
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To
Do This

polygon that you will draw
Click the Polygon Select
Click where the first point of the polygon will be, then click to create
more points as required. To close the polygon, double-click anywhere
in the Map View window.
The currently selected elements inside the polygon are added to the
Selection filter.
Clear Selection filter
Click the Clear Selection filter

the Selection filter.
button to empty all objects from
Hold down Shift when using any of the above buttons to add a current
selection to the filter. If you do not hold down Shift, the filter contains ONLY the
current selection, replacing what was there.
The selected elements appear in the Selection Expert and you can edit the items
shown, and save or export the filter.
7.3.4.3 Adding Items to the Selection Filter Using the Site or Link Database
You can add items to a Selection filter using the Site or Link Database in various
ways.
Adding Items to the Selection Filter by Right-clicking
In the Site or Link Database, right-click the network element that you want to add to
the Selection filter and from the menu that appears, click Add to Selection Filter.
Adding Items to the Selection Filter using the Filters tab
To add to the selection (or any static) filter using the Filters tab of the Site or Link
database:
1
In the Site or Link database, select the required object that you want to add to the
selection filter.
On the Filters tab, click Add to reveal the current list of available filters.
Select one or more of the static filters in which you wish the object to be included,
and click OK.
The selection filter will then be automatically updated.
You can use the Remove button in a similar way.

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Adding Items to the Selection Filter on the Hierarchy tab

You can use the Hierarchy tab of the Site Database to add to a Selection filter. For
example, you might want to create a filter containing the multiple items that are
parented to the same Property.
This method is applicable to the Site Database only.
To add to the Selection Filter using the Hierarchy tab:
1
In the Site Database, select the parent of the item that you want to add to the
Selection filter.
On the Hierarchy tab for that element, click the Display button (or the Refresh
button if you have previously clicked it). For example:
The items parented on this element now appear on the tab, as shown here:
Select one or more of the network elements shown on the tab and click the Add
button to add them to the Selection filter.
Similarly, to remove an item from the Selection filter, select the item on the tab
and click the Remove button.
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7.3.4.4 Editing Items in the Selection Filter by Specifying an Identifier

To add or remove a specific network element in the Selection filter based on an
identifier:
1
On the Identifier tab, select the element type that you want to add or remove, for
example BSC, and enter either an exact element ID, or a regular expression.
In the Match pane, ensure you have selected the correct type - either Exact or
Regular Expression - for what you have entered above. You can also choose
whether or not to make this case-sensitive by selecting the checkbox.
Click the Add or Remove button as required.
7.3.4.5 Editing Items in the Selection Filter by Using a File

To edit items currently in the Selection filter by using items from a file:
1
On the File List tab, select the required element type, for example BSC.
Type in a file name or click the Browse button and locate the correct file.
The file format of this text file is a list of site identifiers each on a separate line.
Click Add.
All of the elements of the required type that exist in the file are displayed in the
Selection Filter.
Remove any unwanted items as required, by selecting the item and clicking
Remove.
7.3.4.6 Editing the Selection Filter Using the Map View

To edit which items currently exist in the Selection filter by using the Map View
window:
1
Open a Map View window displaying the area and items you want to add or
remove from the Selection filter.
On the Map View tab, select the element type, for example Property.
Click the appropriate button, for example, Add Element.

To add or remove all of the elements of the selected element type, click the
Add or Remove All Elements button.
In the Map View window, click the required network element.
Repeat for all of the elements that you want to add to or remove from the Selection
filter.
In the Selection Expert, click the Stop Adding or Stop Removing button.

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7.3.4.7 Editing the Selection Filter Using Other Filters

To add items from other filters to your Selection filter:
1
In the Selection Expert, select the required element type.
From the list of folders shown, select the filter that contains the required network
elements.
Click Add.
All of the elements of the required type that exist in the file are displayed in the
Selection Filter.
Remove any unwanted items as required, by selecting the item and clicking
Remove.
7.3.4.8 Saving the Selection Filter

To save network elements that currently exist in the Selection filter:
1
From the File menu of the Selection Expert, click Save As.
In the Filter Name box, type a name and click Save.
Now, if you view the Filter Database, (from the Database menu, click Filters) your
filter has been added, and has a red symbol next to it, indicating that it is a static
filter.
You can now modify the filter from the Filter Database as usual, and then use it, as
you would any filter, to limit lists of network elements in the Site Database
window, reports and so on.
7.3.5 Editing and Deleting Filters

To edit an existing filter:
1
From the Database menu, click Filters.
In the Filters dialog box, select the filter you want to edit.
Click Edit.
Use the Filter Wizard to modify the filter.
To rename a filter, in the Filters dialog box, right-click the required filter and then
click Rename. In the dialog box that appears, type the new name and click OK.
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To delete an existing filter:

1
From the Database menu, click Filters.
Right-click the required filter and from the menu that appears, click Remove.
- or In the Filter dialog box, select the filter you want to delete and click the Remove
button.
The filter is moved to the Wastebasket. To ensure other people cannot use it, you
will need to remove it from the Wastebasket. Until you do this, the filter is still
available to others.
7.3.6 Exporting Filters using XML Export

You can export your filters to share them or to keep a backup of them by using the
XML Export function:
1
From the File menu, point to Export and then click XML:
Click the Browse button to select the location to which you want to export the
*.xml file(s).

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On the Filters tab, select the filters that you want to export.
Click Export to begin exporting.
7.3.7 Making Your Dynamic Filters More Efficient

When creating dynamic filters, the selection rules will be activated from top to
bottom.
The sequence of these rules can therefore affect the speed of your filters.
You can make your dynamic filters run faster by:
Eliminating the largest number of unwanted objects first.
Using as few rules as possible - the number of evaluations affects the speed at
which a filter runs.
Placing the rules in a sensible order in step 2 of the Filter Wizard - some types of
rule are faster than others. For example, to test if an object is a particular element,
the filter wizard compares two integers to see if they are equal or not. However, to
test to see if a Property is within a vector, the filter wizard uses a complex
algorithm to compare the location of the Property with every point that makes up
the vector.
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This table lists the rules from quickest to process to the slowest:
Fastest
Slowest
Weighting
Rule Type
Element
Hierarchy
Field
5-15
Attribute
50-10000+ depending on the

number of points in the polygon
Polygon
The examples below show how performance is affected by good and bad use of rules.
Example of reordering a simple filter
Example of making filters faster by using fewer rules
7.4 Using Visualisers

A visualiser is a way of creating multiple display settings for the same filter. When
you have set up a filter's display properties, you take a copy, then change the display
of items that you want. If you do this, you will not have to edit the filter each time you
want to see something different, or create a new filter which is identical except for the
display properties.
Visualisers have other advantages over filters in that:
They are not committed to the database, and therefore have no impact on
processing speed.
You can customise and store your exact visual requirements on the Map View,
without affecting any other users.
Examples of when using visualisers might be useful are:
You need to present a monthly report, using the corporate look for sites, which is
different to your own. So each month, for the same filter, you turn off your own
display properties and use different ones:
You have set up the Selection filter to show Property IDs as labels. In a visualiser
you choose to change the label to show contact details instead. Or you may have a
filter showing all network elements and then create visualisers which each contain
one network element type, enabling you to separate out your displays as required:

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7.4.1 Adding Visualisers

When you add a visualiser, it will inherit all the display properties of a filter, so
ensure you have set up the filter, assigning colours and symbols to each item as
required. When you have done this, use these steps to add a visualiser:
1
In the Data Types dialog box, expand Filters and right-click the required filter.
From the menu that appears, select Add New Visualiser.
In the dialog box that appears, type the name for the new visualiser and click OK.
The new visualiser appears as a new item under the filter, and contains the filter
properties that you have copied:
Visualisers can also be included in Favourite Views (see Saving a Favourite Map
View on page 55). This greatly speeds up the process of displaying the Visualisers
with the minimum of effort.
7.4.2 Changing the Display Properties of Visualisers

You view and change the display properties of visualisers in the same way as you
would do for filters, that is, by:
Double-clicking the visualiser in the list of data types
or
Right-clicking the visualiser and from the menu that appears, selecting Properties
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7.4.3 Copying and Resetting Display Properties of Visualisers

Copying Display Properties
You can copy display properties from one visualiser to another, overwriting existing
display properties. To do this:
1
Right-click the visualiser whose properties you want to copy and from the menu
that appears click Copy Properties.
Right-click the second visualiser and from the menu that appears click Paste
Properties.
Resetting Display Properties

You can reset a visualiser's display properties to the original ones that you chose
when you first created the filter (not the visualiser).
To do this :
1
In the list of data types, expand Filters and browse to the required visualiser.
Right-click the required filter and select Reset.
7.4.4 Exporting and Importing Display Properties of Visualisers

After you have created a visualiser, you can export its display properties and import
them into another project.
To do this:
1
Right-click the visualiser whose display properties you want to export, and from
the menu that appears, click Export Properties.
In the dialog box that appears, browse to the required location and type a name
for the settings file.
Click Save.
Click Export.
The display properties are exported.
In the second project, right-click the visualiser into which you want to import the
display properties.
From the menu that appears, click Import Properties.
In the dialog box that appears, locate the required settings file and click Open.
Click Import.
The display properties in the chosen file are imported.

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The purpose and uses of fields
How to assign field options to network elements
The purpose and uses of filters
How to create and define dynamic filters
How to create and define static filters
How to use the selection expert
The purpose of visualisers
How to create visualisers
Additional Notes:
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SECTION 8
Predicting Pathloss and

Displaying Coverage
Predicting pathloss
Creating coverage arrays
Displaying coverage
Analysing coverage with statistical reports
Managing arrays
8.2 Predicting Pathloss

After the network has been configured and all other necessary parameters have been
set, ASSET enables you to create pathloss predictions. You can predict the pathloss of
the signal from any cell to any point and use this information as the basis of coverage
analysis for your planned network.
Prediction files are vital in order to create a variety of coverage and interference
arrays for visual analysis. The arrays can be used to produce statistical reports, and
they also play a crucial part in a wide range of wizards, such as the Traffic Raster,
Interference Table and Neighbour Planner wizards.
In ASSET, the pathloss predictions are created or loaded automatically whenever you
create a coverage/interference array, or when you run the Simulator.
This means that you do not need to explicitly create pathloss predictions. For
example, if the predictions do not exist, they will be created; if they exist and are upto-date, they will be loaded; if they exist but are out-of-date (due to any parameter
changes in the database), they will be newly created.

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However, there may be circumstances where it is beneficial to explicitly create

pathloss predictions, for example if you want to create a large amount of predictions
and want to set these running while you are away from your machine, in order to
save time later. For this, or for any other, reason, you can use the Pathloss Prediction
Generator.
In the Array Settings dialog box, you can set options which have a major impact on
the predictions loaded or created. Basically, you can choose to create arrays based on
the prediction settings (radius, resolution, and propagation model) specified in the
Site Database, or you can specify to override any or all of these.
8.2.1 About Primary and Secondary Predictions

In ASSET, when predictions are created or loaded, it is possible to set up and benefit
from a 'dual prediction' option, enabling you to specify two 'sets' of resolution and
radius for the cells in your network.
This enables you, for example, to create/load a high-resolution prediction in the area
closer to the site, and a low-resolution prediction in the area further from the site. In
this example, the primary prediction (lower resolution/larger radius) might represent
the interference area, and the secondary prediction (higher resolution/smaller radius)
might represent the expected signal area.
An example of how you can set this in the Site Database (Antennas tab) appears here:
Example of how Prediction Settings can be set up in the Site Database
It is also possible to use the primary/secondary predictions to assign a different

propagation model for each one. This can be useful if part of a rural cell's coverage
also covers an urban area.
The settings you choose on in the Array Settings dialog box (Predictions tab) have a
crucial impact on how or if the primary/secondary predictions are used for prediction
creation/loading and array creation. Basically, you can choose to:
Use only primary predictions
Use primary and secondary predictions
Use primary predictions, and only overlay secondary predictions if a resolution
threshold is satisfied
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Example of the Predictions tab in the Array Settings
It is not mandatory to set or use secondary predictions.
8.2.1.1 Example of Using Primary and Secondary Predictions

The following pictures illustrate an example of how Primary and Secondary
Predictions could be used, showing different results between two of the options
under Use Network Element Settings in the Array Settings dialog box:
Example of how an array can use predictions - Using only primary predictions

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Example of how an array can use predictions - Using primary and secondary predictions
In this example, a high resolution has been set for the cell up to 2km radius, and a low
resolution up to 4km radius. The coverage array was requested at the higher
resolution. Notice how the pixels are using the lower resolution in the outer half of
the coverage.
8.2.1.2 Example of a Multi-Resolution Array

This picture shows a multi-resolution array displayed in the Map View, using multiresolution predictions from the dual-prediction system:
Example of a multi-resolution array displayed in the Map View
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8.2.2 Using the Pathloss Prediction Generator

In ASSET, the pathloss predictions are created or loaded automatically whenever you
create a coverage/interference array, or when you run the Simulator, or use the Signal
Coverage, Interference Table or Neighbour Planner wizards. This means that you do
not explicitly need to create pathloss predictions (this is even true if you are using
Measurement-based pathloss files to influence them).
However, there may be circumstances where it is beneficial to explicitly create
predictions, for example if you want to create a large amount of predictions and want
to set these running while you are away from your machine, in order to save time
later. In such cases, or for any other reason, you can explicitly create predictions by
using the Pathloss Prediction Generator.
Also, on the Predictions tab of the Array Settings dialog box, you can set options
which have a major impact on the predictions loaded or created. Basically, you can
choose to create arrays based on the prediction settings (radius, resolution, and
propagation model) specified in the Site Database, or you can specify to override any
or all of these.
To create pathloss prediction files for single or multiple sites:
1
If you intend to select sites from the map view, open a Map View, and display the
sites for which you want to create predictions.
From the Tools menu, click Pathloss Predictor, or click the
The Pathloss Prediction Generator dialog box appears. Select whether to create
predictions for:
button.
Prediction Options
Descriptions
Instructions
Sites and Cells
Enables you to select

individual sites.
Type the name of the element and press Enter. Type a

partial substring if you want multiple elements to appear.
As you type, after a small time delay, a list of all the
elements matching the substring will appear in the list.
Sites and Cells in View
Enables you to select the sites After selecting the radio button, click anywhere in the Map
currently visible in an open
View window to load the sites/cells.
Map View.
(Afterwards, the 'Select View' button becomes active, but
you do not need to press it unless you want to
subsequently switch your selection to a different Map
View.)
Sites and Cells in Filter
Enables you to select sites

from a specific filter.
Choose a filter from the drop-down box.
Note :
When a site but none of its cells are selected then all the cells on that site are
predicted
When a site and one or more of its cells are selected then only those explicit
cells are predicted
When cells (not sites) are selected, only those cells are predicted

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The sites you have chosen now appear listed in the dialog box.
4
If appropriate, you can select the checkbox to force repredictions. In the majority
of situations, due to the recognition capabilities of the prediction system, this is
unnecessary. However, in rare circumstances, there may be a situation where you
know the predictions are out-of-date, but the prediction system considers them to
be up-to-date. Such a circumstance might be, for example, when you know that
changes have been made to the underlying map data used by the project.
Click Start.
Time estimates are shown as the prediction progresses.
When the operation has finished, you can view and inspect the prediction results:
Example of Pathloss Predictor dialog box
If required, you can choose to only show the failed predictions by clicking the
'Show Failed' button. If you do, the list will be reduced, as in this example:
Example of Pathloss Predictor showing failed predictions
After doing this, you can also choose to populate the Selection filter with only the
'failed' sites or cells, by clicking the relevant button.
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8.3 About Displaying Coverage

Once pathloss predictions have been created, you can display the coverage in the Map
View window.
Single Site or Cell
You can display the coverage for a single site or cell:
Single Site Coverage display
Coverage Arrays
You can also create and display coverage arrays which take into account the coverage
from multiple cells, for example a Best Server array. For more information, see
Creating Coverage Arrays on page 155.
Coverage Array display

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8.3.1 Displaying Coverage for a Single Site or Cell

In the Map View, you can display the coverage for a single site or single cell. To do
this:
1
Click the Display Coverage for a Cell button
then click the required cell.
- or Click the Display Coverage for a Site button
then click the required site.
Select the relevant cell layer or carrier.
If appropriate, select the terminal type and indoor/outdoor location.
Specify a resolution.
For GSM networks, you will be able to select All Cell Layers or an individual cell
layer. If All Cell Layers is selected, the Data Types list is updated under Site & Cell
Coverage. If an individual layer is selected, the Data Types list is updated under
Clipboard Arrays. For all other technologies, the Data Types list is always updated
under Clipboard Arrays.
To customise the coverage display for items listed under Site & Cell Coverage:
Double-click on the item in the Data Types list, and on the Categories tab, select
the required coverage schema from the drop-down box. Click OK, then click 'OK
and Redraw'.
When displaying coverage for several adjacent individual cells, the multiple
predictions are not combined to display the "best" coverage at each pixel location, but
are just shown on top of each other. If you want to display the best coverage value for
each pixel, you should use an array. For information on this, see Creating Coverage
Arrays on page 155.
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8.4 Creating Coverage Arrays

You can create coverage arrays either from the Arrays menu, or from the
in the Map View window.
button
The technology options vary according to your licences. In this example of the Map
View, the array creation options represent licences for GSM (Non-Sim), UMTS (Sim)
and GSM (Sim):
Map View window - example of the coverage array options
8.4.1 Creating Coverage/Interference Arrays (Non-Sim)

To create a Coverage/Interference array:
1
From the Arrays menu, click Array Settings, and check that your specified array
creation options and parameters are as set as you require.
Open a Map View window that shows the region of interest.
From the Arrays menu, click Coverage/Interference.
Check that the region for the coverage array is correct. If necessary, you can
modify the region by entering precise co-ordinates.
Click Next.
You can also run the wizard using the Create Arrays button
in the Map
View window itself (in this case, the wizard consists of only one page, and
without the automatic saving options).
Choose the type of array(s) you want to create, by selecting the relevant
checkbox(es).
If you choose Nth Best Server, specify the layer you want to create by editing
the number (2 = second best, and so on).
Choose the Filter options for which the array will be generated.
In the Sites to Include in Array Creation pane, choose whether to restrict the
number of sites that are considered while generating the array to:
Those that have predictions that overlap the map view
Those within a specified distance from the map view extents

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In the Array Options pane, specify a resolution for the array.

You can specify any resolution. The output arrays will be generated at that
requested resolution, using the prediction files at the resolutions specified for the
corresponding network elements in the Site Database (or from the Override option
in the Array Settings dialog box). A deterministic conversion process is used
where necessary.
In the Memory Status pane, you can see how much memory your chosen array
requires, and how much is available.
Click Next.
10 Choose whether to save any array(s) that you create by selecting the Save
checkbox. Browse to or type the path to a folder, or accept the default path shown
(as specified in the Modify Project dialog box).
11 If you choose to save the arrays, a separate header file is saved as well, including
the name of the user and the time and date when the array was created. To add
your own planning comments, double-click on the comments field.
12 Click Finish.
If you want to create a best server array iteratively (using the same network
filters), see how to do this more easily in Creating and Displaying Coverage
Simultaneously on page 161.
Descriptions of the Coverage/Interference arrays are given in the ASSET Technical
Reference Guide.
8.4.1.1 Troubleshooting Array Creation (Non-Sim)

If you have a problem when creating a GSM Non-Sim coverage array, view the
Message Log window. This table shows some common reasons for getting a 0 sub-cells
processed message and the possible solutions:
Possible Problem
Solution
No predictions were found for the sites.
Ensure you have set up carriers, carrier layers and cell layers, that the
sites have cell layers assigned, and that you have specified all the
required equipment (for example, antennas and propagation models) for
the sites being processed.
You have selected to only consider sub-cells

with allocated carriers, but the sub-cells
selected for the array have no carriers
allocated.
From the Arrays menu, click Array Settings, and on the Serving and
Interfering Cells tab, clear the relevant checkbox in the bottom pane.
or
Allocate carriers on the Carriers tab for each cell layer.
No cell and carrier layers are selected in the

Array Settings window.
From the Arrays menu, click Array Settings, and on the Serving and
Interfering Cells tab, ensure you have selected the required cell and
carrier layers.
Alternatively, clear the top checkbox, which is the safe default to include
all cell and carrier layers within the array.
The Filter selected at the start of the Array

creation wizard is not correct.
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Check that you have chosen the correct filter, and that it contains the cells
you wish to include in the array. (You can also check for possible
problems by using the "All" filter).

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8.5 Displaying Coverage Arrays

To display a coverage array in the Map View:
1
Ensure the array has been created, as described in Creating Coverage Arrays on
page 155.
In the Map View, click the Show Data Types button

list, select the appropriate array type, as follows:
and in the Data Types
Coverage/Interference arrays (GSM Non-Sim) can be found under the

Coverage heading:
Signal Coverage arrays (all technologies) can be found under the Simulator
heading:
Select the array you want to display.
Click 'OK and Redraw'.
The array will be displayed on the Map View.

For brief descriptions of the different types of output arrays, see the ASSET
Technical Reference Guide.

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8.5.1 Example of Best Server Array

This array displays the signal strength of the best serving cell at each pixel on the Map
View. This decision is based on parameters specified in the Site Database window and
in the Array Settings dialog box.
As with all the arrays, you can change the display settings in the Map View by
double-clicking the array in the list of Data Types.
This picture shows an example of the Best Server array:
Best Server array
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8.5.2 Defining Coverage Schemas for GSM (Non-Sim) Arrays

In relation to coverage for GSM networks when the Simulator is not used, you can
define your own coverage schemas for each cell layer, and then select that schema to
be used on the Map View.
To add a coverage schema for a GSM network (Non-Sim):
1
From the Configuration menu, click Coverage Schemas.
Select what type of schema you require. Choose System for a type that other
people can view or User to make a schema for your own use only.
In the Schema (left side) pane, click Add.
Enter a name for the new coverage schema and click OK.
In the Coverage Categories (right side) pane, click Add to add a category.
In the Label box enter a description, then choose a colour.
Click Close to exit the Coverage Schemas dialog box.
From the Configuration menu, point to Layers and click Cell Layers.
On the Coverage Thresholds tab of the Cell Layers dialog box, select the
appropriate coverage schema from the drop-down box and double-click each
category to set its signal level.
In the case of multiple cell layers, you must do this separately for each cell layer.
You can now select this new schema when you display coverage for a single site or
cell, or when you set the display properties of a Non-Sim coverage array.

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8.5.3 Setting Display Properties for a GSM (Non-Sim) Array

You can modify the display settings of any of the GSM non-Sim arrays. To do this:
1
Click the Show Data Types button

in the Map View, and in the Data Types
list, under the Coverage heading, double-click the required array.
If the array is a Best Server array, on the Categories tab, select the coverage schema
that you want to use for the array. For more information on this, see Defining
Coverage Schemas for GSM (Non-Sim) Arrays on page 159.
If the array is not a Best Server array, the first tab is named differently, and the
display options are slightly more specific, but the other tabs are the same.
Choose the level of transparency that will be used when the array is displayed.
On the GIS Export tab, you can set the default content type for any subsequent
GIS-based exports of this array:
Raster Image (you can select from a range of output file types)
RLE Rectangles
Polygons
For more information on using GIS Export, see the ENTERPRISE User Reference
Guide.
5
On the Visibility Settings tab, you can select options for displaying the array only
at a particular zoom level threshold:
Use View Zoom Range to set the minimum and maximum map view
dimensions in which the array will be displayed according to Height or Width.
Use Scale Range to set the minimum and maximum map view dimensions in
which the array will be displayed according to the current paper settings,
which are defined in the properties for the printer you choose.
Click OK to save the options. The Map View will now display the array with the
new settings.
For more information on the 2g/2.5g arrays (such as Coverage, Interference and
GPRS arrays), see the Array Descriptions section in the ASSET Technical Reference
Guide.
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Version 7.0
8.5.4 Creating and Displaying Coverage Simultaneously

You can create a Best Server array (GSM) or any of the Signal Coverage arrays, and
simultaneously display the coverage on the map.
The arrays created by this shortcut method will use the same settings as those
you LAST selected when using the 'normal' method of array creation. Therefore it is
NOT possible to choose different Filters when using this shortcut method, nor can
you take into account any modified Array Settings. If you do wish to make such
changes, it is always safer to run a 'normal' method of array creation, as described in
Creating Coverage Arrays on page 155.
To create an array and simultaneously display it on the Map View:
In the Map View window, click the Create/Display Coverage button
The array will be created and automatically displayed on the Map View.
8.5.5 Displaying Service Area Arrays

When you have created a GSM Best Server (Non-Sim) array, you can also view the
array in an alternative way. Two types appear under Coverage in the list of Data
Types, Service Area (Block) and Service Area (Contour).
Here is an example of the Data Types list:
Service areas enable you to view the information from the Best Server array in terms
of the geographical areas where each cell is the Serving Cell, irrespective of signal
strength.

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To view this information:

In the list of Data Types, ensure that Best Server is not selected and select Service
Area (Block) or Service Area (Contour).
This picture shows an example of a Service Area (Block) Array:
Service Area (Block) Array
The Service Area works best with the default colour palette and on a screen with
65536 or more colours. If your screen only has 256 colours, you will need to change
the colours to make adjacent service areas sufficiently different.
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Version 7.0
8.5.6 Viewing the Cell Signal Difference

This is only applicable to 2g networks.
To view the difference in signal strength between two cells shown in the Map View:
1
Click the Cell Signal Difference button
Click the first cell then the second cell, and then choose a resolution.
The result will vary according to which cell you click first.
The difference is calculated and displayed. The display settings can be set in 'Site &
Cell Coverage' in the Data Types list.
Viewing the Difference in Signal Strength Between Two Cells

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8.5.7 Displaying Coverage for Specific Carriers

This is only applicable to 2g networks.
To display coverage for specific carriers that exist in a frequency plan that you have
created:
1
Ensure you have a Best Server array in memory.
In the Map View window, in the list of data types, under Cell Info, double-click
Freq Re-Use.
The dialog box that appears enables you to display cell service areas coloured
according to the carriers in use on that cell.
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Select the Use Carrier Layers checkbox then hold down the Ctrl key and select the
carrier numbers whose coverage you want to display in the Map View window.
Select a colour for the first carrier. The next selected carrier will use the next colour
in the palette, and so on.
For example, the following picture shows the selection of carriers 1 to 10 and, in
this case, each carrier will be represented by the colours black, white, red, and so
on, according to the palette order:

Version 7.0
This picture shows an example of the carriers displayed on the Map View:
It is better to only display a limited number of carriers at any one time, because
the display can only show a maximum of two carriers per cell.
6
Similarly, if you have chosen to use Group Planning in the Carrier Layers dialog
box, on the Frequency Groups tab here, select the checkbox and select the first grid
square, then choose the required colour. The next grid square will continue by
using the next colour in the palette, and so on.
8.6 Producing Coverage Reports/Statistics

Once coverage arrays have been created, you can generate coverage statistics. This is
fully explained in Generating Statistical Reports for Arrays on page 268.
Example of generating Statistics for an array using the right-click option

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After selecting the required reporting options in the Statistics dialog box, you can
generate a report. Here is an example:
Example of a Coverage Statistics report for a Best Server array
8.7 Using the Array Manager

The Array Manager provides an array management facility, which enables you to
perform memory management on arrays and simulations. In addition, the Array
Manager provides the ability to retrieve archived arrays, allowing for the
benchmarking of statistical changes over time.
In the Array Manager, you can:
View any array information currently in memory
Load arrays
Save arrays
Delete arrays (except Simulation arrays)
View the data summary of a simulation
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Version 7.0
Copy arrays to the Array Clipboard

Rename Clipboard arrays
To open the Array Manager:
From the Arrays menu, click Array Manager.
This picture shows an example of the Array Manager:
Example of the Array Manager dialog box
By default, all column information (File name, Memory, Resolution, and so on) is
displayed, but you can customise which columns are included by right-clicking any of
the column headings:
Example of customising displayed columns in the Array Manager dialog box

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8.7.1 Loading a Specific Array

In the Array Manager, you can load a coverage or interference array that you have
saved previously. To do this:
1
Click the Load button.
In the dialog box that appears, locate the *.dat file that contains the array, and then
click Load.
The required array is loaded.
If you load an array which included a cell or cells that now no longer exist(s)
in the database, you can only use this array for statistical analysis and
visualisation purposes. Also, some of the cell information for the array will be
undefined.
8.7.2 Saving Arrays

In the Array Manager, you can save a coverage or interference array. To do this:
1
Select the array that you want to save.
Click Save.
In the Array File Selector dialog box, browse to the folder in which you want to
save the array file.
If you have any planning comments that you want to add to the array header file,
double-click the Comments field and type your comments in there.
Click the Save button.
8.7.3 Deleting Arrays

In the Array Manager, you can delete a coverage or interference or traffic array which
is no longer needed, thereby freeing some memory resources:
1
Select the array that you want to delete.
Click Delete.
You cannot delete individual arrays that were produced by the Simulator.
However, you can use the Array Manager to delete the whole simulation from
memory, if required.
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8.7.4 About the Array Clipboard

ASSET enables you to copy to clipboard any of the Simulation arrays, so that you can
make comparisons between historic simulations of your network.
The file format used for this is the *.3ga file format. This file enables you to obtain and
view all the necessary statistics and views of the output arrays, in order to make
comparisons. However, you cannot rerun a simulation from a Clipboard array.
For information on the file format for the Simulation arrays, see the ENTERPRISE
To create a Clipboard array from a Simulation array, either:
Using the Array Manager:
1
Right-click on the array and click Copy to Array Clipboard.
- or Using the Map View Data Types list:

1
From the list that appears, expand the Simulator heading.
Right-click on the array and click Copy to Array Clipboard.
Either method will create the copy of the array, and it will then appear under the
Array Clipboard heading in both the Array Manager and the Map View.
All output arrays from the Compound Array Generator are automatically held in
memory as Clipboard arrays.
8.7.4.1 Renaming Clipboard Arrays

In the Array Manager, you can rename a clipboard array. To do this:
1
Expand the Array Clipboard heading.
Right-click the appropriate clipboard array, and from the menu that appears click
Rename.
The clipboard array name will appear as an edit box.
Type the new name and either press the return key on your keyboard or, using
your mouse, click anywhere within the dialog box.

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Predicting pathloss
Creating coverage arrays
Displaying coverage
Analysing coverage with statistical reports
Managing arrays
Additional Notes:
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SECTION 9
Traffic Planning on a
GSM Network
Defining Terminal Types
Creating Traffic Rasters
Performing a Traffic Analysis
9.2 About Terminal Types

When you are satisfied with your network's coverage performance, you are in a
position to consider traffic modelling in your network.
ASSET incorporates a set of sophisticated traffic modelling and analysis capabilities,
which you can use to model the performance of your network and to calculate new
transceiver requirements. In modern cellular networks, there are different types of
subscribers with different profiles, and different types of mobile terminals with
different properties. You can specify Terminal Types to represent these different
profiles, assign them to a network layer or to multiple layers and describe their
geographical distribution in relation to the mapping data.
ASSET models traffic demand by generating traffic density maps for the different
types of terminal. These density maps define the amount of traffic (in Terminals or
Erlangs) offered to the network by each type of terminal on a pixel-by-pixel basis,
corresponding to the available clutter map data resolutions.
A 2g Terminal Type in ASSET defines three key characteristics:
How much traffic will the Terminal Type generate in total?
How will the traffic be spread geographically?
Which Cell Layers can serve the traffic for that Terminal Type?

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9.3 Adding a Terminal Type

To add a terminal type:
1
From the Configuration menu, click Terminal Types.
In the Terminal Types dialog box, click Add to create a new terminal type.
If you want to add a terminal type which is similar to a previously defined one,
you can use the Duplicate button.
On the General tab, edit the name. It is useful to describe the type of traffic that it
represents, for example, GSM Voice, GPRS, UMTS Voice, UMTS Packet and so on.
Select the required technology for this terminal type (for example, GSM or UMTS)
as appropriate.
On the Clutter and/or Vectors tabs, define how the terminal type will be
distributed over the Map View when a traffic raster is created. For more
information, see Determining the Distribution of Traffic on page 174.
9.3.1 Adding a Terminal Type for GSM (Non-Sim)

To set up a terminal type for GSM (Non-Sim):
1
On the General tab:
Select 'GSM Circuit Switched' from the technology drop-down list.
Edit the name to describe the type of traffic that it represents, for example,
GSM Voice.
On the Cell Layers tab, associate the terminal type with one or more cell layers, by
selecting from the available list, and clicking the
button. This means that any
traffic raster that is created for the terminal type can only be serviced by cells
using the appropriate cell layer(s). For example, a dual band terminal might
support the GSM900 and GSM1800 layers.
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distributed over the Map View when a traffic raster is created. The flexible
methods of distribution are generic to all technologies, and therefore are described
fully in a separate section. See Determining the Distribution of Traffic on page 174.
Apply and Commit your changes as required.

Version 7.0
9.3.2 Adding a Terminal Type for GPRS (Non-Sim)

To set up a terminal type for GPRS or EGPRS (Non-Sim):
1
On the General tab:
Select 'Packet Switched (GPRS)' or 'EDGE Packet Switched (EGPRS)' from the
technology drop-down list.
Edit the name to describe the type of traffic that it represents, for example,
GPRS.
On the Cell Layers tab, associate the terminal type with one or more cell layers, by
selecting from the available list, and clicking the
button. This means that any
traffic raster that is created for the terminal type can only be serviced by cells
using the appropriate cell layer(s).
On the GPRS/EGPRS tab, set the mean busy hour capacity (kb/s) of the terminal.
This is an estimate of the traffic demand, in a busy hour, for the terminal type.
This should include any overhead related to the characteristics of the device (for
example, average packet size and TCP/IP protocol). Then specify the maximum
number of timeslots supported by the terminal.
distributed over the Map View when a traffic raster is created. The flexible
methods of distribution are generic to all technologies, and therefore are described
fully in a separate section. See Determining the Distribution of Traffic on page 174.

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9.3.3 Determining the Distribution of Traffic

After you have added a terminal type and defined the parameters, you need to
determine how you intend to spread the traffic over the Map View.
you should make use of the Duplicate button. This can be particularly beneficial for
the clutter and vector values.
The options you select on the Clutter and/or Vectors tabs partly depend on whether
you intend to use Specified (estimated) Traffic or Live Traffic:
Specified traffic enables you to spread an estimation (or future projection) of the
traffic within a region, based either on clutter types or vectors, or both.
Live traffic enables you to spread known traffic values per sub-cell according to
the cell service area (that is, the area where the cell is the best server), over selected
clutter types.
Live traffic can only be spread using the Weights option on the Clutter tab, and
will only be spread into clutter types with non-zero weights.
The following sections describe the options on the:
Clutter Tab
and
Vectors Tab
Vectors may consist of lines, polygons or points. For information on how to create
each of these, please refer to the ENTERPRISE User Reference Guide.
9.3.3.1 About the Clutter Tab on the Terminal Types Dialog Box
When you are determining the distribution of traffic for a terminal type, you can use
either the Clutter tab or the Vectors tab, or a combination of both. This section
describes the options on the Clutter tab.
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There are two methods you can choose if you want to spread traffic using clutter
types: Weight or Density.
The Weight option enables you to assign relative weights to the various clutter
types available in your map data. These weights should represent the expected
ratios of subscribers in each clutter type. The normalised percentages always add
up to 100%. This method always requires a Total Traffic value to be entered
during the Traffic wizard process.
The Density option enables you to define a traffic density for each clutter type, and
therefore the Total Traffic value in the Traffic wizard process is deactivated.
If you intend to spread Live traffic, you must use the Weights option.
Whichever method you use, the traffic units spread will be Terminals or Erlangs per
km, as appropriate. For more information, see About the Traffic Units on page 180.
For Weight, the Traffic wizard will spread the traffic over the selected region,
applying the clutter weights on a pixel by pixel basis. For example, if the weights of
clutter types 'Urban' and 'Rural' are 12 and 1 respectively, each urban pixel will have
12 times the traffic density of each rural pixel, irrespective of the total areas of the
clutter types.
For Density, the Traffic wizard will spread the traffic over the selected region,
applying the specified densities to each pixel based on its clutter type.
An advantage of using Weights is the extra flexibility. You can enter modified traffic
values when you make subsequent runs of the Traffic wizard to produce new rasters,
which will overwrite the old one (only one raster can exist in memory for any one
terminal type). Alternatively, you can use the Scaling Traffic feature, which serves for
both spreading methods.
For each clutter type, you can also specify a percentage probability that the terminal is
In-Building (that is, indoor). This will be used if you set up shadow fading standard
deviations (and/or loss values) for indoor terminals, and will affect the simulation
results.
Setting Options and Values on the Clutter Tab
To set the options and values on the Clutter tab of the Terminal Types dialog box:
1
Select either Weight or Density.
Specify the values by selecting each of the clutter types and entering a value in the
Weight column or Traffic Density column, as appropriate.
If relevant to your technology type, specify the percentage values for In-Building
by selecting each of the clutter types and entering a value in the % In-Building
column.
You are now ready to create a traffic raster.

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9.3.3.2 About the Vectors Tab on the Terminal Types Dialog Box
When you determine the distribution of traffic for a terminal type, you can use either
the Vectors tab or the Clutter tab, or a combination of both. This section describes the
options on the Vectors tab.
On the Vectors tab of the Terminal Types dialog box, you can specify traffic to be
spread into/onto any selected vector(s). When you later run the Traffic wizard to
spread the traffic, any pixel intersected or enclosed by the vector will receive a traffic
value, according to your requirements.
Vectors may consist of lines, polygons or points. For information on how to create
these, please refer to the ENTERPRISE User Reference Guide.
There are two methods you can choose if you want to spread traffic using vectors:
The Absolute option enables you to specify the total terminals within a vector
(line, polygon or point)
The Density option enables you to define a traffic density for each vector (line,
polygon or point)
Any vector-based traffic will be additional to clutter-based traffic, depending how
the terminal type has been configured. For more information, see Using a
Combination of the Clutter tab and the Vectors tab on page 178. If you want the
terminal type to be spread exclusively into/onto vectors, ensure that all values on the
terminal type's Clutter tab are set to zero (or, if the Weights option on the Clutter tab
has been specified, you can simply set the traffic total value in step 5 of the wizard to
zero).
In the case where lines or points are not entirely within the region selected in the
Traffic wizard, the traffic will be spread with the same specified values to the portion
of the vectors that are within the region. However, traffic for polygons will be
condensed into the portion of the polygon that is within the region.
If you have set up vectors which contain both polygons and lines, the traffic specified
for the lines is also spread over the edges of polygons (this may be useful for roads
consisting of polygon 'loops'). If you do not want this to happen, you must organise
your lines and polygons into separate vectors.
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The traffic units depend whether you use Absolute or Density, as described in this
table:
Vector type
Basis
How Traffic is Spread
Lines
Distance
Traffic is evenly spread over Terminals or Erlangs.

all the pixels through which
the line runs.
Absolute mode
Density mode
Terminals or Erlangs per km.
Polygons
Area
Traffic is evenly spread over Terminals or Erlangs.

all the pixels enclosed
within the polygon, unless
you choose to use clutter
weights when spreading
traffic into polygons when
you run the Traffic wizard.
Terminals or Erlangs per km.
Points
n/a
Traffic is spread onto

whichever pixel the point is
located.
Terminals or Erlangs.
Terminals or Erlangs.
If a vector file comprises multiple

points, the traffic you define will
be spread over all the points. For
example, if you define 6 terminals
for a vector comprising 3 points,
each point will have 2 terminals.
If a vector file comprises

multiple points, the traffic you
define will be spread to each of
the points. For example, if you
define 6 terminals for a vector
comprising 3 points, each point
will have 6 terminals.
For more information about the units for each technology, see About the Traffic Units
on page 180.
In the case of polygons, traffic can be spread with or without taking account of
clutter weights, determined by an option in step 2 of the Traffic Wizard. If you want
clutter weights to be considered, ensure that clutter weights are selected and specified
on the Clutter tab. For more information, see Creating a Traffic Raster with Specified
Values on page 182.
Setting Options and Values on the Vectors Tab
To set the options and values on the Vectors tab of the Terminal Types dialog box:
1
Select either Absolute or Density.
Select the required vector (line, polygon or point).
Enter a traffic value in the appropriate column.
You are now ready to create a traffic raster.

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9.3.3.3 Using a Combination of the Clutter tab and the Vectors Tab
When you are determining the distribution of traffic for a terminal type, you can use
either the Clutter tab or the Vectors tab. You can also choose to use a combination of
both tabs.
If you choose to do this, any vector-based traffic will be additional to clutter-based
traffic, assuming either:
The Weights option is specified on the terminal type's Clutter tab, some or all of
the clutters types have weightings, and you use a non-zero traffic total value in
step 5 of the Traffic Wizard.
- or The Density option is specified on the terminal type's Clutter tab, and some or all
of the clutters types have traffic density values set (in this case, the traffic total
value in step 5 of the Traffic Wizard is inactive).
If one of the above conditions is true, then the traffic will be spread to any pixels
intersected/enclosed by the vector, in addition to any traffic for the clutter type of
those pixels.
Conversely, if you want the terminal type to be spread into/onto vectors only, ensure
that all values on the terminal type's Clutter tab are set to zero (alternatively, if the
Weights option on the Clutter tab has been specified, you can simply set the traffic
total value in step 5 of the wizard to zero).
9.4 About Traffic Rasters

Traffic Rasters are arrays that store the distribution of traffic over an area. They can be
created either from the information in the Terminal Types or from imported Live
Traffic values. And they can be created with or without respect to network coverage.
Example of Traffic Raster shown with Map Legend
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The creation of Traffic Rasters enables you to:

In the case of a nominal network, obtain initial estimates of the equipment and
configuration needed. By displaying the array on the Map View, you can then
gain a good idea of where to locate your sites.
In the case of a more mature network, you can assess how your current network
performs in terms of capacity. You can check that your site configuration is
sufficient to match the traffic spread over the network.
Also, in the case of 2g networks:
You can capture the traffic from the array and assign it to individual sub-cells, and
then use this data to analyse the capacity required for individual cells in your
network. For this, you use the Static Traffic Analysis.
You can use traffic arrays when creating an Interference Table, which can be used
as an input to ILSA, the automatic Frequency Planning tool, or for the Interactive
Frequency Analysis.
And, in the case of 3g and 2g networks when using the Simulator, you need Traffic
Rasters as a vital input to analyse your network performance.
9.4.1 About Vector Attribute Traffic Rasters

You can create a traffic raster to spread attribute values, based on any attribute within
a vector (line, polygon or point). Attributes can include such information as
population data, subscriber numbers, salary information, and so on. For information
on how to define attribute values for vectors, see the ENTERPRISE User Reference
Guide.
When this method of creating a traffic raster is used, the traffic value derives directly
from the selected attribute value, that is, the attribute values automatically become
Erlangs or Terminals, whichever is appropriate to the technology. Therefore, in the
case where a single vector file contains multiple features, each feature may have a
different traffic value, corresponding to its own defined attribute value.
This method of spreading still requires a terminal type to be configured. However,
the traffic parameters specified on the terminal type's Clutter and Vectors tabs are
ignored for the spreading, with the exception of clutter weights, which can optionally
be taken into account when spreading traffic into polygons.
The traffic is spread for all selected vectors that contain the attribute. In the case of
overlapping vectors, the traffic value for each pixel is the sum of the values for each of
the vectors.
The name of the created traffic raster will be the same as the name of the terminal
type (not the name of the attribute). Therefore any raster in memory with that name
will be replaced. This is because only one raster can exist in memory for any one
terminal type.

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9.4.2 About Distributional Statistics

Distributional statistics (such as population) enable you to analyse the coverage of a
selected array with respect to distribution.
When you create a traffic raster, you can use the spread traffic values to incorporate
distributional statistics into the statistical reports. The reporting option is explained in
Generating Statistical Reports for Arrays on page 268.
For this option, the distribution 'units' can either derive from values which have been
spread using a vector attribute traffic raster, or from a traffic raster created using the
clutter and/or vectors tabs on the terminal type. In the latter case, the spread values
(whether in Erlangs or terminals) will be considered as distributed 'units'.
The distributional statistics option can only work on traffic rasters saved to file,
so if you want to use a raster for this purpose, ensure you save the raster after you
have created it.
9.4.3 About the Traffic Units

The traffic units used in the traffic rasters are determined by the technology selected
on the terminal type. This table lists the technology types and which units they use:
Technology
Traffic Units
GSM Non-Sim
E (Erlangs)
GSM Sim
T (Terminals)
GPRS, EGPRS
T (Terminals)
UMTS, CDMA2000, EV-DO, GSM/UMTS, WiMAX, LTE
T (Terminals)
9.4.4 About the Additional Traffic Arrays

After you have created a traffic raster, in the case of 2g networks, you can also display
the following arrays on the Map View:
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Type
Description
Traffic per cell
Requires traffic values to be applied to the cells in the Site Database. This can be done using the
2g Traffic Analysis tool, or using the 2g Live Traffic import.
Blocking per cell
Requires traffic values to be applied to the cells in the Site Database. This can be done using the
2g Traffic Analysis tool, or using the 2g Live Traffic import. Also requires the Analysis stage of
Traffic Analysis tool to be run.

Version 7.0
9.5 Creating a Traffic Raster

You can create a traffic raster with any of these three independent methods:
Specified traffic values
Live traffic values
Vector attribute values
Example of Traffic Raster with Map Information pane
Before using the Traffic Wizard, ensure you have:

1
Defined at least one terminal type.
Opened a Map View window that contains the area over which you want to
spread the traffic (unless you prefer to enter co-ordinates).
Created or loaded a coverage array, if restricting the traffic to coverage, or

spreading live traffic.
This step is optional for specified traffic, essential for live traffic, and not
relevant for vector attributes.

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9.5.1 Creating a Traffic Raster with Specified Values

To create a traffic raster with specified traffic values:
1
Check the preliminary steps, as described in Creating a Traffic Raster on page 181.
You should especially check the steps described in Determining the
Distribution of Traffic on page 174.
From the Arrays menu, point to Traffic and click Traffic Wizard.
The following instructions describe the steps in the Traffic Wizard:

1
On step 1, check that your defined area is correct. If you have multiple Map Views
open, the Select View button enables you to click on a different Map View. A
further option is to enter the co-ordinates manually.
On step 2, select one or more terminal types from the list. For each terminal type
you select, a separate traffic array will be created. The traffic units produced by
the raster will depend on the technology set on the terminal type, as explained in
About the Traffic Units on page 180. The Spread Type column indicates whether
you chose weights or density for clutter (if applicable) when you configured the
terminal type.
If you want clutter weights to be taken into account when spreading traffic into
polygons, select the appropriate checkbox, and ensure that clutter weights have
been selected, and specified, on the Clutter tab of the Terminal Types dialog box.
On step 3, choose the required resolution. The processing memory required to

create the raster is shown.
If you are intending to use Restrict to Coverage (see next step), this resolution
must match that of the appropriate coverage array.
On step 4, if you have a coverage array in memory, you can restrict the traffic to be
spread only to the pixels in the Map View where coverage exists. This option is
useful for assessing how your established network performs, enabling you to
assess the current traffic in your network, as well as any projected increases. You
should not use this option if you just want to obtain initial estimates of the site
locations, equipment and configuration needed for a new or expanding network.
To restrict the traffic to coverage:
Select the network traffic you wish to restrict. In the case of 3g traffic, you can
also select the array instance and enter a threshold value for the pilot power
(traffic will only spread to areas where the pilot strength is above this
threshold).
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On step 5, you can specify the amount of traffic units if you used Clutter Weights
when setting up the terminal type. If you used Clutter Density, then these values
are already fixed, making this column inactive.
Any vector-based traffic will be additional to clutter-based traffic, depending

how the terminal type has been configured. For more information, see Using a
Combination of the Clutter tab and the Vectors tab on page 178. If you want the
terminal type to be spread exclusively into/onto vectors, ensure that all values on
the terminal type's Clutter tab are set to zero (or, if the Weights option on the
Clutter tab has been specified, you can simply set the traffic total value in step 5 of
the wizard to zero).
6
Ignore step 6 and click Next. (This separate option is described in Creating a
Vector Attribute Traffic Raster on page 183.)
On step 7, click Finish. You can optionally save the raster to a file. (You can also
choose to do this later by using the Array Manager.)
To display the raster, see Displaying Traffic Rasters on page 185.
9.5.2 Creating a Vector Attribute Traffic Raster

If you have attributes defined for vectors, you can choose to create a vector attribute
traffic raster which can spread traffic into chosen vectors according to their attribute
values.
For more information, see About Vector Attribute Traffic Rasters on page 179.
To create a vector attribute traffic raster:
1
Check the preliminary steps, as described in Creating a Traffic Raster on page 181.
From the Arrays menu, point to Traffic and click Traffic Wizard.
The following instructions describe the steps in the Traffic Wizard:

1
On step 1, check that your defined area is correct. If you have multiple Map Views
open, the Select View button enables you to click on a different Map View. A
further option is to enter the co-ordinates manually.
On step 2, select one or more terminal types from the list. For each terminal type
you select, a separate traffic array will be created. The traffic units produced by
the raster will depend on the technology set on the terminal type, as explained in
About the Traffic Units on page 180.
If you want clutter weights to be taken into account when spreading traffic into
polygons, select the appropriate checkbox, and ensure that clutter weights have
been selected, and specified, on the Clutter tab of the Terminal Types dialog box.

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On step 3, choose the required resolution. The processing memory required to

create the raster is shown.
On step 4, the Restrict to Coverage is irrelevant for this spreading option, so just
click Next.
On step 5, the Traffic Total is irrelevant for this spreading option, so just click
Next.
On step 6, click Select Vectors, then select the appropriate vector(s), and then click
OK. Then select the terminal type(s) and the attribute(s) by clicking in the dropdown list(s).
The traffic will be spread for all selected vectors that contain the chosen
attribute(s). The traffic values are derived directly from the attribute values, that
is, they become Erlangs or Terminals, as appropriate.
Selecting this option overrides any settings in the previous two steps in the
wizard for the specific terminal type(s).
7
On step 7, click Finish. You can optionally save the raster to a file. (You can also
choose to do this later by using the Array Manager.)
To display the raster, see Displaying Traffic Rasters on page 185.
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9.5.3 Displaying Traffic Rasters

To display a traffic raster:
1
Open the Map View window.
Click the Show Data Types button and in the list of data types, under Traffic,
select the Traffic Raster that you require. For example:
If required, you can change the display properties by double-clicking the item.
You can then:
Choose the start colour
Type the Erlang or Terminals value at which you wish to start displaying
traffic
Type in the step interval, for example if you type 10, each colour relates to 10
mE or 10 terminals, as appropriate
Map Information Pane

You can also display the traffic value at the current pixel in the Map Information
pane. This pane displays information related to the specific pixel under the cursor
(location, height, clutter, traffic and so on). As you move the mouse cursor over the
map, the pane displays information related to the specific pixel.
To view the pane:
1
On the Map View window, from the View menu, select Show Map View Gadgets.
In the pane, click the Field Selector button
to change what the pane displays.
9.5.4 Scaling Traffic Rasters

You may want to scale your traffic raster, to project increases in system load over
time. To scale a traffic raster that you have already created:
1
From the Arrays menu, point to Traffic and click Scale Traffic.
Select the required terminal type that you wish to scale.
Enter a scaling factor. For example, to try growing your traffic by 10%, enter 1.1 in
the Scale Factor box.
Select whether you want the scaled traffic to be applied to the same terminal type
traffic array or a different one. For a different array, ensure the Same Array
checkbox is not selected, and choose the required terminal type from the list.
This feature can be particularly useful for sensitivity analysis of nominal network
designs (that is, if the traffic forecast increases by x%), and for predicting where
problems might occur when traffic increases with time. You can also describe GPRS
traffic in relation to CS traffic.

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9.6 Running the Static Traffic Analysis

ASSET can use the data stored in the Traffic Rasters to allocate traffic to sub-cells
according to the distribution of traffic across the region, taking into account the
network coverage, stored in the Best Server array.
So when you have both a Best Server array and Traffic Raster, you can use the Static
Traffic Analysis to predict the effect of the traffic distribution upon the network.
The Static Traffic Analysis allows you to carry out four steps:
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Capture the Traffic. This outputs a report listing traffic values per cell.
Apply the Traffic values to the sub-cells in the Site Database. This populates the
General tab with the calculated traffic values.
Analyse the Carrier Requirements that have been calculated to accommodate the
traffic values on the cells. This outputs a report comparing these carrier
requirements with the current carrier allocations in the database, and shows the
resulting blocking percentages.
Apply the Carriers Requirements to the sub-cells in the Site Database (optional).
This populates the Carriers tab with the calculated carrier requirement values.

Version 7.0
9.6.1 Capturing Traffic and Applying Values to Sub-cells

To capture traffic and apply the values to the sub-cells:
1
Ensure you have created a Best Server array and it is in memory.
Ensure you have created a Traffic Raster and it is in memory. (To capture EGPRS
traffic, you need to create two traffic rasters, one for GPRS traffic and one for
EGPRS traffic.)
From the Tools menu, click Static Traffic Analysis.
Select the Filter that you want to consider.
Click the Capture Traffic button.

This calculates the total traffic captured by the service area of each cell.
ASSET allocates circuit-switched traffic to the Best Serving sub-cell and creates a
report detailing information such as the cell, cell layer and the number of Erlangs
served. The report contains additional information depending on the type of
traffic you have.
For GPRS traffic, the load for each sub-cell is calculated by using the GPRS Best
Server array to detect on what pixels each sub-cell has the strongest signal then
using the traffic to calculate how many of each terminal type within the area.
To populate the Traffic Erlang box in the Site Database with the value captured for
each sub-cell, click the relevant button in the Apply onto Sub-cells pane:
Traffic button to apply CS or GPRS traffic values to the sub-cells
Traffic Mix (EDGE) button to Apply percentage of EGPRS traffic (which uses
the 8-PSK power) to the sub-cells
These values are then stored in the Site Database, in the CS Traffic (E) box on the
General tab for the sub-cell, and/or, if applicable, on the (E)GPRS tab.
To make this traffic available to other users you must commit it in the Site
Database window.
Now you can also calculate the number of carriers required to provide a specific
grade of service.

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9.6.1.1 Example of the Captured Traffic Report

Here is an example of a Captured Traffic report:
Traffic Captured:
Cell
Layer
CS Traffic(E)
Site7A
GSM900
2.73
Site7B
GSM900
4.04
Site7C
GSM900
11.56
Captured Traffic Report
The layer name column refers to the cell layer and not the carrier layer.
9.6.2 Calculating the Carrier Requirements

When you have created a Traffic Raster and captured it to allocate the traffic per subcell, you can calculate the number of carriers required and the level of blocking within
the current allocation. ASSET can define the mapping of the number of traffic
channels to the number of carriers, so you can represent different carrier
configurations and technologies.
To calculate the carriers required:
1
Ensure you have captured the traffic and applied the traffic values onto the subcells.
If the Traffic Analysis dialog box is not already open, from the Tools menu, click
Static Traffic Analysis.
In the Quality of Service pane, choose Erlang B or C and set the quality objective
you wish to design to by specifying the required blocking percentage.
Provide an estimate of the peak busy hour traffic in mErlang per customer
(average subscriber talk time) so that ASSET can estimate the number of
customers for each sub-cell in the analysis.
Click Analyse to calculate the carrier requirements and output a report that details
the cell, cell layer, the number of traffic channels required, the number of carriers
that you require to cope with the amount of traffic, the number of carriers
currently allocated and the current level of blocking.
The main processes of the Static Traffic Analysis are:
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Calculates the number of channels required to service the cell to an

appropriate quality of service using the Erlang B or Erlang C statistical
blocking formula
Converts it to a number of carriers using the Channel to Transceiver Map set

for the appropriate Cell Layer
Calculates an approximation of the number of subscribers served by the cell,

based upon the Traffic per Customer figure

Version 7.0
Optionally, click the Apply Carriers Required on Sub-cells button to apply these
changes on the Carriers page for each sub-cell in the Site Database window. This
uses carrier priorities, so the first priority carrier layer is filled first according to
maximum allocatable carriers, then the second priority and so on.
To make this traffic available to other users you must commit it.
If you have hopping sub-cells, in the dialog box that appears, enter the TRX
Multiplier. If you require fractional loading of the network, you should enter a
value n where 1/n is the fractional load you require.
9.6.2.1 Example of the Traffic Analysis Report

Here is an example of a Traffic Analysis report:
Traffic Analysis using Erlang B
Allowable Blocking - Circuit Switched 1.00%
Traffic per customer: 25.0
Cell Id Cell Layer
Blocking
CS Traffic(E)
TRX Reqd
TRX Alloc
Site7A
GSM900
2.73
1.5
Site7B
GSM900
4.04
6.5
Site7C
GSM900
11.56
47.2
Traffic Analysis Report
9.6.3 Displaying Traffic per Sub-Cell on the Map View

Prerequisites
Ensure you have created a Best Server array and if applicable, for GPRS, a GPRS
Best Server array.
Ensure you have some traffic values for the sub-cells in the Site Database. For
GSM, these values appear on the General tab in the CS Traffic box, as in this
example:
You can do this either by running the first two stages of the Static Traffic Analysis,
or by loading 2g live traffic.
To display 'traffic per sub-cell' on the Map View:
1
In the Map View window, click the Show Data Types button.
In the list of data types, under Traffic, select Traffic per Sub-cell.
Double-click to change the display properties of the item.

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On the Categories tab, change the label, colour, pattern and level of the categories
you set up. The colours are allocated to represent bands of traffic, for example, one
colour might represent cells serving the range 0 to 3 Erlangs, another 3 to 6
Erlangs and so on.
GPRS traffic is displayed as kbits/s. You can display GPRS data rate for the
current allocation of transceivers for each sub-cell.
On the GIS Export tab, select the content type for the GIS Export, and, in the case
of Raster image, the type of output file. For more information, see the
dimensions in which the array will be displayed according to Height or Width
which are defined in the properties for the printer you choose
This diagram shows an example traffic per sub-cell analysis for CS traffic.
Traffic Per Sub-Cell Displayed in the Map View window with Key
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9.6.4 Displaying Blocking Per Sub-Cell on the Map View

Prerequisites
Ensure you have created a Best Server array and if applicable, for GPRS, a GPRS
Best Server array.
Ensure you have some traffic values for the sub-cells in the Site Database. For
GSM, these values appear on the General tab in the CS Traffic box, as in this
example:
You can do this either by running the first two stages of the Static Traffic Analysis,
or by loading 2g live traffic.
To display 'blocking per sub-cell' on the Map View:
1
In the Map View window and click the Show Data Types button.
In the list of data types, under Traffic, select CS Blocking.

Blocking per sub-cell is displayed over the service area of the sub-cell.
Double-click the item to change the display properties.
On the Categories tab, choose a colour, pattern and a level (percentage) for each
blocking item you want to set up. For example, you could display 5% blocking as
yellow, 10% blocking as red or you can choose to display only pixels in bad areas
(any level other than the lowest blocking value).
On the GIS Export tab, select the content type for the GIS Export, and, in the case
of Raster image, the type of output file. For more information, see the
dimensions in which the array will be displayed according to Height or Width
which are defined in the properties for the printer you choose

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This diagram shows blocking in the Map View window.
Blocking Per Sub-Cell displayed in the Map View
The cell boundaries can optionally be highlighted by using the Service Area
(contour) option found under Coverage in the list of data types.
9.6.5 About Channel to Transceiver Maps

Channel to Transceiver maps enable you to specify how many carriers are needed to
provide a required number of traffic channels, starting with the first installed TRX on
a cell. Without a Channel to Transceiver map, it is impossible to accurately determine
the number of carriers needed from the number of traffic channels required because
not every carrier has the full number of timeslots available for traffic (some will be
reserved for control purposes). Channel to Transceiver maps are therefore extremely
important in traffic analysis.
Default Channel to Transceiver maps for GSM, AMPS, TDMA and TETRA are
provided with ASSET. However, if these default maps do not describe the
configuration used in your network or the technology of your network requires a
different configuration, you can create your own Channel to Transceiver maps.
You must select the Channel to Transceiver map you want to use in the Cell
Layers dialog box. Click on the on the Coverage Type tab, and you will see a dropdown box with all the available maps listed. Only one Channel to Transceiver map
can be allocated per cell layer.
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9.6.5.1 Creating Channel to Transceiver Maps

To create a user-defined (non-GPRS) Channel to Transceiver map:
1
From the Configuration menu, point to Lookup Tables and Curves and click
Channels to Transceivers.
Click Add Map and enter a name for the map.
As this map is not for GPRS, when prompted, click No.

In the Default Number of Channels per Transceiver box, enter the total number of
timeslots that you want added each time you add a transceiver (for example,
usually 8 for GSM, 4 for TETRA and so on), then click Apply.
Click Add Transceiver to add a transceiver.

The current value in the Default Number of Channels per Transceiver box is
added to the transceiver, providing a cumulative sum of the number of channels
available for the number of transceivers used.
Select each transceiver in the list and in the Max Traffic Channels box, enter the
maximum number of traffic channels that it can support, so for example, the first
few transceiver might have 7 timeslots for traffic, the fourth transceiver might
have the full 8, as in the Standard GSM map:
Click Apply.
The maximum number of traffic channels available is the maximum number of
channels available per transceiver minus the number of signalling and control
channels required to support the maximum number of traffic channels.
Repeat this until you have reached the maximum number of carriers that cells in
your network will contain.
Select your new Channel to Transceiver map in the Cell Layers dialog box. Click
on the on the Coverage Type tab, and you will see a drop-down list with all the
available maps listed. Only one Channel to Transceiver map can be allocated per
cell layer.

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To edit a user-defined Channel to Transceiver map:

1
Select the map you want to edit (you cannot change the default channel maps).
Select the transceiver you want to edit.
For non-GPRS channel maps, change the maximum number of channels and click
Apply.
You cannot specify a maximum number of channels that is less than the
previous maximum number of channels.
Click Close.
Make sure the correct Channel to Transceiver map is selected in the Cell Layers
dialog box.
For GPRS, you can either use create a GPRS map, or you may choose to use one of
the GSM defaults. If you want to create a GPRS map, see Creating Channel to
Transceiver Maps for GPRS on page 194.
9.6.5.2 Creating Channel to Transceiver Maps for GPRS

To create a GPRS Channel to Transceiver map:
1
Click Add Map and enter a name for the map.
As this map is for GPRS, when prompted, click Yes.
In the Default Number of Channels Per Carrier box, enter the default number of
timeslots that a transceiver usually supports then click Apply.
Click Add Transceiver to add a transceiver with the number of timeslots specified.
Here is an example:
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To change the information in the columns, select a transceiver then click Edit Map.
You can specify:
Total number of channels (No.)
Amount of dedicated GPRS capacity (Ngprs)
Number of shared control channels (Nctrl)
Number of GPRS control channels (Ngprsctrl)
The number of circuit switched traffic channels (Ncs) is automatically updated.

7
Click OK to close the GPRS Map Editor.
Select your new Channel to Transceiver map in the Cell Layers dialog box. Click
on the on the Coverage Type tab, and you will see a drop-down box with all the
cell layer.
To edit a user-defined GPRS Channel to Transceiver map:

1
Select the map you want to edit.
Select the transceiver you want to edit.
For GPRS channel maps, click Edit Map and change the items as required.
Click Close.
Make sure the correct Channel to Transceiver map is selected in the Cell Layers
dialog box.

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Defining Terminal Types
Creating Traffic Rasters
Performing a Traffic Analysis
Additional Notes:
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SECTION 10
10 Planning Neighbours
Creating neighbours manually
Using simple file lists to add or remove neighbours
Creating neighbours using the Neighbour Planning Wizard
Amending the neighbour-related parameters
Using the Neighbour Analysis
Displaying neighbours in the Map View
Converting neighbours to mutual relationships
10.2 About Neighbours in ASSET

ASSET enables you to create neighbour relationships between cells in several different
ways, in order to suit your individual network. For example, you can create
neighbours manually, in the Site Database or in the Map View. Alternatively, you can
use a simple list of neighbour relationships from a Comma Separated Value (*.csv)
file.
You can also take advantage of ASSETs automatic neighbour planning wizards,
which can generate neighbour relations between cells of the same (or different)
technologies and carriers according to a wide range of user-specified parameters. The
results can then be edited manually and then saved to the database. This speeds up
the process by providing a first pass set of neighbours per cell for examination by an
experienced engineer, so that manual adjustments can be made prior to
implementation.
In addition, the neighbour analysis feature can be used to view all the relationships
currently existing in the Site Database. You can also examine the differences, on a cell
by cell basis, between the database and any new potential neighbouring data that has
been generated or loaded.
Furthermore, import/exporting of neighbours via XML files is possible, and this can
be used to either represent or update the live network.

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10.3 Creating Neighbours

There are several ways to create neighbours in ASSET:
Manually, in the Map View window, or in the Site Database
Using one of the Neighbour Planner wizards and the Neighbour Analysis
(You can also create neighbours from within the Neighbour Analysis dialog box)
Importing/Exporting via XML files
Using a simple list of neighbour relationships from a Comma Separated Value
(*.csv) file
10.3.1
Creating Neighbours in the Map View
To create neighbour relationships in the Map View:

1
Click the down arrow on the Associations toolbox, and then click the Add
Neighbour Cell button
Click a cell that requires new neighbours.
Click the new neighbour cell.

Neighbour relations are created and are automatically applied to the Site
Database.
You can continue to add neighbour cells to the same site.
Apply and commit your changes as required.

The neighbour relations created in this manner are set as outward only. If you
require mutual neighbours, you must add the reverse relationship in the same
way, or you can use the Make All Mutual option in the Neighbour Analysis.
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10.3.2
Creating Neighbours in the Site Database
To create neighbour relations in the Site Database window:

1
Open the Site Database window and select the appropriate cell.
On the Neighbours tab, click the Add button to add a new neighbour relationship.
In the Neighbour Chooser dialog box that appears, you can specify any of these
items:
Item
Description
Filter
This enables you to filter the cells that you want to be included in the Find operation for
potential neighbours. The All filter is the default.
Cell ID
You can use this edit box to type the ID of the potential neighbouring cell(s), and the type
of expression: Substring, Regular expression or Exact (case-sensitive or otherwise). You
can also type a comma-separated list of IDs, if you want to find a multiple set of cells.
When using the Cell ID option, it may be wise to set the Filter to 'All'.
Distance (km)
The maximum distance from the potential neighbour.
Max Relative Bearing
The maximum relative bearing from the potential neighbour.
Technology
The technology used on the potential neighbour.
When satisfied with your selection criteria, click Find.

A list of the cells that meet the criteria appears.
This list always excludes any neighbour relationships already existing in the
database.
Choose the cells that you wish to use for the neighbour relationships by selecting
the required cell IDs. If required, you can also specify Mutual, Inward or
Outward.
If you want to set any of the neighbour parameters for the selected neighbours,
you can click the Set Values button.
The Set Parameters dialog box appears, enabling you to specify margins,
protection, planning status, and priority. When you have finished, click OK.
In the Neighbour Chooser dialog box, click OK.
The neighbour relationships are added, with the parameters that you have specified.
Tips :
You can amend the parameters for the neighbour relations at any time. See
Amending Neighbour Parameters in the Site Database on page 200.
You can also customise how the neighbour relationship columns are displayed on
the Neighbours tab. See the following section.

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10.3.2.1
Customising the Columns on the Neighbour Tab
When you are viewing the lists of neighbours for cells on the Neighbour tab in the
Site Database, you can:
Specify which columns to display
Set the column widths
Re-order the columns left to right
To do this:
1
On the Neighbour tab, right-click on any column heading and select Choose
Details from the context menu.
In the dialog box that appears, select the columns you want to show, and deselect
those you want to hide (the Show/Hide buttons can be used if preferred).
Set a column width for your selected items.
Use the Move Up/Down buttons to re-order the selected columns.
Click OK.
In the Site Database window, the columns will be displayed according to your
requirements.
You can also sort the rows in the neighbour list by double-clicking any of the
column headings (for example, sort by Cell ID, Direction, or Priority).
10.3.2.2
Amending Neighbour Parameters in the Site Database
If you want to modify any of the neighbour-related parameters for neighbours that
already exist, you can do this on the Neighbours tab of the Site Database. You can
either:
Individually edit the appropriate parameters by clicking in the boxes in the
relevant columns
Using the Set Values button, which can be used for individual or groups of
neighbours
The parameters can be set separately for outward/inward relations.
These parameters include:
Hysteresis Margin
Protection State
Planning Status
Priority
Editing these settings always depends on your object user-permissions for the cells
affected by the outward/inward relations.
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To do this for individual neighbours, using the edit boxes:

1
Click on the appropriate edit box of the neighbour: Margin (Out/In), Protection
State (Out/In), Planning Status (Out/In), or Priority (Out/In).
For Margin or Priority, edit the value. For Protection or Planning Status, choose
'Yes/No' or 'Live/Planned' (respectively) from the drop-down box.
To do this for individual or groups of neighbours, using the Set Values button:
1
Select the cell or cells for which you want to amend the parameters.
Click the Set Values button.
In the Set Parameters dialog box that appears, specify the required parameters for
the selected cell(s). These can be set separately for outward/inward relations.
When you have finished, click OK.
10.4 Using a Simple CSV File to Add or Remove

Neighbours
One way of setting up neighbours in ASSET is to perform an XML import, and then
make manual additions or deletions, using either the Site Database or the Neighbour
Analysis functionality.
However, these manual amendments can take some time. Therefore, in circumstances
where you know exactly which neighbours you want to add or remove, ASSET
provides an easy way to do this, using a simple list of neighbour relationships.
The file you need for this is a Comma Separated Value (*.csv) file. The format of the
file is very simple.
All neighbour relationships specified in the file (whether adding or removing)
must be outward.
For GSM, UMTS and LTE, the format comprises four columns. The first row needs to
contain the column heading information, as follows:
Cell_ID,Technology,Nbr_Cell_ID,Technology
The subsequent rows contain the neighbour data.
The first line must contain the column heading information.
Here is an example:
Example of file format that can be used for GSM, UMTS and LTE

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10.5 About the Neighbour Planning Wizards

ASSETs automatic Neighbour Planning Wizards enable you to generate neighbour
relations between cells of the same (or different) technologies and carriers according
to a wide range of user-specified parameters. This can be a very useful way of
achieving a 'first pass' set of neighbours for each cell.
There are two neighbour wizards available:
Prediction-based
Measurement-based (subject to an additional licence)
The former method uses information from the prediction coverage arrays, the latter
use information from imported measurement data files.
As the measurement-based wizard is licence-based, this course only covers the
prediction-based wizard.
After the prediction-based wizard has been run, the proposed set of neighbour
relationships can be viewed in a neighbour analysis window. This enables you to
examine the differences, on a cell by cell basis, between relationships already existing
in the database and the new potential neighbouring data that has been generated or
loaded. If you are satisfied with the results, you can update the changes to the
database from within the neighbour analysis window. Further manual adjustments
can be made in this window prior to updating the database. You can also save any of
your plans, and reload them and use them to update the database as required at any
time.
How a List of Valid Neighbours is Calculated
The algorithm takes place in two discrete stages:
1
A 'search area' is established for each source cell included in the neighbour
planning wizard, identifying the pixels to be included. This is based on a
combination of hysteresis margin and signal and/or quality thresholds
(depending on the plan type).
The calculation of potential target neighbour cells takes place, according to userdefined criteria. Within the search area, on a pixel-by-pixel basis, the neighbour
wizard calculates a list of valid neighbours (target cells).
The Neighbour Planning Wizard only creates outward neighbour relationships,

but, of course, these are 'mirrored' by inward neighbour relationships for the
corresponding cells.
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10.5.1
Using the Prediction-based Neighbour Wizard
The Prediction-based Neighbour wizard is available for GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000,

EV-DO, LTE or Mobile WiMAX, as well as a range of inter-technology neighbour
plans, such as GSM-UMTS, UMTS-LTE, LTE-CDMA, and so on.
Before you use the wizard, you should consider performing a Commit All on the
Site Database. This would enable you to perform a Restore All to return to the
previous configuration, if necessary.
To plan neighbours using the Prediction-based Neighbour wizard:
1
Open the Map View window and display the area and cells that you wish to
include in the plan.
From the Tools menu, point to Neighbours, then Neighbour Wizard, and click
Prediction Based.
In the first step of the wizard, check that the region for the plan is correct. If
necessary, you can modify the area by entering precise co-ordinates.
Click Next and select the filters that you wish to plan for. You can either use the
filters that already appear in the Map View, or select filters from the checkboxes
provided.
Whichever option you use, only cells included in the chosen map region will
be included in the plan.
Click Next and select the Plan Type you wish to use, and set the required
parameters. For more information about this, see Setting the Prediction-based
Neighbour Plan Parameters on page 204.
The plan types will vary depending on the technologies enabled in your
project. If you use more than one plan type in the wizard, the results will be
combined in the resulting Neighbour Analysis.
Click Next and you can choose to:
Start the Neighbour Analysis immediately after the wizard has finished
Save the list of valid neighbours in a *.xml file (this list will be automatically
stored in memory, but you can choose to save it now or later)
Click Next. A summary page will appear. If you are satisfied with the settings,
click Finish.
If you have selected to automatically start the analysis, the neighbours are displayed
in the Neighbour Analysis dialog box. For more information about this, see About the
Neighbour Analysis on page 206.
To start the Neighbour Analysis at any other time, from the Tools menu, point to
Neighbours and click Neighbour Analysis.

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10.5.2
Setting the Prediction-based Neighbour Plan Parameters
When you are planning neighbours using the Prediction-based Neighbour Wizard,
you can set specific options and parameters depending on your plan type. This
enables you to model the characteristics of your network more accurately.
The parameters, some of which are specific to the plan type, are described in the
following sections.
Search Area Parameters
This table describes the parameters for establishing the search area of the source cell:
Plan Type
Search Area
Parameters
Description
All
Handover hysteresis margin This is a network parameter whose purpose is to prevent repetitive re-selection of
the serving cell. It defines the maximum allowed difference between the signal
strength of the serving cell and the best signal, in order that the serving cell can
keep serving a terminal even when its signal is not the best one.
In the Neighbour Wizard, this margin is used to determine the amount of source
cells to be compared against target cells in each pixel. For example, if the margin
is set to 3dB, then the source cells can be defined as 'all cells whose signal
strength is within 3dB of the Best Serving signal at that pixel'.
For each pixel, the threshold parameter/s (below) must also be satisfied.
Signal or Quality
Threshold(s)
Only pixels containing values (signal strengths or quality, as appropriate) equal to

or higher than the threshold will be included in the resulting search area, provided
that the handover hysteresis margin is also satisfied.
All pixels below the threshold will be excluded.
Target Cells Parameters

Within the search area, on a pixel-by-pixel basis, the wizard finds potential target
cells, and creates a list of valid neighbours for the source cell.
This table describes the parameters for the selection of valid target neighbour cells:
Plan Type
Target Cells
Parameters
Description
GSM-GSM
Neighbour planning margin

(dB)
In each pixel, the signal strength difference between the source cell and target cell
is calculated. This value is then compared to this margin, and the difference is
converted into a handover probability factor (based on a normal distribution
formula). These factors are summed to find the net handover probability for each
target cell on the whole search area. Depending on the other qualifying criteria,
the target cell may qualify as a valid neighbour.
GSM-UMTS
RSCP Threshold and Ec/Io

Threshold
In each pixel, the target cell must satisfy both the RSCP Threshold and the Ec/Io
Threshold.
UMTS-GSM
GSM Signal Threshold
In each pixel, the target cell must satisfy the GSM Signal Threshold.
RSRP Threshold and

RSRQ Threshold
In each pixel, the target cell must satisfy both the RSRP Threshold and the RSRQ
Threshold.
RSCP Threshold and Ec/Io

Threshold
In each pixel, the target cell must satisfy both the RSCP Threshold and the Ec/Io
Threshold.
LTE-GSM
GSM-LTE
UMTS-LTE
LTE-UMTS
LTE-CDMA
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Plan Type
Target Cells
Parameters
Description
All
Maximum number of
covering cells
The maximum number of target cells that are considered at each pixel during the
neighbour calculations. At a pixel-by-pixel level, this parameter determines how
many 'sets' of covering cell data are to be evaluated for potential neighbours.
Maximum distance
In order to qualify as a valid neighbour, a target cell must be within this specified
distance.
Maximum number of
neighbouring cells
The maximum number of neighbouring cells that can qualify as valid neighbours
for the source cell. (The overlapping percentage ranking determines which
neighbours qualify.)
This parameter is unavailable for LTE-GSM, because, for this plan type, cellspecific neighbour limits can be set in the Site Database.
Minimum overlapping (%)
A target cell must attain at least n% of the overlapping area (the net handover
probability) to qualify as a valid neighbour.
If you also select the minimum number option (below), this simply means that if
the number of valid neighbours attaining >n% is less than the specified minimum
number, other target cells (attaining <n%) will be added as valid neighbours, until
the minimum is satisfied.
All the supporting criteria must also be satisfied.
Minimum number of
neighbouring cells
This option can be used to ensure a minimum number of neighbours for each
source cell, even if the percentage (above) is not attained. This must be less than
or equal to the specified maximum. For LTE-GSM, this value is always limited by
the cell-specific neighbour limits set in the Site Database.
All the supporting criteria must also be satisfied.
Standard Deviation (dB)
Enables you to set a generic standard deviation for the signal strength/quality (as
appropriate). Otherwise, the parameter on the target cell's assigned propagation
model will be used (or, if the model has no such parameter, 7dB will be used).
Force co-located cells as

neighbours
If you select this option, cells that exist on sites belonging to the same Property
will automatically qualify as valid neighbours.
Resolution for all plans
The map resolution for the plan(s).

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10.6 About the Neighbour Analysis

The Neighbour Analysis dialog box displays the neighbour data differences, on a cell
by cell basis, between the database and the neighbour plan that has been
automatically generated (or loaded). It can also be used at any time to display the
relationships currently existing in the Site Database. This picture shows an example
Neighbour Analysis:
Example Neighbour Analysis dialog box
You can use the Neighbour Analysis to:

Identify any discrepancies with the existing neighbours, after planning neighbours
using one of the Neighbour Wizards.
Load the neighbour lists that are used in the live network into the database, and
then compare them to those that have been generated by the Neighbour Wizards.
Analyse the effects of new sites and cells, seeing where new relationships need to
be added and where current relationships have become obsolete, then update the
database as appropriate.
Use the editing functionality (also available in the Site Database) such as:
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Adding/removing neighbours
Making one-way relationships mutual
Modifying neighbour-related parameters

Version 7.0
View the neighbour relationships currently existing in the Site Database.

Display the 'Proposed and Existing' neighbours on the Map View (even if not
Applied to the database).
Generate a neighbours report.
Generate a delta export text file.
If you used more than one plan type in the Neighbour Planning Wizard, the
results are combined in the Neighbour Analysis.
10.6.1
Performing a Neighbour Analysis
The Neighbour Analysis dialog box is interactive. You can use it to add or remove
neighbours, and edit a variety of neighbour-related parameters.
If you have created neighbours using the Neighbour wizard, and have selected to
automatically display the Neighbour Analysis window after planning, you can view it
immediately. Alternatively, you can generate the Neighbour Analysis window at any
other time (including if you have created neighbours manually, without using the
wizard).
It is wise to perform a Commit All on the Site Database before you use the
Neighbour Analysis. This would enable you to perform a Restore All to return to the
previous configuration, if necessary.
To perform the neighbour analysis:
1
From the Tools menu, point to Neighbours and click Neighbour Analysis.
In the Neighbour Analysis window, from the cell list in the left pane, select any
cell and then, in the neighbour list in the right pane, you can view information
relating to the neighbour cells.
If you have run the Neighbour Planning Wizard, or loaded a saved plan, the Filter
option allows you to view other cells that were not in the planned filter. However,
if you want to only view cells that were included in the generated plan, you can
select the Display Proposed Cells Only option. If required, while you are in this
display mode, you can click the 'Set All Priority' button. This will automatically
assign priorities for the neighbour relationships for each cell. An integer value (1,
2, 3 and so on) will be assigned, corresponding to the relative attained percentage
overlap value of each neighbour.
There are also three basic display options: Proposed, Existing, Proposed and
Existing. There is also a fourth option to display all neighbours excluding any
user-deleted ones. However, it is recommended that you generally use the
'Proposed and Existing' display mode within this dialog box.
The display option is only for visual purposes and does not play any part in
limiting which neighbours are updated if/when you click the 'Update Database'
or the 'Make All Mutual' buttons.

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The different display options for the neighbouring cells are described in the
following table:
This Option
Proposed
Existing
Displays
Neighbour relationships that are in the generated neighbour plan, but do not currently
exist in the Site Database.
Neighbour relationships added manually in the Neighbour Analysis.
Neighbour relationships that currently exist in the Site Database, but are not in the generated
neighbour plan.
Proposed and Existing All neighbour relationships. That is, those that:
Are newly proposed in the generated neighbour plan, or
Currently exist in the Site Database, or
Have been added manually in the Neighbour Analysis
Delta plan
All Proposed-only neighbours relationships, excluding any user-deleted ones. In other words,
this option can be considered as a way of viewing the differences between Proposed
relationships and Existing relationships.
If you want to make some or all of your neighbour relationships mutual, see
Converting Inward/Outward Neighbours to Mutual on page 219.
The Neighbour Analysis automatically sets an 'Action (Inward)' and 'Action

(Outward)' for each neighbouring cell. The different categories are described in the
following table:
This Action
Corresponds to
Create
Newly proposed neighbour relationships that do not currently exist in the Site Database (these
may be have been generated by the wizard, or added manually in the Neighbour Analysis).
Such relationships remain in the 'Create' state, even if their neighbour-related parameters
have also been changed in the Neighbour Analysis.
Keep
Neighbour relationships which already exist in the Site Database and will not be changed
(unless manually selected to be removed).
Remove
Neighbour relationships (proposed or existing) that have been manually selected in the
Neighbour Analysis to be removed.
Removals can be undone using the Undo Changes button.
Update
Existing neighbour relationships that have had their neighbour-related parameters changed in
the Neighbour Analysis, such as margin, priority, and so on.
Any newly proposed neighbour relationships (that is, not already existing in the database)
will always show as 'Create' rather than 'Update', even if their parameters have been changed.
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Here is an example of the State and Action columns:
10.6.1.1
Updating the Database from a Neighbour Plan
When you have performed a Neighbour Analysis, you can choose to update the
database with the changes from within the analysis. This may include changes made
by the Neighbour Wizard (such as new or removed relationships) and/or changes
that you have made manually in the analysis.
When you update the database with the neighbour relationships generated by the
plan, you can do this in two distinct ways:
If you manually right-click on individual cells and use the 'Update Selected Cell(s)
to DB' option, this operation applies all the changes marked as 'create', 'remove'
and 'update'. It does this for those selected cells only.
You may find this option useful, for example, if you want to create some
neighbours for one or several new sites but not modify a very carefully optimised
neighbour plan that already exists for the 'live' sites.
If you use the Update Database button, this operation applies all the changes
marked as 'create', 'remove' and 'update'. It does this for all the appropriate cells in
the Neighbour Analysis, regardless of the selected filter and regardless of the
display option.
You should be aware of any neighbour limits that may be active in the project. If
any limits are active, the provisional neighbour relationships appear as normal in the
Neighbour Analysis, but, for cells where limits would become exceeded, they cannot
be included in a database update.

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10.6.1.2
Customising the Columns in the Neighbour Analysis
When you are viewing the lists of neighbours for cells in the Neighbour Analysis
dialog box, you can:
To do this:
1
In the Neighbour Analysis dialog box, in the right-hand pane, right-click on any
column heading and select Choose Details from the context menu.
Click OK.
In the Neighbour Analysis dialog box, the columns will be displayed according to
your requirements.
You can also sort the rows in the neighbour list by double-clicking any of the
column headings (for example, sort by Cell ID, Direction, or Priority).
10.6.1.3
Creating Neighbours in the Neighbour Analysis
You can add inward, outward or mutual neighbours to a cell in the Neighbour
Analysis dialog box. The method is the same as the one on the Neighbour tab of the
Site Database.
To do this:
1
Select the cell (in the left pane) for which you want to create a neighbour.
Click Create.
In the Neighbour Chooser dialog box that appears, specify these items:
Item
Description
Filter
This enables you to filter the cells that you want to be included in the Find operation. The All
filter is the default.
Cell ID
You can use this edit box to type the ID of the potential neighbouring cell(s), and the type of
expression: Substring, Regular expression or Exact (case-sensitive or otherwise). You can
also type a comma-separated list of IDs, if you want to find a multiple set of cells.
When using the Cell ID option, it may be wise to set the Filter to 'All'.
Page 210
Distance (km)
The maximum distance from the potential neighbour.
Max Relative Bearing
The maximum relative bearing from the potential neighbour.
Technology
The technology used on the potential neighbour.

Version 7.0
When satisfied with your selection criteria, click Find.

A list of the cells that meet the criteria appears.
This list always excludes any neighbour relationships already existing in the
database.
Choose the cells that you wish to use for the neighbour relationships by selecting
the required cell IDs. If required, you can also specify Mutual, Inward or
Outward.
If you want to set any of the neighbour parameters for the selected neighbours,
you can click the Set Values button.
The Set Parameters dialog box appears, enabling you to specify margins, planning
status, and priority. When you have finished, click OK.
In the Neighbour Chooser dialog box, click OK.

The neighbour relations are added (or updated) in the Neighbour Analysis dialog
box.
To update the database with the changes that you have made, click Update
Database. This adds all the neighbour relationships marked in the Neighbour
Analysis as 'create' to the Site Database (and removes any marked as 'remove').
The changes will be in the Applied state.
10.6.1.4
Amending Parameters in the Neighbour Analysis
You can use the Neighbour Analysis dialog box to update the neighbour-related
parameters for individual neighbours or groups of neighbours (the parameters can be
set separately for outward/inward relations).
These include:
Hysteresis Margin (GSM only)
Planning Status
Priority
Notes:
Editing these settings always depends on your object user-permissions for the cells
affected by the outward/inward relations.
The protection state cannot be edited here (for information on editing this, see the
ASSET User Reference Guide).
To do this for individual neighbours, using the edit boxes:
1
Click on the appropriate edit box of the neighbour: Margin (Out/In), Planning
Status (Out/In), or Priority (Out/In).
For Margin or Priority, edit the value. For Planning Status, choose Live or Planned
from the drop-down box.

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To do this for individual or groups of neighbours, using the Set Parameters dialog
box:
1
Select the cell or cells (in the right pane) for which you want to amend the
parameters.
Click the Set Values button.
In the dialog box that appears, specify the required parameters for the selected
cell(s). These can be set separately for outward/inward relations.
When you have finished, click OK.
For individual neighbours, you can open the Set Parameters dialog box by doubleclicking on the row containing the appropriate neighbour.
10.6.1.5
Removing Neighbours in the Neighbour Analysis
You can use the Neighbour Analysis dialog box to remove individual neighbours, or
remove groups of neighbours for a particular cell, or remove all neighbours within
the analysis. The right pane enables you to 'hand-pick' neighbours, whereas the left
pane enables you to choose (sub)sets of neighbours relating to a particular cell.
Removing Neighbours by using Individual Selections
1
In the right pane, select the neighbour(s) you wish to remove.
Click Remove (the right pane button).
In the dialog box that appears, select Outward, Inward or All.
Click OK to confirm.
In the Neighbour Analysis, any deletions will have their appropriate Action
column(s) set to 'remove'.
Removing All neighbours of a Cell or All Neighbours within the Analysis
1
In the left pane, select the appropriate cell(s).

- or At the top of the left pane, click the Select All button.
At the bottom of the left pane, click the Remove button.
In the dialog box that appears, select the type of neighbours to remove:
Direction: Outward, Inward or all
Status: Proposed, Existing or all
Technology: Intra, Inter or all
In the Neighbour Analysis, any deletions will have their appropriate Action
column(s) set to 'remove'.
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Any neighbours with their Action column(s) marked as 'remove' will not be
deleted from the database until you click the Update Database button. The Update
Database operation applies all the neighbour removals to all the appropriate cells in
the Neighbour Analysis, regardless of the selected filter and regardless of the display
option.
10.6.1.6
Undoing the Changes that You Have Made
Before updating the database with your changes, you can selectively undo:
Any neighbours that have been set to be removed
Any neighbour parameters, such as margin or priority changes
To do this:
In the right pane of the Neighbour Analysis:
1
Select the neighbour(s) for which you wish to undo the changes.
Click Undo Changes.
In the dialog box that appears, select Outward, Inward or All.
In the Neighbour Analysis, the selected neighbour(s) will have the appropriate Action
column(s) set to 'keep' or 'create' (as appropriate)'.
10.6.1.7
Generating Reports in the Neighbour Analysis
You can generate two types of report from the Neighbour Analysis.
Neighbour Report
This report format can either be Microsoft
List.
Excel
Text File or Comma-Separated
To do this:
1
In the Neighbour Analysis dialog box, click the Generate Report button.
Select the report format, and click OK.
The neighbour report is generated.

The content of the neighbour report is reactive to both the selected filter and the
display option mode. That is, the report will only show the neighbour relationships
included in the filter and within the display option (Proposed, Existing, and so on).
This flexibility enables you to limit the report to the items of interest.

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Delta Export Report

The delta export report will show the differences between a neighbour plan created
using the Neighbour Planning Wizard and the neighbour plan in the Site Database.
This export only contains neighbour relationships that have been created or removed in
the plan. It can also include create/remove changes that you make manually in the
Neighbour Analysis, provided the Delta Export button is clicked after making such
changes.
To do this:
1
In the Neighbour Analysis dialog box, click the Delta Export button.
Browse for a destination folder, and then click Save.

A default file name appears, but you can edit this.
Check that the file name and destination path are as required.
Click Export.
The delta export report is generated to a text file.

The file format is described in this example:
Source Cell
Target Cell
Action
Identity
GSM ID or
Cell ID (UMTS)
Identity
GSM ID or
Cell ID (UMTS)
1=Add
0=Remove
SITE7C
123lon
SITE8C
456lon
SITE8B
789lon
SITE7C
123lon
The content of the delta export report is reactive to the selected filter but it is not
reactive to the display option mode. That is, the report will only show the
create/remove differences for those neighbour relationships included in the filter, but
it disregards the display option (Proposed, Existing, and so on).
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10.7 Displaying Neighbours

All the neighbour relationships of a cell appear on the Neighbour tab of the Site
Database.
Example of Neighbours tab
You can also display neighbours on the Map View in several ways:
All neighbours
Neighbours for individual cells
Neighbours that are proposed by the Neighbour Analysis
Live/planned neighbours
10.7.1
Displaying All Neighbours
This display method requires you to hover the mouse over each cell's azimuth to
display its neighbours.
To display all neighbours in the Map View window:
1
In the list of Data Types, expand Neighbours/Exceptions, then expand Hand Over
Neighbours.
Select the All Neighbours option.
Click the OK & Redraw button.
Move the mouse over each cell's azimuth to display its neighbours.
The Map View is updated as you move the mouse.

You can also customise how the neighbours are displayed, as described in
Customising the Display of Neighbours on page 218.
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10.7.2
Displaying Neighbours for an Individual Cell
This display method enables you to display an individual cell's neighbours on the
Map View. To do this:
1
In the bottom-left of the Site Design toolbar (on the left of the Map View), click the
down arrow on the Associations toolbox, and then click the Display Neighbour
button as shown here:
Select the appropriate cell on the Map View.

The neighbour relationships are displayed as lines between the cells as shown in
this example:
Example of Map View with lines showing neighbour relationships
You can show or hide the displayed item by selecting/deselecting the relevant
checkbox.
You can also customise how the neighbours are displayed, as described in the
following section.
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10.7.3
Cross-referencing the Neighbour Analysis with the Map

View
When you are viewing the contents of the Neighbour Analysis dialog box, you can
display the 'Proposed and Existing' neighbours on the Map View, even if you have
not yet Applied the proposed neighbours to the database.
This may be very useful in aiding you to assess the proposed new relationships.
To do this:
1
Select the 'Render on 2D View' option in the Neighbour Analysis dialog box.
In the list of Data Types, expand Neighbours/Exceptions, then expand Hand Over
Neighbours.
Select the Neighbours from Analysis option.
Move the mouse over each cell's azimuth to display its neighbours.
The Map View is updated as you move the mouse, and the respective cell is
highlighted automatically in the Neighbour Analysis.
Conversely, you can also click on any cell in the left pane of the Neighbour Analysis,
and the Map View updates accordingly.
Here is an example:
Example of cross-referencing the Neighbour Analysis with the Map View

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10.7.4
Customising the Display of Neighbours
When you are displaying neighbours (all neighbours or neighbours for individual
cells), you can customise how the line colours/weights/styles are displayed in the
Map View. To do this:
1
In the Data Types list, expand Neighbours/Exceptions, then expand Hand Over
Neighbours.
Double-click the required item. The Display Properties dialog box appears.
If you chose the 'All Neighbours' item, you can filter on a network type.
Select the neighbour technology types that you want to view on the map and click
the relevant Set Display button.
In the dialog box that appears, choose a line colour and line weight for the
neighbour type. If required, you can then define different styles and arrow types
for mutual, outward-only and inward-only neighbours.
For example, you could use a solid line style for the mutual neighbours, and
broken line styles for the non-mutual neighbours (the arrows are optional).
If you want to view the planning status (Live or Planned) of the neighbour
relations, select the relevant checkboxes, and then set distinctive line
characteristics and click OK.
You must also select the required neighbour technology type(s). Where
appropriate, the planning status display settings always override the neighbour
technology type display settings.
If you want to display 2nd order neighbours (neighbours of neighbours), click the
2nd Order tab, select the checkbox, then set the line characteristics and click OK.
When you have finished in the Display Properties dialog box, click OK.
In the Data Types list, ensure the required item is selected.
The Map View is updated.

If you chose All Neighbours, you need to move the mouse over each cell's azimuth
to display its neighbours.
To stop displaying the neighbours, simply deselect the relevant checkbox, and
Redraw.
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10.8 Committing All First Order Neighbours of a

Cell
You can select any cell in the Site Database and Commit all the First Order
Neighbours of that cell. To do this:
1
In the Site Database, select a cell and right-click.
From the menu that appears, select Commit All 1st Order Neighbours.
All the cells which are First Order neighbours of that cell, and currently in the
Applied state, will be promoted to the Committed state.
Notes :
Only the first order neighbouring cells will be Committed. The originating cell will
not be Committed by this action.
This action Commits the neighbouring relationship and any other applied
parameters existing on the neighbouring cells.
10.9 Converting Inward/Outward Neighbours to

Mutual
You can convert inward or outward neighbours to be mutual neighbours. You can do
this either in the Site Database or in the Neighbour Analysis.
In the Site Database you can convert:
Individually selected neighbours
In the Neighbour Analysis you can convert:
Individually selected neighbours
All the neighbours within the analysis
10.9.1
Converting Neighbours in the Site Database
In the Site Database you can convert inward and outward neighbours to be mutual
neighbours. To do this:
1
Open the Site Database window and select the appropriate cell.
On the Neighbours tab, select the neighbour(s) that you want to make mutual.
You can select more than one neighbour at a time by holding down the Shift or
Ctrl key on your keyboard and then selecting the neighbours you require.
Click the Make Mutual button.

The new outward or inward relationship(s) will be created accordingly, and the
Direction of the appropriate neighbour(s) will show as 'Mutual' in the Site
Database window.
Commit your changes as required.

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10.9.2
Converting Neighbours using the Neighbour Analysis
There are various ways of making neighbours mutual within the Neighbour Analysis.
Converting Individually Selected Neighbours
1
In the right pane, select the neighbour(s) that you want to make mutual.
You can select more than one neighbour at a time by holding down the Shift or
Ctrl key on your keyboard and then selecting the neighbours you require.
Click the Make Mutual button.

The new outward or inward relationship(s) will be created accordingly, and the
Direction column of the appropriate neighbour(s) will display as 'Mutual'.
To apply this change, click Update Database.
Converting All Neighbours of a Cell or All Neighbours

1
In the left pane, select the appropriate cell(s).

- or At the top of the left pane, click the Select All button.
At the bottom of the left pane, click the Make All Mutual button.
In the dialog box that appears, select the type of neighbours to make mutual.
Status: Proposed, Existing or All
Technology: Intra, Inter or All
Intra technology carrier: Intra, Inter or All (not applicable to 2g)
The changes takes place for all the selected cells, regardless of the display
option in the right pane.
4
The new outward or inward relationships will be created accordingly, and the
Direction column of the appropriate neighbours will display as 'Mutual'.
To apply these changes, click Update Database.
The Update Database operation applies all the changes to all the appropriate cells
in the Neighbour Analysis, regardless of the selected filter and regardless of the
display option.
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10.10
Session Summary Checklist
Creating neighbours manually
Using simple file lists to add or remove neighbours
Creating neighbours using the Neighbour Planning Wizard
Amending the neighbour-related parameters
Using the Neighbour Analysis
Displaying neighbours in the Map View
Converting neighbours to mutual relationships
Additional Notes:

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SECTION 11
11 Interference and
Frequency Planning
Editing carrier allocations
Analysing a frequency plan
Generating frequency plan reports
Creating and viewing an Interference Table
Using the Interactive Frequency Analysis
Using the BSIC Planner
11.2 Frequency Planning in ASSET

ASSET enables you to carry out the frequency planning of your 2g network, and
analyse the resulting plans. There is also an automatic frequency planning tool
available.
You can create the carrier allocations in your network in the following ways:
Using an import file
Manually, making allocations directly in the Site Database
Using ILSA*, ASSET's automatic frequency planning tool
(* not covered in this course)
You can also use a combination of the above methods.
Whichever method you use, the carrier allocations for each cell are stored on the
Carriers tab in the Site Database, and can be edited at any time.
Once a frequency plan is in place, the analysis process consists primarily of arrays and
reports. The analysis process is common to all frequency plans, whichever
implementation method was used.

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You can also use the following resources to help analyse frequency plans:
Frequency Plan Reporter
Interactive Frequency Analysis Wizard
For more information, see Analysing a Frequency Plan on page 225.
11.3 Editing Carrier Allocations Manually

To edit carrier allocations manually in the Site Database:
1
In the Site Database window, select the required cell layer (sub-cell).
On the Carriers tab, select the relevant carrier layer in the Carrier Layers pane.
If the layer does not appear, ensure it has been associated with the cell layer, as
explained in Defining Cell Layers on page 102.
3
In the Carriers pane, select or deselect the relevant checkbox(es) to edit the
allocation status, as appropriate:
Status
Description
Alloc.
The carrier is allocated.
Forbidden
The carrier is set as forbidden.
Alloc. and Fixed
The carrier allocation is set as fixed.
None
The carrier is not allocated.
Any Fixed or Forbidden states can be used as inputs to ILSA.

4
You can now repeat the process for a different carrier layer. When you have
finished making your allocations on all the relevant carrier layers for the sub-cell,
click Apply to save the changes.
Optionally, each carrier can be also assigned with one of five states: Active, Idle,
Released, Locked, Deleted. These five carrier states are for user information only.
They will have no impact on the rest of the functions in ENTERPRISE.
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You can also use the Carrier Layer tab of the Global Editor in the Site Database to
make limited allocation status changes based on filters.
11.4 Analysing a Frequency Plan

You can use ASSET to analyse an existing frequency plan, or to analyse any nominal
plan. You can analyse a variety of plans by importing each one into the Site Database.
You can also export plans generated by ILSA, and then save them for future analysis
and comparisons.
Example of Worst Interferer array including pixel-specific information

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11.4.1
How to Analyse a Frequency Plan
Here are the main steps for analysing an existing or nominal frequency plan:
1
Ensure the current or nominal frequency allocations have been set up or imported
in the Site Database.
From the Arrays menu, click Array Settings. On the Coverage/Interference tab,
choose Co-channel or Adjacent channel or both.
Open the Map View window at the desired location.
Create one or more interference array(s). For more information, see Creating
Coverage/Interference Arrays (Non-Sim) on page 155. You can choose from:
Worst Interferer
Total Interference
Worst Connection
Average Connection
Descriptions of these array types are given in the ASSET Technical Reference
Guide.
If you are using a frequency hopping network, choose a connection type array,
since these are designed to consider hopping carriers.
5
Display the array(s) on the Map View.
After analysing the array(s) visually (and plotting the resulting view, if desired),
you can now analyse the plan statistically, by producing an Interference Statistics
report. The report gives details of the proportion of interference better and worse
than the chosen interference threshold, as well as a breakdown by clutter type and
by cell.
The Total Covered Area in the report is the area of the Best Server array down
to the chosen coverage level.
It is also possible to confine the statistics within specified user polygons, for
example enclosing urban areas only.
Use the Interactive Frequency Analysis to generate a comprehensive report which

can analyse and fine-tune the frequency plan based on the Interference Table,
Neighbours, Site/Cell Separations and Exceptions.
Use the Frequency Plan Reporter to generate a simple report which lists
allocations which do not meet specified carrier separation constraints.
Display the Frequency Re-use on the Map view, using the Cell Info option under
the Data Types list.
It is always necessary to create an Interference Array before generating an

Interference Report. This is because the reports always extract their data from the
interference array currently in memory. Therefore, after making any changes in the
network, you should always carry out both steps consecutively.
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11.5 Generating Cell Information Reports

To produce a report containing all cells which use a certain carrier, or range of
carriers:
1
From the Reports menu, click GSM Cell Info Report.
Enter the information you require on each tab.

The report produced will contain cells which satisfy ALL the criteria (x AND y
AND z) you specify on the three tabs.
On the Carriers/Cells tab:

Search By
For
Cell identity
Cells which will interfere

Cells for which a given carrier is allocated
Cells for which a given carrier is allocated within a given layer
Co- or adjacent channel interference
Carrier
A carrier
A range of carriers
A particular or all carrier layers
Groups
Frequency groups for a particular or all carrier layers
On the Cell Parameters tab, enter cells which match one or all of the code fields.
Use * as a wildcard if one or all of the fields is not required for the search.
On the Filter tab, select a site filter to further filter the cells displayed.
Click Find to search for the correct cells.

The lower pane of the dialog box shows a preview of the report.
Click Export to save the report.
In the Select Data Export File dialog box, either enter a new file name or select an
existing report to overwrite, then click Save.

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11.6 Generating Frequency Plan Reports

To generate a basic report based on the current frequency plan:
1
From the Reports menu, click GSM Frequency Plan Reporter.
Choose the filter you require then select the information you wish to display.
This table lists the items you can include in your report:
Item
Description
Co-Site / Cell Separations
Co- site and co-cell separations, below the thresholds, will be reported.
Neighbour Separations
Neighbour separations below the threshold will be reported.
Exceptions
Broken exception separations will be shown.
Interference
A summary of the carrier-based interference statistics will be displayed if an interference

table is loaded.
These statistics only provide interference data that is based on affected traffic.
Intermodulation Interference
Select the order up to which to report. For example, if you select 3rd order, both 2nd and
3rd order intermodulations will be reported on.
In the report, the carriers causing the intermodulation are reported along with the
carriers that are interfered with. The report also shows whether the carriers are downlink
or uplink.
Effective Frequency Re-use
The effective frequency re-use for each of the sub-cells.

For more information on how the frequency re-use is calculated, see the ASSET
MALID
The MA List ID, which identifies which MA list each sub-cell uses.
Frequency Load (GSM only)
The frequency load for each of the sub-cells. If you select to include this, you can also
define up to what grade of traffic service you want to include (for example, a value of 1.0
represents 100% traffic service, and a value of 0.5 represents 50% traffic service).
For more information on how the frequency load is calculated, see the ASSET Technical
Reference Guide.
Insufficient MA List Length

(GSM only)
Select this option to display the sub-cells with insufficient carriers according to the MA
list , based on the MAIO separation value.
Override MAIO Separation

(GSM only)
Select this option to override the existing MAIO separation value, and enter your own
separation value for this report.
Click Generate.
If you chose to include interference data in your report, the mE values are listed
under the column heading 'Interference'. The values represent the Traffic Affected by
Interference for each cell pair. The total of these values, Affected Traffic (mE), appears
at the bottom-left of the report.
An Interactive Frequency Analysis is also available. For more information, see
About the GSM Interactive Frequency Analysis on page 241.
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11.7 About the Interference Table for GSM

An interference table (sometimes known as an interference matrix) contains values
that represent the severity of interference for any cell-pair combination for which
there are overlapping predictions, if that pair of cells were to be allocated the same or
adjacent carriers.
The table can store the following four values for any pair of cells A and B (relating to
regions where A is the best server):
Field Name
Description
Co-channel Area
The area* served by cell A that would be affected by interference if A and B were
assigned the same carrier.
Adjacent Channel Area
The area* served by cell A that would be affected by interference if A and B were
assigned adjacent carriers.
Co-channel Traffic
The amount of traffic* served by cell A that would be affected by interference if A and
B were assigned the same carrier.
Adjacent Channel Traffic
The amount of traffic* served by cell A that would be affected by interference if A and
B were assigned adjacent carriers.
* These values are weighted according to the severity of interference.

ASSET provides an Interference Table Wizard that can generate its results from either:
Coverage area data and (optionally) traffic data
- or Measurement data (traffic data only)
- or A combination of both
The quality of information in the table is dependent on the accuracy of your
propagation model(s), pathloss predictions, traffic data and measurement data, as
appropriate.
If you want to use measurement data, you can do this by loading an external file.
ASSET supports the ICDM (Inter-Cell Dependency Matrix) *.msmt file format. (More
file formats can be supported upon customer requests, or formats can be customdeveloped using a dedicated API.)
When this file is loaded, ASSET post-processes it into the *.ait file format.
The ASSET Interference Table lists each victim cell in association with all possible
interfering cells, and accumulates the interference that would result if all cells were
allocated the same or adjacent carriers. In this way, it provides comparative 'cost'
values that you can use to objectively minimise the interference within any plan
during the frequency planning process.
This information in the table can be used as an input to influence frequency
allocations when using ILSA (automatic frequency planning tool) or the Interactive
Frequency Analysis. It is also a compulsory input to the MA List Planner and the
MAIO Planner (advanced mode).

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11.7.1
Creating an Interference Table for GSM
Notes:
The necessary coverage arrays are created automatically, if they are not already in
memory.
If you want to include traffic data when creating an interference table, you must
have at least one traffic array in memory (either generated or loaded), and its
resolution must be the same as the resolution that you intend to specify in the
Interference Table Wizard. The traffic array can be the same size or larger (but not
smaller) than the region selected in the wizard.
To create an interference table:
1
Open a Map View window that displays the region for the cells that you wish to
include.
From the Tools menu, point to Interference Tables and click Interference Table
Wizard.
In the first step of the wizard, check that the region is correct. If necessary, you can
modify it by entering precise co-ordinates.
Click Next.
Select the site/cell filters to be included in the analysis, either by using the filters
already displayed in the Map View, or by specifying the filters using the
checkboxes.
By default, interference caused by overlapping predictions from cells outside
the selected region will be included (on condition that those cells are in the
specified filters). If you do not want this to happen, select the appropriate
checkbox.
Click Next.
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Ensure 'GSM' is the selected technology (this option depends on your licences).

Version 7.0
On the GSM Best Server Parameters tab, set the:
Best Server Margin. This enables you to extend the potential best server area,
by allowing pixels where the victim cell's carrier is not the 'best server' to be
considered as such (provided that it is within the specified margin).
Maximum Number of Potential Best Servers. This limits the number of cells
which can be considered as best servers at each pixel, and can save processing
time.
Resolution. If you are including traffic data, please see the note at the start of
this section.
Click the GSM Interference Parameters tab. Here, you can:
Set an Adjacent Channel Offset.
Set a Maximum Relative RX Level Margin. A cell can only be considered as an

interferer if the signal difference is less than or equal to this value.
Select 'Use Traffic Data', if required, and choose which traffic arrays to include
(this option is only active if one or more arrays exist in memory).
Select the Interference Probability method. See How Interference Probability is

Determined on page 233.

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Click the GSM Cell Layer Parameters tab. Here, you can:
Select one or more Serving Cell Layers.
Override, if required, the sub-cell specific coverage (TA and Signal) thresholds
that are stored in the Site Database.
Select 'Use Priorities & Offsets, SS Mode' if you want the results to take into
account any priorities that have been set in the Cell Layers dialog box, and any
signal offsets in the Site Database, when determining the better serving subcells. If unselected, the best server results are based on signal strength alone.
This checkbox is only applicable when the sub-cells in the Site Database have
been set to SS (Signal Strength) mode, and has no effect for sub-cells set to PL
(Pathloss) mode.
Select one or more Interfering Cell Layers.
Choose to Consider Interference between Different Cell Layers.
Click Next.
9
You can choose to save the generated interference table to an *.ait file (or you can
save it later). You can also select whether you want to view the table after running
the wizard (or you can view it later), and you can add any comments.
Click Next.
10 Check the summary and click Finish.

The interference table is created, and according to your choices in the wizard, saved
and displayed.
The interference table is based on the project parameters and (if applicable) traffic
data at the time of running the wizard. In certain circumstances, if the parameters or
data have changed, you may want to generate a new up-to-date Interference Table. In
other words, it is important to stress that the 'validity' of the Interference Table is
under your control.
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Version 7.0
11.7.1.1
How Interference Probability is Determined
When you create an interference table, the probability of interference depends on the
C/I ratio of each pixel. The Interference Table Wizard calculates the interference for
overlapping areas between two cells. That is, it describes the interference that would
result if any two cells were allocated the same or adjacent carriers, based on area
and/or traffic.
In ASSET, there are two ways to calculate the probability of interference:
Interference Probability options in Interference Table Wizard
When you run the Interference Table Wizard, you can select either of the above
methods. Each method is described in the following sections.
Using Static Weights
A C/I to Probability curve is used to calculate the probabilities of interference
according to the C/I ratio on each pixel.
A default curve is provided.
To view or edit the interference weights:
1
From the Tools menu, select Interference Tables, then click Interference Weights.
This dialog box appears:
To edit any of the values, click on one of the rows, and edit the percentage in the
bottom-right corner.

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To add a new curve, click Add, name the curve, and then edit the values of the
curve as required. When you run the Interference Table Wizard, you can choose
the required curve from the drop-down box.
The adjacent channel curve is produced from the adjacent channel offset which you
specify in the Interference Table Wizard.
Calculating Dynamically
When defining a cell layer, you can specify a C/I threshold. When defining a
propagation model, you can specify a standard deviation of interference. For more
information, see Defining Cell Layers on page 102.
In the case where the propagation model type has no standard deviation of
interference parameter, 7dB will be used.
The value specified for the cell layer determines the point at which connection quality
begins to be adversely affected. C/I is assumed to follow a normal distribution about
the calculated mean, with the combined standard deviation of interference of the
propagation models assigned to the two cells. The probability of interference for each
pair of cells is determined by a cumulative normal distribution based on:
Mean C/I threshold of the equipment (dB) on a per cell layer basis
C/A offset of the equipment (dB) on a per cell layer basis
Standard deviation as follows:
Where:
=Standard deviation of the propagation model used by cell a
=Standard deviation of the propagation model used by cell b
The adjacent channel curve is produced from the adjacent channel offset which you
specify in the Interference Table Wizard.
For more information on the algorithm used to generate the interference table, see
the ASSET Technical Reference Guide.
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Version 7.0
11.7.2
Loading an Interference Table for GSM
You can either create an interference table within ASSET, or load a file into memory.
If you need to load a file, you can do this from two basic sources:
A previously saved (or externally created) *.ait file.
An externally created *.msmt (ICDM) file.
11.7.2.1
About *.ait Files
The file format used for an ASSET interference table is the *.ait file format. This can
contain values for area and/or traffic.
If a different (but valid) file format is used to load an external file, such as the *.msmt
format, the file is post-processed into the *.ait file format.
An example interference table file is shown below:
Example interference table file
A description of the *.ait file format can be found in the ENTERPRISE Technical
Reference Guide.

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11.7.3
Viewing an Interference Table for GSM
In ASSET, you can view your interference table in a detailed and customisable
analysis window.
To view this analysis window:
From the Tools menu, point to Interference Tables and click View Interference
Table.
Here is an example of the Interference Table Analysis window:
Example of Interference Table Analysis for GSM (the columns can be customised)
In the left pane of the report window, the table lists the victim cells with their
associated cell layer, and shows the total coverage area and, if applicable, total traffic,
corresponding to the victim cell.
In the right pane of the report window, the table lists the interfering cells
corresponding to the victim cell that is currently selected/highlighted in the left pane.
When you select any of the victim cells in the left pane, the list of interfering cells
automatically updates in the right pane.
For each of the interfering cells in the right pane, the table shows its respective
calculated (or loaded) overlapping values. These values are given for both co-channel
and adjacent channel interference. The percentages indicate the proportion of the
interfering cell's area/traffic values with respect to the total area/traffic values on the
victim cell.
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The interference data relating to each interfering cell is presented in the right pane, as
follows:
Interference in terms of Area
Co-Area
(km2)
Co-Area
(%)
Adj-Area
(km2)
Interference in terms of Traffic

Adj-Area
(%)
Co-Traffic
(T or mE)
Co-Traffic
(%)
Adj-Traffic
(T or mE)
Adj-Traffic
(%)
You can:
Limit the cells in the report window, by using the Filter drop-down list.
Search for a specific victim cell in the left pane, by using the Find button.
View the interferers for any of the victim cells by selecting the appropriate victim
cell.
Re-sequence any of the columns in the left pane or the right pane, by clicking the
appropriate column header.
For example, you can sort the list of interfering cells to find which cells might be
causing the greatest potential problems to the victim cell.
Specify the decimal place precision that you require (this influences the right pane
only).
Customise the column details in the right pane, as described in the following
sections.
Generate a report by clicking the Report button. This report will reflect your
customised columns and decimal precision.
Interact with the Map View, helping you to visualise specific cells. This is
described in the following sections.
Interact with the Site Database, helping you to check a specific cell's network
parameters. This is described in the following sections.

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11.7.3.1
Interacting with the Map View
When viewing an interference table analysis, you can interact with the Map View, in
order to visualise specific victim cells and/or interfering cells.
To do this:
1
In the lower-left corner of the Interference Table Analysis window, select the
'Render on 2D View' checkbox:
Select a victim cell in the left pane:
The cell is highlighted in the Map View, together with all its interfering cells, as in
this example:
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If you want to only highlight a specific interfering cell, you can select one of the
cells in the right pane of the analysis window. You can also selectively highlight
multiple interfering cells, by using the Ctrl or Ctrl-Shift keys in the right pane of the
analysis window.
You can customise the display settings of the symbols used for the victim cells and
interfering cells. To do this:
1
In the Map View, click the Show Data Types button

click the Interference Table heading:
In the dialog box that appears, select your preferred settings:
Click OK.
In the Show Data Types dialog box, click Redraw.

Version 7.0
and, from the list, double-
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11.7.3.2
Interacting with the Site Database
When viewing an interference table analysis, you can interact with the Site Database,
in order to check a specific cell's network parameters.
To do this:
1
Right-click on the required cell (in the left pane or right pane).
Click 'Select Cell in Site DB'.

The cell is located and highlighted in the Site Database.
Conversely, from the Site Database, you can locate a specific victim cell in the analysis
window, by selecting the cell in the Site Database.
11.7.3.3
Customising the Columns
When you are viewing the Interference Table Analysis, in the right pane (which
contains the interfering cells), you can:
To do this:
1
Right-click on any column heading and select Choose Details from the context
menu.
Click OK.
The columns will be displayed according to your requirements.
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11.8 About the GSM Interactive Frequency Analysis

The GSM Interactive Frequency Analysis enables you to perform the vital task of
analysing and manually optimising a frequency plan. This feature enables you to
view and evaluate the frequency/carrier assignments for a single or a group of
sectors. The evaluation can be performed based on interference costs and/or violation
constraints (or a combination of both) associated with each assignment. Further, you
can modify the problematic assignments (those with high interference costs or
violated separation constraints) to achieve an optimal frequency plan.
The Interactive Frequency Analysis can be used standalone, or as a supplement to an
automatic frequency planning (AFP) tool (for example, ILSA). It can be particularly
beneficial when you have established a generally acceptable frequency plan from an
AFP but then need to tune the frequencies of a few problematic cells. It may also be
very useful when integrating some new cells into the network and quickly assigning
carriers without the need to configure and run an AFP tool.
Unlike ILSA, the interference cost and violation constraints are handled
independently in the Interactive Frequency Analysis. The reported interference costs
are purely based on an Interference Table (Matrix) and the reported violations depend
on the user-defined separation thresholds defined in the Interactive Frequency
Analysis and/or in the Site Database.
This feature is designed to analyse a single cell layer (for example, GSM-900 or GSM1800) at a time. However, you can choose to analyse any combination of the carrier
layers that exist within that cell layer.
In the case of Synthesized Hopping or Site Hopping networks, MA lists are
supported.
The Interactive Frequency Analysis enables you to analyse and report on:
Interference costs (area or traffic)
- and/or Carrier separation violations
Interference costs
The interference costs are statistical calculations of area or traffic affected by cochannel or adjacent channel interference, based on the carrier assignments. The costs
are derived from an Interference Table (this can either be freshly generated or loaded
into memory from a file).
The calculated costs can be based on victim, interferer, or both (combined sum), and
can be in terms of:
Area (km)
Area (%)
Traffic (mE)
Traffic (%)

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Carrier separation violations

The carrier separation violations can be analysed by setting minimum separation
thresholds (you can analyse the frequency plan based only on carrier separation
violations, in which case you do not need an Interference Table in memory). The
thresholds can be set at the following levels:
Site
Cell
Neighbours
Exceptions
Analysis and Tuning

After you have run the analysis, the GSM Interactive Frequency Analysis Report
dialog box provides information on sector (cell) assignments, carrier assignments, cost
breakdowns and/or separation violations.
This interactive dialog box enables you to:
View and analyse the cell-carrier-specific interference costs and/or separation
violations when you select any cell and carrier in the report dialog box.
Sort the rows so that you can analyse the results more clearly. For example, you
can sort by highest or lowest costs.
Manually tune an existing frequency plan, by reassigning, assigning or
unassigning carriers (or MA Lists) for specific cells.
After doing this, you can perform an 'Update' in the report, which enables you to
view the updated costs and/or violations resulting from your manual carrier
assignment changes.
If you are satisfied with the results, you can then decide to Apply the changes to the
database.
Coordinate the analysis report with the Map View, by selecting an analysed cell on
the Map View so that it is automatically highlighted in the report, or selecting a
cell in the report so that it is highlighted on the Map View.
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11.8.1
Prerequisites for the Interactive Frequency Analysis
Before using the Interactive Frequency Analysis, you need to check that you have the
required prerequisites. This varies depending on whether you intend to analyse
interference costs or carrier separation violations (you can, if required, do both).
Interference Costs Analysis
Check that you have:
Allocated carriers to the cells, using any of the methods in ASSET.
Generated or loaded an Interference Table (Matrix) into memory. See Creating an
Interference Table for GSM on page 230.
Performed a Commit All on the Site Database, if you intend to Apply any carrier
allocation changes to the database. This would enable you to perform a Restore
All to return to the previous configuration, if necessary.
Opened a Map View window that displays the area for the cells that you wish to
include in the analysis.
You should ensure that this area is the same as (or part of) the region that was
used to generate the Interference Table.
Carrier Separation Analysis
Check that you have:
Allocated carriers to the cells, using any of the methods in ASSET.
Created neighbours in the Site Database (if you want to analyse any neighbour
violations). See Creating Neighbours on page 198.
Defined exceptions in the Site Database (if you want to analyse any exception
violations).
Performed a Commit All on the Site Database, if you intend to Apply any carrier
allocation changes to the database. This would enable you to perform a Restore
All to return to the previous configuration, if necessary.
Opened a Map View window that displays the area for the cells that you wish to
include in the analysis.

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11.8.2
Running the Interactive Frequency Analysis
To use the Interactive Frequency Analysis:

1
Ensure you have checked the prerequisites.
From the Tools menu, point to GSM Planners and click Interactive Frequency
Analysis.
In the first step of the analysis tool, check that the area for the analysis is correct. If
necessary, you can modify the area by entering precise co-ordinates.
Click Next, and select the site/cell filters to be included in the analysis, either by
using the filters already displayed in the Map View, or by specifying the filters
using the checkboxes.
Click Next. You can assign a carrier allocation status (Editable, Read-Only or
Ignore) to each selected filter. This table summarises these options:
Status
Description
Editable
The carrier assignments for cells with this filter status can be manually modified. New carriers can
be assigned, and existing carriers can be unassigned. Also, carriers can be modified to Fixed or
Forbidden. If required, the carrier amendments for these cells can also be Applied to the database.
Editing is subject to the normal object ownership permissions, and also restricted by the
maximum allocable carriers value for the carrier layer.
Read-Only
The carrier assignments for cells with this filter status are considered in the analysis and report, but
the assignments are non-editable.
Ignore
Cells with this filter status are completely ignored. This status may be useful when you have some
large complex filters, and you just wish to exclude a few cells. You could simplify their exclusion by
creating a simple filter and using this Ignore option.
The Up/Down arrows enable you to prioritise the filters in the list. If a cell
belongs to more than one of the selected filters, then its planning status is
determined by the higher priority filter.
Important :
Interference Costs: Cells which are not in any of the chosen filters, but exist in
the Interference Table, may affect the analysis.
Separation Violations: Related cells (such as neighbours or exceptions) which

are not in any of the above filters may affect the analysis.
In either of the above cases, such cells are considered by the algorithm and, if
appropriate, will appear in the report with the status "None".
Click Next, and, from the drop-down boxes:
Select the required cell layer to include in the analysis
Select the required carrier layer(s) to include in the analysis

(If appropriate to the cell layer, MA Lists are also available)
If you have the BCCH prerequisite rule activated, you will see a warning
message. For more information, see Setting a BCCH Allocation Rule for TCH
Allocation on page 96.
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Click Next, and select whether you want to analyse:
Interference Table costs (traffic or area)

- and-or -
Carrier separation violations
The respective options are described in the following tables:

Interference costs
Description
Cost consideration
Victim, Interferer or Both:

Victim - where a carrier is affected by interference caused by other carriers
Interferer - where a carrier is creating interference for other carriers
Both (the combined sum)
Weights
These weights can optionally be used to scale the costs.
Based on
The interference table provides the Co and Adjacent channel interference in terms
of affected area and/or affected traffic. For the analysis, choose one of the following
options:
Area - in terms of km
Area - in terms of %
Traffic - in terms of mE
Traffic - in terms of %
Separation violations
Description
Minimum carrier separations
Site: Intra-site separations violating the specified minimum are reported.

Cell: Intra-cell separations violating the specified minimum are reported.
Neighbours: Neighbouring cell separations violating the specified minimum are
reported.
Exceptions: Separations violating the Exception minimum values (if set in Site
Database) are reported.
Click Next. If you have selected both analysis options, you need to choose which
data (Cost or Violations) is represented by the colour legends in the output report.
You can also choose how many colours are used to represent the data range.
Click Next, and if you are satisfied with the summary, click Finish.
ASSET performs the analysis, and generates an Analysis dialog box.

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11.8.3
About the Interactive Frequency Analysis Dialog Box
The Frequency Analysis dialog box is generated after you run the Interactive
Frequency Analysis. The report consists of three panes:
Sector Assignments
This lists the sectors (cells) and details their current carrier allocations and associated
interference cost (and/or separation violations)
Carrier Assignments
This lists the carriers that are available to the cell that is currently selected in the first
pane, and details their associated interference cost (and/or separation violations).
This pane also contains a column that indicates which carriers are currently allocated
to the cell.
The sum of the costs for the currently allocated carriers is equal to the total cost for the
cell selected in the Sector Assignments pane.
Cost Breakdown
This gives a breakdown of the interference costs and/or carrier separation violations
corresponding to the currently selected cell and currently selected carrier (in the main
two panes). In other words, it lists the carriers that are Co and/or Adjacent to the
carrier selected in the Carrier Assignments pane (as well as all other carriers violating
the separation constraints).
The sum of the costs from this pane is equal to the total cost for the carrier selected in
the Carrier Assignments pane.
For information on using the Report dialog box, see How to Use the Frequency
Analysis Dialog Box on page 246.
For more detailed information on each specific pane, see the relevant section.
The interference costs and separation violations can be updated when you make
manual changes to the carrier assignments within the interactive report dialog box.
11.8.3.1
How to Use the Interactive Frequency Analysis Dialog Box
The Report dialog box changes according to which rows you select. When the report
is initially launched (immediately after the analysis has been run), the first cell in the
Sector Assignments pane and the first carrier in the Carrier Assignments pane appear
highlighted, and their associated values appear in the Cost breakdown.
The report dialog box is very powerful, because the three panes are interdependent.
This is how you should use it:
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Select a cell in the Sector Assignments pane. This row becomes highlighted, and
determines what is displayed in the Carrier Assignments pane.
Select a carrier in the Carrier Assignments pane. This row also becomes highlighted,
and determines what is displayed in the Cost Breakdown pane.
Version 7.0
The Cost Breakdown pane is automatically populated with values based on the
selected cell and the selected carrier.
The values displayed in this pane are always responsive to the selections
highlighted in the other two panes. This breakdown pane displays details of all
cells which impact the interference cost (or have separation violations) for the
selected cell and the selected carrier in the other two panes.
3
You can make changes to the carrier allocations within the dialog box. For
information on this, see Changing Carrier Allocations in the Frequency Analysis
on page 251.
Here is an example of the Report dialog box:
Example of the Frequency Analysis Report dialog box
Tips:
You can customise how the columns are displayed. See Customising the Columns
on the Frequency Analysis on page 250.
You can sort the contents of the report using a simple method or more complex
method. See Sorting the Rows on the Frequency Analysis on page 250.
You can produce a printed version of the report by clicking the Reports button.
The printed report only includes the information relating to the currently
selected sector and carrier.
The report dialog box can only be generated by running the analysis wizard, so if
you wish to retain it for a while in memory, use the minimise option rather than
the close option.
The cost values in all three panes of the report always depend on the selected
option (Area km, Area %, Traffic mE, or Traffic %) in the analysis wizard, and the
cost column headings vary accordingly. For example, if 'Traffic mE' was selected,
the column heading reads 'Total Cost (Traffic mE)'.
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11.8.3.2
About the Sector Assignments Pane
The Sector Assignments pane lists the sectors (cells) and details their current carrier
allocations and associated interference cost (and/or separation violations). This table
describes its contents:
Column Heading
Description
Key
Colour legend to help identify possible problems (the colour range can be customised in the wizard).
You can click the 'Key' button to view or edit the colour ranges.
Sector
Name of the cell.
Status
Whether the carrier allocation status for the cell is Editable, Read-Only or Ignore.
Hopping
The Hopping Status of the cell, as specified in the Site Database (None, Baseband, Site, or
Synthesised).
Control
Control carrier assigned to the cell.

This is limited to the carrier layer(s) you selected in the wizard.
Traffic
List of Traffic carriers assigned to the cell. These are comma-separated. MA lists are also supported.
This is limited to the carrier layer(s) you selected in the wizard.
Total Cost
The sum of costs of all the cells which are (as appropriate) victims of and/or interferers to the
respective cell. Therefore, it is the sum of the costs for the currently allocated carriers in the Carrier
Assignments pane.
The cost depends on the option (Victim, Interferer, Both) selected in the wizard.
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Total Contributors
The number of cells contributing to the Total Cost.
Worst Contributor
The cell with the highest cost impact on the respective cell.
Worst Contribution (%)
The percentage of the Total Cost provided by the worst contributor.
Violation Type
All associated violations (types) for the respective cell.
Total Violations
Total number of violations (the same violation type can occur on multiple cells/carriers).
Total Allocations
The number of carriers currently allocated to the cell.
Available Allocations
The number of carriers still available to be allocated to the cell, dependent on the combined sum of
maximum allocable carriers set on all the appropriate carrier layers.

Version 7.0
11.8.3.3
About the Carrier Assignments Pane
The Carrier Assignments pane lists the carriers that are available to the cell that is
currently selected in the first pane, and details their associated interference cost
(and/or separation violations). It also indicates the carriers that are currently
allocated to the cell.
This table describes its contents:
Column Heading
Description
Key
Colour legend to help identify possible problems (the colour range can be customised in the wizard).
You can click the 'Key' button to view the colour ranges.
Carrier
Carrier number.
Carrier Layer/MA List
Name of carrier layer (or MA List) to which it belongs.
Total Cost
The sum of costs from all impacting cells, relative to the selected carrier.
Therefore, it is the sum of the respective costs in the Cost Breakdown pane.
The cost also depends on the option (Victim, Interferer, Both) selected in the wizard.
Total Contributors
The number of cells contributing to the Total Cost.
Worst Contributor
The cell with the highest cost impact.
Worst Contribution (%)
The percentage of the Total Cost provided by the worst contributor.
Violation Type
Any associated violations for the respective carrier.
Total Violations
Total number of violations (the same violation type can occur on multiple cells/carriers).
Allocation State
This indicates whether the carrier (or MA List) is used by the respective cell:
"Allocated" = allocated; "-" = unallocated.
"Fixed" = allocated and fixed; "Forbidden" = unallocated and forbidden.
The displayed information always depends on which cell is selected in the Sector
Assignments pane, because the viewable results are specific to that selected cell.
11.8.3.4
About the Cost Breakdown Pane
The Cost Breakdown pane gives a breakdown of the interference costs and/or carrier
separation violations corresponding to the currently selected cell and currently
selected carrier (in the main two panes).
This table describes its contents:
Column Heading
Description
Sector
Name of the impacting cell.
Carrier Layer/MA list
Name of carrier layer (or MA List) to which it belongs.
Status
Whether the carrier allocation status for the cell is Editable, Read-Only or Ignore.
Control
Control carrier assigned to the impacting cell.
Traffic
Traffic carrier assigned to the impacting cell.
Cost
The cost related to each carrier used by the impacting cell. The sum of the costs in this pane are
equal to the Total Cost for the selected carrier in the Carrier Assignments pane.
Violation Type
The violation type associated with the respective cell.

S = Site, C = Cell, E = Exception, N = Neighbour 2N = 2nd Order Neighbour

Version 7.0
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11.8.3.5
Customising the Columns on the Frequency Analysis
When you are viewing the Interactive Frequency Analysis dialog box, you can:
To do this:
1
Right-click on any column heading and select Choose Columns from the context
menu.
Click OK.

You can also resize the Report dialog box window, and you can resize the
individual left and right panes.
11.8.3.6
Sorting the Rows on the Frequency Analysis
When you are viewing the Interactive Frequency Analysis dialog box, you can sort
the rows (top to bottom) simply by clicking on any of the column headings. You can
then toggle between ascending and descending order. This simple method sorts all
the rows based singly on the clicked column.
However, you may also sort the rows based on multiple columns, using a hierarchical
method. This may be useful if you want, for example, to display the rows primarily in
the BCCH sequence, and then subordinately in the TCH sequence, as in this example:
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Version 7.0
To do this:
1
In the Analysis dialog box, right-click on any column heading and select Sort By
from the context menu.
In the dialog box that appears, select the columns that you want to determine the
row sequencing.
Highlight each of the selected items in turn, and use the Change button to toggle
between Ascending/Descending.
Highlight each of the selected items in turn, and use the Move Up/Down buttons
to define the hierarchy. The primary column must be higher than a subordinate
column. So, the above example would be defined like this:
Click OK.
In the Report dialog box, the rows will be displayed according to your requirements.
11.8.4
Changing Carrier Allocations in the Frequency Analysis
The Interactive Frequency Analysis enables you to manually tune an existing

frequency plan, by making manual changes to the carrier assignments within the
Report dialog box. Specifically, you can reassign, assign or unassign carriers (or MA
Lists) for individual cells.
You can then assess the effects of the changes by updating the interference costs
and/or separation violations within the report.
If you are satisfied with the results, you can then decide to Apply the changes to the
database directly from the Report dialog box. (This is, in effect, the same as making
manual changes in the Site Database, as described in Editing Carrier Allocations
Manually on page 224.)
Allocation changes can only be made to cells that were designated as 'Editable' in
the analysis wizard. Such changes are subject to the normal object ownership
permissions.

Version 7.0
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To make manual changes to the carrier assignments:

1
Ensure the appropriate sector is highlighted (selected) in the Sector Assignments

pane:
In the Carrier Assignments pane, click in the 'Allocation State' column of the
appropriate carrier (ensuring it belongs to the correct carrier layer) and, from the
drop-down list, select one of the four options:
- (None)
Allocated
Forbidden
Fixed
(These options are the same as the options under the Carriers tab in the Site
Database.)
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Version 7.0
When changes are made, the Total and Available Allocations columns for the
sector are updated automatically. These columns depend on the 'Maximum
Allocable Carriers' values of the carrier layers that were included in the analysis.
For example, in the Carrier Layers dialog boxes, if that value is 5 for the TCH
carrier layer, and 1 for the BCCH layer, the Total Allocations and Available
Allocations would sum 6.
Notes:
The Forbidden option also de-allocates a carrier if it is currently allocated
The Fixed option also allocates a carrier if it is currently unallocated
If the 'Maximum Allocable Carriers' limit for a carrier layer has been reached,
the only available options for a currently unallocated carrier will be "-" or
"Forbidden"
If you want to update the interference cost values and/or violations in the Report
dialog box, click the Update button.
If you want to save the changes into the Site Database, click Apply.

Version 7.0
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11.8.5
Linking the Frequency Analysis with the Map View
While you have the Interactive Frequency Analysis Report dialog box open, you can
select a cell on the Map View so that it becomes highlighted (selected) in the Report
dialog box.
To do this:
1
In the Map View, click on a cell (that you know was included in the analysis).
That cell is highlighted (selected) in the Sectors pane of the Report dialog box:
Highlighting Cells in the Map View

You can also select a cell in the Sector Assignments pane or Cost Breakdown pane,
and highlight it in the Map View.
To do this:
1
Click the Visualise button.
Select the Highlight on View checkbox.
Specify your preferred display settings.

These display settings can be different for the Sector Assignments and Cost
Breakdown panes.
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Click on the required cell in one of the appropriate panes.

Version 7.0
That cell is located and highlighted on the Map View:
11.9 Planning BSIC Colour Codes for GSM

The Base Station Identity Code (BSIC) is a combination of colour codes (NCC and
BCC) used in GSM to provide extra identity information to help a mobile to
distinguish between individual transmitters. This allows handovers between cells,
even if both cells are using the same frequency channel.
The colour codes can be planned for the BSIC Planner with or without Mobile
Allocations (MA) List consideration. The planning algorithm is designed to ensure
that any cell should not have the same BCCH/BSIC combination as its neighbours (or,
if MA Lists are considered, the MALID/BSIC).
Important:
The BSIC Planner can only be used if the GSM cell layers have been configured
properly. In other words, each of the cell layers should have one (and only one)
control carrier layer assigned to it. However, if your network configuration
requires that this is not the case, then you must ensure that only one control
carrier layer is 'usable' on each sub-cell in the Site Database (for more information,
see About Cell Layers on page 101). Otherwise, the BSIC Planner will not run, and
an appropriate warning message will appear.
If the Site Database contains multiple cell layers per cell (for example, sub-cells for
900 and 1800) the BSIC Planner will consider the cell layer priority defined in the
Cell Layer Configuration dialog box, and choose the highest priority layer for
BSIC planning. Where priorities are equal, the sequence in the same dialog box is
used.
If required, you can run the BSIC Planner at the same time as running the
Simulator.

Version 7.0
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11.9.1
Setting Up BSIC Schemas
The BSIC Schemas dialog box for GSM enables you to create ranges (schemas) of
NCCs and BCCs. These schemas enable you to set limits on the codes generated when
you use the BSIC Planner.
The schemas will also appear in a drop-down box above the BSIC codes on the
General tab of the cells in the Site Database, limiting manual selections of the BSIC
codes. (If required, the schemas and codes assigned to cells can be edited using the
Global Editor.)
The default schema is named 'All', and, in a new project, it contains all 64 BSICs.
However (assuming you have user permissions), you can modify the code ranges
within this default schema and, if required, give the schema a new name. You cannot
delete this schema.
Creating a Schema
To create a schema:
1
From the Configuration menu, click Code/ID Schemas.

Depending on your technology licences, you may then need to click GSM BSIC
Schemas.
This picture shows an example of the BSIC Schemas dialog box:
Page 256
Click Add, and name the new schema.

Version 7.0
Select the NCCs that you want to use. When you select an NCC, the list of its
BCCs appears in the right pane. Select the required BCCs within each NCC.
To view the BCCs that you have selected for a particular NCC, click to the right
of the NCCs checkbox. Clicking inside an NCC checkbox toggles all its BCCs
on/off.
Click Commit All to save the changes to the database.
11.9.2
Prerequisites for the BSIC Planner
Before using the BSIC Planner you must ensure you have:
Assigned carriers to the cells.
Created neighbours (only if you are performing the plan with reference to the
neighbouring cells).
Opened a Map View window that shows the region that includes the cells that
you wish to plan.
Considered which filters you are going to use, and which planning status will be
assigned to them.
When you plan colour codes, you can, if required, assign a specific planning status
to each filter. If a cell exists in multiple filters, it will take its planning status from
the highest priority filter in which it exists (filters can be prioritised in the wizard).
This table describes the planning status options:
Column Heading
Description
Plan
Codes will be planned for these cells. These cells will appear in the left pane of the report.
Read-Only
Codes already allocated in these cells will not be changed. However, these cells will be included
in the left pane of the report.
Ignore
Cells in these filters will not be considered in the planning process, and will not appear in the
reports. This status may be useful when you have some large complex filters, and you just wish
to exclude a few cells. You could simplify their exclusion by creating a simple filter and using this
Ignore option.
It is wise to perform a Commit All on the Site Database before you run the BSIC
Planner. This means that, after the plan has been run, if you choose to Apply it to the
Site Database, you would be able to perform a Restore All to return to the previous
configuration, if necessary.

Version 7.0
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11.9.3
Running the BSIC Planner
To plan GSM colour codes using the BSIC Planner:

1
From the Tools menu, point to GSM Planners, then click BSIC Plan Wizard.
In the first step of the wizard, check that the area for the plan is correct. If
necessary, you can modify the area by entering precise co-ordinates. Click Next.
Select the site/cell filters to be included in the plan. Click Next.
In the Status column, you can assign a planning status (Plan, Read-Only or Ignore)
to each selected filter. If necessary, the Up/Down arrows enable you to prioritise
the filters in the list (if a cell belongs to more than one of the filters, then its
planning status is determined by the higher priority filter).
Please see the information about the planning status options in the
prerequisites in the previous section.
In the Schema column, associate each selected filter with the required BSIC
schema (see Setting Up BSIC Schemas on page 256). Click Next.
Alternatively, you can load the 'per cell' schemas from the Site Database.
Set the required Re-use parameters:

Parameter
Description
Code re-use distance
You can choose one of two options: Fixed or Automatic.

Fixed: This is a constant re-use distance from a cell, within which the Planner will
try not to assign the same BCCH/BSIC.
Automatic: This is a variable re-use distance from a cell, within which the Planner
will try not to assign the same BCCH/BSIC.
You specify the number of Divisions Per Cell, and the amount of Nearest Cells Per
Division to consider. For each division, the re-use distance will vary, depending on
the proximity of the other cells within it. You also specify a Re-use Distance Limit,
which sets a hard limit for all divisions.
Consider Neighbouring cells:

Highest Neighbour Order
When planning codes with reference to neighbouring cells, this enables you to
specify such neighbours up to the nth order. This can be 1, 2, 3 or 4, representing
(up to) first, second, third and fourth order neighbours, respectively.
Click Next.
7
If you are using a hopping network, and MA Lists have been defined, you should
select the Synthesised Hopping / Site Hopping option. For these types of
hopping cells, the wizard retrieves the MALIDs from the Site Database, and uses
them in place of the BCCHs. Otherwise, you should select the Non-Hopping /
Base-Band Hopping option.
Click Next.
If you are satisfied with the summary, click Finish.
ASSET calculates the code assignments, and generates a Report dialog box.
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Version 7.0
11.9.4
About the BSIC Report Dialog Box
The BSIC Report dialog box is generated when you run the BSIC Planner. It displays
the BSIC assignments, and also displays details of any clashing cells.
Left Pane
Example section of the left pane of BSIC Planner report dialog box
For each planned (or read-only) cell, the left pane of the report dialog box presents the
following information:
Column Heading
Result
Additional Comments or Possible Values

Unique Assignment: the cell has no clashing cells.
Reused Assignment: the cell has no clashes with its neighbours, but clashes with one or more
non-neighbour cells.
Neighbour Clash: the cell clashes with one or more of its neighbours.
Excluded: the cell was excluded from the plan because it has no antennas or no assigned
BCCH.
Sector
Sector/Cell Name
Plan Status
Plan, Read Only, Excluded
BCCH
Broadcast Control channel
NCC
Network Colour Code
BCC
Base Station Colour Code
Number of Clashing
Neighbours
Details are listed in the right pane.
Number of Clashing
Sectors
Details are listed in the right pane.
Closest Clash
Distance to the nearest clashing cell.
Max Clash Factor
See About the Clash Factors on page 264.
Number of Alternatives
This column only displays a value for 'Plan' cells that have Reused Assignment clashes. It gives the
number of codes in the cells schema that could have produced a unique assignment for the cell. If a
value is displayed in this column, it indicates that the planning algorithm has reused a code when it
would have been better to assign an unused code. The planner should be run again, with larger reuse distance requirements, as this will encourage less code re-use.

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Right Pane
Example section of the left pane of BSIC Planner report dialog box
The right pane provides information on the clashing cells, and presents the following
information:
Column Heading
Additional Comments or Possible Values
Sector
Sector/Cell Name
Plan Status
Plan, Read Only, None

Cells that appear in the right pane may not necessarily have been included in the filters
specified in the wizard. Such cells will have a plan status of None.
Neighbour Order
Neighbour Order of the neighbour clash:

'1', '2', '3', '4': signifies first order, second order, and so on
'0' signifies a non-neighbour cell inside the re-use distance
'--' signifies a non-neighbour cell outside the re-use distance
Distance
Distance between the two cells
Clash Factor
See About the Clash Factors on page 264.
Paths
This column only displays a value for 'Plan' cells that have Reused Assignment clashes. It gives the
number of codes in the cells schema that could have produced a unique assignment for the cell. If a
value is displayed in this column, it indicates that the planning algorithm has reused a code when it
would have been better to assign an unused code. The planner should be run again, with larger reuse distance requirements, as this will encourage less code re-use.
Tips:
You can customise how the columns are displayed. See Customising the Columns
on the BSIC Report on page 261.
You can sort the contents of the report using a simple method or a more complex
method. See Sorting the Rows on the BSIC Report on page 261.
You can link the report with the Map View. See Highlighting Cells in the Map
View on page 262.
The report dialog box can only be generated by running the wizard, so if you wish
to retain it for a while in memory, use the minimise option rather than the close
option. You can produce a printed version of the report by clicking the Reports
button.
If you are satisfied with the planned results, you can save the planned codes to
the Database. See Applying the Planned BSICs to the Database on page 265.
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Version 7.0
11.9.4.1
Customising the Columns on the BSIC Report
When you are viewing the BSIC Report dialog box, you can:
To do this:
1
Right-click on any column heading and select Choose Columns from the context
menu.
Click OK.

You can also resize the Report dialog box window, and you can resize the
individual left and right panes.
11.9.4.2
Sorting the Rows on the BSIC Report
When you are viewing the BSIC Report dialog box, you can sort the rows (top to
bottom) by clicking on any of the column headings. You can then toggle between
ascending and descending order. This simple method sorts all the rows based singly
on the clicked column.
However, you may also sort the rows based on multiple columns, using a hierarchical
method. This may be useful if you want, for example, to display the rows primarily in
the BCCH sequence, and then subordinately in the Closest Clash sequence.
To do this:
1
Right-click on any column heading and select Sort By from the context menu.
In the dialog box that appears, select the columns that you want to determine the
row sequencing.

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Highlight each of the selected items in turn, and use the Change button to toggle
between Ascending/Descending.
Highlight each of the selected items in turn, and use the Move Up/Down buttons
to define the hierarchy. The primary column must be higher than a subordinate
column.
Click OK.
In the BSIC Report dialog box, the rows will be displayed according to your
requirements.
11.9.4.3
Highlighting Cells in the Map View
While you have the Report dialog box open, you can interact with the Map View, in
order to visualise specific victim cells and/or interfering cells.
To do this:
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Click the Visualise button.
Select the Highlight on View checkbox.
Specify your preferred display settings of the symbols used for the victim cells and
interfering cells:
Click on the required victim cell in the left pane of the Report dialog box:

Version 7.0
That cell is located and highlighted on the Map View, together with all its interfering
cells, as in this example:
If you want to only highlight a specific interfering cell, you can select one of the
cells in the right pane of the analysis window. You can also selectively highlight
multiple interfering cells, by using the Ctrl or Ctrl-Shift keys in the right pane of the
analysis window.

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11.9.4.4
About the Clash Factors
The Report dialog box enables you to rank the clashes and the re-use violations by
sorting the rows based on the distance between cells. However, this distance cannot
help to indicate whether the cells are pointing towards or away from each other.
Also, a pair of cells with large coverage areas may interfere with each other more than
a pair cells with the small coverage areas, even though the distances between the cells
is the same.
The Clash Factor (a number between 0 and 3) tries to account for this. The higher the
number, the worse the clash.
The report shows the 'Clash Factor' in the right pane, and the maximum of these
('Max Clash Factor') in the left pane.
How the Clash Factor is Calculated
In the case of two cells A and B, the Clash Factor for cell A is a measure of how much
A affects B, and is calculated as follows:
Scenario
Clash Factor Formula for Cell A
Explanation
A and B are colocated.
Clash Factor =
(3 - Angular Separation/180)
Cells that are co-located have the most severe Clash Factors
(between 2 and 3 inclusive). The smaller the angular separation
between clashing antennas, the higher the Clash Factor.
A and B are not

co-located, and
B is outside As
capture region.
Clash Factor = 0
Zero Clash Factor, since A is not pointing towards B.
A and B are not Clash Factor =

Cells that are not co-located have Clash Factors of 1 or lower.
co-located and B
(Distance to nearest non-co-located
Example 1:
is inside As
cell
in
As
capture
region)
/
(
Distance
capture region".
Distance to B = 10km, and B is the nearest cell in As capture
to B )
region. Clash Factor = 1
Example 2:
Distance to B = 10km, and the nearest cell in As capture region is
2km. Clash Factor = 0.2
The clash factor is lower in Example 2, because Cell A probably has
a smaller coverage area than in Example 1.
For the purposes of the calculations, the "capture region" is a sector of angular width
equal to twice the antennas 3dB beamwidth. For example, if cell A has an antenna
with a bearing of 40, and a beamwidth of 60, then the capture region is a sector with
a bearing of 40 and an angular width of 120.
For cells with multiple antennas and/or repeaters, a capture region is calculated for
each antenna, and then, from all the combinations of antennas on A and B, the highest
Clash Factor is reported.
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Version 7.0
11.9.5
Applying the Planned BSICs to the Database
In the BSIC Report dialog box, you can choose to save the planned codes to the
database. To do this:
1
Ensure you are satisfied with the planned results.
Click the Apply button.
The updated codes can be viewed (and edited) on the General tab of the relevant cells
in the Site Database:
Example of BSIC for a cell in Site Database

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11.10
Editing carrier allocations
Analysing a frequency plan
Generating frequency plan reports
Creating and viewing an Interference Table
Using the Interactive Frequency Analysis
Using the BSIC Planner
Additional Notes:
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Version 7.0
SECTION 12
12 Generating Reports
Generating Statistical Reports
Generating Site/Node Reports
Generating Cell Information Reports
Generating Frequency Plan Reports
Generating a Delta Report
12.2 Generating Reports and Statistics

To help with decisions that influence the evolution of the cellular network, ASSET
provides a comprehensive range of database and statistical reports which can be
generated in Microsoft Excel or a Text Editor.
This chapter describes the reports that can be generated. Here is a brief summary of
the report categories available:
Statistical Reports
These can only be generated after creating the relevant arrays. They enable you to
produce percentage statistics for arrays, both in terms of overall results, and in terms
of individual cells, clutter categories and cell coverage areas. Distributional statistics
(such as population) can also be incorporated in the results.
Database Reports
These can be generated at any time from the Reports menu, and have no prerequisite
steps since they directly query the ENTERPRISE database.

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12.3 Generating Statistical Reports for Arrays

Statistical reports enable you to produce area and percentage statistics for arrays.
They can only be generated after creating the relevant array.
The report sections (that is, the rows) can show overall statistical summaries,
comparing the area satisfying the target level with the total area analysed, giving the
result as a percentage of the total. The area statistics can also be broken down by:
Clutter type
Individual cells
Specific vectors
Specific features (such as lines, polygons, roads) of a vector
For information on creating vector file features, see the ENTERPRISE User
Reference Guide.
Furthermore, you can incorporate distributional statistics (such as population), which
appear as additional columns in the report. These are obtained from traffic values
which have been spread by a traffic raster. If you wish to do this, check that the
relevant traffic raster has already been saved to file. For more information, see About
Distributional Statistics on page 180.
To create a statistical report for an array:
1
Ensure that the array has been created. In the case of 2g and 2.5g Non-Sim
Coverage/Interference arrays, and Signal Coverage arrays (all technologies), the
creation process is explained in Creating Coverage Arrays on page 155. In the case
of simulation arrays, these are available when you have run or loaded a
simulation.
Open a Map View (if not already open). Ensure that this includes the area for
which you want to generate statistics.
If this view area is different from the one originally used to create the array,
the statistics will be based on the intersection of the two areas. It is also possible to
focus the statistics within selected vectors.
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Version 7.0
Click the Show Data Types button

to display the Data Types list, and expand
either the Simulator or Coverage heading, as appropriate. Then select the required
array, right-click on it, and choose Statistics. This picture shows an example:
The Statistics dialog box appears. The options are described in the following
section.
12.3.1
Results of the Statistical Reports for Arrays
Depending on the options you select in the Statistics dialog box, the report you create
can display the following sections:
The analysis parameters such as the coverage or quality level selected, and any
area restriction vectors selected
Statistics and Category summaries
Statistics broken down by:
Per clutter type
Per cell
Per chosen vector(s)
Per feature within a chosen vector
The following tables describe the values that you can choose to include in the rows of
the statistical reports:
Statistics summary
Description
Total Displayed Area
The chosen area of analysis. This is either the area of the selected Map
view, or, if you selected to restrict the analysis area, the sum of the area
within the chosen vector(s).
Covered Area
The total area within the specified levels.
Covered Area (%)
The covered area as a percentage of the total displayed area.
In the case of 2g Interference Arrays only, there is an extra row named Total
Coverage Area, representing the area which has coverage above the specified
minimum service level.
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Category summary
Description
Category information
Category names and ranges of values.
Covered Area
Covered Area (%)
The covered area as a percentage of the total area.
Per Clutter statistics breakdown
Description
Total Area by Clutter category
For each clutter category, the area that exists in the chosen area of analysis.
Covered Area
For each clutter category, the amount of its area within the specified levels.
Covered Area (%)
For each clutter category, the percentage of its area within the specified
levels.
Per Cell statistics breakdown
Description
Total Area of the Cell coverage (service area)
For each cell, the total of its (best server) service area that exists in the
chosen area of analysis.
For each pixel, only the best serving cell is considered.
Covered Area
For each cell, the amount of its service area within the specified levels.
Covered Area (%)
For each cell, the percentage of its service area within the specified levels.
Per Vector statistics breakdown
Description
Total Area of each chosen vector
The total area of the vector that exists in the chosen area of analysis.
Covered Area
Covered Area (%)
Per Feature statistics breakdown
Description
Total Area of of each feature* that is contained in The total area of the feature that exists in the chosen area of analysis.
the chosen vector.
Attribute values (road name, road number, building name, and so on) can
(*roads, lines, polygons, and so on)
also be shown, depending on the configuration in the vector's structure
editor.
Covered Area
Covered Area (%)
Distributional Statistics (such as population)

This is an optional further breakdown of the results into columns, giving values for
distribution units.
Page 270
Distributional statistics
Description
Distribution units covered
For each of the above (Summaries, Clutter, Cell and Attribute), the
distribution units within the specified levels.
Distribution units covered (%)
For each of the above (Summaries, Clutter, Cell and Attribute), the
percentage of the distribution units within the specified levels.

Version 7.0
12.3.1.1
Statistical Report Example 1
Here is an example of a statistical report (for coverage) for a Best Server array:
Example of a Coverage Statistics report

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12.4 Generating Database Reports

Database reports can be generated at any time from the Reports menu, and have no
prerequisite steps since they directly query the ENTERPRISE database.
You can extract and summarise the contents of the database from these reports:
Site/Node report
GSM Cell Information report
FCC report
GSM Frequency Plan report
There is also a Delta report, which provides an updated list of any changes made
to the project which have not yet been committed by the user. To generate this report,
from the Database menu, click Delta Report. For more information, see the
12.4.1
You can generate a customised Site/Node Report at any time, using filtered selections
if required.
You can extract and summarise the contents of the Site Database to various network
object levels, such as:
Properties
GSM Sites
GSM Cells
Neighbours
If you select items from more than one of the above, the generated report contains
columns that do not apply to all the records - this is inevitable because of the
hierarchical nature of the data, that is, one-to-many relationships.
For ease of reading, the requested information for Properties and the requested
information for each technology are generated onto separate report sheets.
To produce a Site/Node Report:
1
From the Reports menu, click Site/Node Report. The Site Report Generator dialog
box appears.
Select a filter for the Properties/sites/nodes you want to include in the report.
Select the style of report that you want to use:
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Hierarchy style, with new rows separating individual object types
Flat style, for ease of data manipulation
Choose whether you want the report to open in Microsoft Excel or in a text editor.

Version 7.0
Select the Autosave checkbox to automate the naming of the file. The file will be
saved in your personal TEMP directory when you generate it and the filename
will contain the date and time, for example:
C\:Documents and Settings\john.smith\Local Settings\Temp\2007-02-28 17-4829 (Report).xls
On the tabs of the Site Report Generator dialog box, select the information you
want to extract from the database.
You can quickly select or deselect all the checkboxes on any single tab, by
right-clicking anywhere on the main body of the dialog box, and then clicking
Select All or Clear All.
Click Generate.
The selections you choose will be stored automatically, so that the next time you
use this dialog box, the previously selected items will appear by default. However,
the filter initially displayed is always determined by the default set on the Filters tab
of the Preferences dialog box, accessible from the File menu.
Importing and Exporting the Report Selections
You can also use the Import and Export buttons to import or export the site report
selections. This enables fast import/export of the selections. (You can also do this by
using the User Settings import/export functionality, as described in the ENTERPRISE
Installation and Administration Guide, but that method requires the project to be
closed and re-opened.)
12.4.2
To produce a report containing all cells which use a certain carrier, or range of
carriers:
1
From the Reports menu, click GSM Cell Info Report.
Enter the information you require on each tab.

The report produced will contain cells which satisfy ALL the criteria (x AND y
AND z) you specify on the three tabs.
On the Carriers/Cells tab:

Search By
For
Cell identity
Cells which will interfere

Cells for which a given carrier is allocated
Cells for which a given carrier is allocated within a given layer
Co- or adjacent channel interference
Carrier
A carrier
A range of carriers
A particular or all carrier layers
Groups
Frequency groups for a particular or all carrier layers
On the Cell Parameters tab, enter cells which match one or all of the code fields.
Use * as a wildcard if one or all of the fields is not required for the search.
On the Filter tab, select a site filter to further filter the cells displayed.

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Click Find to search for the correct cells.

The lower pane of the dialog box shows a preview of the report.
Click Export to save the report.
In the Select Data Export File dialog box, either enter a new file name or select an
existing report to overwrite, then click Save.
12.4.3
To generate a basic report based on the current frequency plan:

1
From the Reports menu, click GSM Frequency Plan Reporter.
Choose the filter you require then select the information you wish to display.
This table lists the items you can include in your report:
Item
Description
Co-Site / Cell Separations
Co- site and co-cell separations, below the thresholds, will be reported.
Neighbour Separations
Neighbour separations below the threshold will be reported.
Exceptions
Broken exception separations will be shown.
Interference
A summary of the carrier-based interference statistics will be displayed if an interference

table is loaded.
These statistics only provide interference data that is based on affected traffic.
Intermodulation Interference
Select the order up to which to report. For example, if you select 3rd order, both 2nd and
3rd order intermodulations will be reported on.
In the report, the carriers causing the intermodulation are reported along with the
carriers that are interfered with. The report also shows whether the carriers are downlink
or uplink.
Effective Frequency Re-use
The effective frequency re-use for each of the sub-cells.

For more information on how the frequency re-use is calculated, see the ASSET
MALID
The MA List ID, which identifies which MA list each sub-cell uses.
Frequency Load (GSM only)
The frequency load for each of the sub-cells. If you select to include this, you can also
define up to what grade of traffic service you want to include (for example, a value of 1.0
represents 100% traffic service, and a value of 0.5 represents 50% traffic service).
For more information on how the frequency load is calculated, see the ASSET Technical
Reference Guide.
Insufficient MA List Length

(GSM only)
Select this option to display the sub-cells with insufficient carriers according to the MA
list , based on the MAIO separation value.
Override MAIO Separation

(GSM only)
Select this option to override the existing MAIO separation value, and enter your own
separation value for this report.
Click Generate.
If you chose to include interference data in your report, the mE values are listed
under the column heading 'Interference'. The values represent the Traffic Affected by
Interference for each cell pair. The total of these values, Affected Traffic (mE), appears
at the bottom-left of the report.
An Interactive Frequency Analysis is also available. For more information, see
About the GSM Interactive Frequency Analysis on page 241.
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Version 7.0
12.4.4
Generating Reports of Uncommitted Changes
You can produce a report that details all the changes (additions, modifications and
deletions) which you have made and Applied to network elements, but not
Committed to the database. These changes are therefore not visible to other users.
The network element, each field and the modified and previous values of each field
are shown.
The report details additions, modifications and deletions to all elements in your
networks as well as items such as propagation models and equipment.
To produce a report of uncommitted changes:
1
From the Database menu, click Delta Report.
If there are a large number of differences, a message appears to warn you that this
might take time. You can choose not to continue by clicking No, otherwise click
Yes to produce the report.
You can reduce the time taken to generate the report by clearing any orphaned
DB entries that exist in the DIFF tables for the project. (Otherwise, any such entries
will be included in the Delta report as inserts or updates.) To do this, click on the
Utilities tab, and from the Tools menu, click Clean DB Orphans.
A message also appears if there are no differences.
The diff tables in the database are analysed and a report appears.
The left pane displays each item, its type and a state showing if the element has
been added, deleted or updated. This picture shows an example:
Tips:
To sort the data in any of the columns in the left-hand pane, click the column
heading
To find a particular network element ID, type the name in the Find ID box.
ENTERPRISE highlights the item with then name (or the nearest
alphabetical/numerical match) that you have entered.

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Click the Info button to display the right hand pane which will show all fields
associated with any element that you select and its value:
In the right hand pane:
A red symbol appears next to an item with applied changes, for example,
A green symbol appears next to an item that has not been changed, for
example,
To view any additional information, double-click the

symbol beside the
name of an attribute, then click the Back button to return to the previous list
Notes:
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If no information is available, the symbol is green
If the item is an addition, the 'Previous Value' is marked as '-'
If the item is a deletion, the 'Modified Value' is marked as '-'

Version 7.0

Generating Statistical Reports
Generating a Delta Report
Additional Notes:

Version 7.0
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Version 7.0
SECTION 13
13 Setting Up Dual Band

Networks
Understanding the concept of GSM multi-layered networks
Learning how to model a dual band network in ASSET
Configuring a dual band system using a template
How antennas can be shared on a Property
13.2 About GSM Frequency Bands

Initially GSM was designed to work in the 900 MHz band ("the primary band").
However, over time, additional bands have been added. The table below shows the
frequency bands used for GSM Base Station Systems:
TX
RX
P-GSM900
935 MHz to 960 MHz
890 MHz to 915 MHz
DCS1800
1805 MHz to 1880 MHz
E-GSM900
925 MHz to 960 MHz
880 MHz to 915 MHz
R-GSM900
921 MHz to 960 MHz
876 MHz to 915 MHz
GSM 450
460.4 MHz to 467.6 MHz
450.4 MHz to 457.6 MHz
GSM 480
488.8 MHz to 496 MHz
478.8 MHz to 486 MHz
GSM 850 and MXM 850
869 MHz to 894 MHz
824 MHz to 849 MHz
PCS 1900 and MXM 1900
(ETSI, GSM 11.21 version 8.3.0 Release 1999, www)

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13.3 Overview of Dual Band Networks in ASSET

The method for modelling a dual band network in ASSET is to configure separate
cells, each one containing a single sub-cell, that is, GSM900 or GSM1800, as
appropriate.
So, for a 3-sector site, the dual band site would look like this:
Example of Dual Band Site in Site Database
The following session will take you through, step by step, how to set up a dual band
network in ASSET.
13.3.1
Prerequisites for Dual Band Configuration
Before setting up this configuration, a number of important items need to be in place.

These items include:
Importing Antennas, either Single-band or Dual-band
Setting up specific Propagation Models for each frequency band (GSM900 and
1800)
Allocating Carriers for both frequency bands
Defining the two Carrier Layers
Defining the two Cell Layers
For details on how to set up these items, please refer to the sections on Setting Up a
Network and Traffic Planning within this document.
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Version 7.0
13.3.2
Antenna Sharing in ASSET
If you are using antennas that are dual band, such as 900 and 1800 MHz, where the
only difference between the antennas is their patterns, you can share the antenna. The
sector could be represented as two cells. For example, a site has a sector at an azimuth
of 180. If you configure the sector to support an antenna of a different bandwidth, all
parameters such as height, azimuth, tilt, correction factor and shared ID would be the
same.
By sharing antennas for different technology types, you can make changes to the
parameters for an antenna and they are reflected in all technology types sharing this
antenna. This reduces the time needed to make the changes for many antennas for all
the different technology types on the same Property.
To share an antenna and make it available for multi-technology sites and cells on the
same Property, you first have to ensure that the settings on the Shared Antennas tab
of the Preferences dialog box (from File menu) are set to the defaults as shown here:
Antenna Sharing options in Preferences
You then need to:

1
Select the relevant cell in the Site Database.
On the Antennas tab, select the Shared Antenna checkbox.
Choose the antenna pattern you require.
In the Identity box, type a number (1-127) to identify the antenna in the database:
Repeat this process for the second antenna you want to share, ensuring you use
the same number in the Identity box.
Click Apply.

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You are then prompted to either:

Sync with antenna shares - this makes the currently selected antenna's parameters
the same as those of other antennas with the same identity.
Update associated shared antennas - this updates the parameters of any shared
antennas to be the same as those of the currently selected antenna.
Break relationships - this breaks or cancels the 'shared' relationship of the currently
selected antenna, so that the identity returns to "N/A" (this does not affect the
other antennas sharing the original identity).
Obviously, if you wish to retain the sharing, you would choose the first or second
option.
13.4 Configuring a Dual Band System

To configure a dual band system, either the Site Database or Site Template can be
used, depending on the planning situation at the time of planning. You would use the
Site Database to re-configure an existing site, whereas the Site Template would be
used at the beginning of a project or when a new dual band site is to be planned using
the Map View window. The configuration process is very similar for both the Site
Database and Site Template. For training purposes the 'Site Template' will be used to
show the configuration process.
To create a dual band site template, you need to follow the same procedure described
in Adding a Template for a 2g Site. In summary form, the procedure is described here:
From the Database menu, click Templates:
To add a new site template, right-click the Cell Site element type, and click Add
Template:
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Version 7.0
You can name the template to something like this:
13.4.1
Configuring a Dual Band System using a Template
To configure the template for a dual band 3-sector site using a template:
1
Right-click the template, and from the menu that appears, click 'Add Cell' six
times:
,
By default the new cells will have the GSM-Default Cell Layer assigned to them,
since this was the original project default layer.
2
Right-click on the text of all the GSM-Default sub-cells and select Delete Cell
Layer.
Right-click on the text of the first three sub-cells (A-C) and select Add Cell Layer,
and then select GSM900.
Right-click on the text of the last three sub-cells (D-F) and select Add Cell Layer,
and then select GSM1800.
You should now see this:

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On each cell, the parameters can now be configured in the normal way under each
tab. Some important parameters for the cell are:
Antenna details (Antennas tab)
Propagation model (Antennas tab)
Obviously, the assigned models and antennas can be specific to the frequency bands
(GSM900, GSM1800).
On each sub-cell, the parameters can now be configured in the normal way under
each tab. Some important parameters for the sub-cell are:
Signal Threshold (General tab)
PA Output (Antenna/TRX tab)
Optionally, the Signal Threshold can be set differently for each band so that the
traffic will be forced onto the GSM1800 layer (which may be the higher priority layer).
The traffic will be served by the GSM1800 layer until the received level is better than
the Signal Threshold value set, then the traffic will go to the GSM900 layer. For
example, the GSM1800 Layer could be set to 85dBm and the GSM900 Layer set to
102dBm. In that situation, the Cell Layer priorities (if set) would then only matter for
overlapping coverage down to 85dBm.
13.5 Viewing Coverage of the Dual Band Site

When the template is configured, before you close the Templates dialog box, ensure
you select the correct checkbox to activate the new 'Dual Band 3-sector' template.
Add a site to the Map View, and then generate a coverage (Best Server) array for it.
The best way to show the coverage of a dual band site is to use the Service Area
(Block) plot:
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You should be able to see the different service areas of the GSM900 cells and the
GSM1800 cells:
Example of Service Area (Block) Array for a Dual Band Site

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Understanding the concept of GSM multi-layered networks
Learning how to model a dual band network in ASSET
Configuring a dual band system using a template
How antennas can be shared on a Property
Additional Notes:
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SECTION 14
14 Planning GSM Data

Services
Defining the GSM Data Service settings
Enabling GPRS on the Cells in the Site Database
Calculating and analysing the GPRS Service Area
Defining Terminal Types for Data Services
Creating a GPRS Traffic Array
Generating the GPRS Arrays
Capturing Traffic and Analysing Capacity Requirements
14.2 Overview of GPRS

GPRS (General Packet Radio Services) is an extension to GSM that allows more
efficient packet data transfer compared to traditional GSM data services. The
principle is that a user can be constantly connected to the network without occupying
any radio resources (frequency, timeslots) until a data packet has to be transferred.
When a packet is to be transferred, a temporary channel is assigned to the user; after
the transfer is completed, the channel is quickly released again.
GPRS allows many users to share the same timeslot, and also allows a single user to
use more than one timeslot. It uses an error detection and retransmission scheme to
ensure that data packets are correctly delivered to the receiver.

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Within this session we will look at the stages in the GPRS Capacity process. The
following diagram gives an overview of the GPRS Planning process:
Diagram of the GPRS planning process in ASSET
14.3 Defining the Targets of the GPRS Service

The aim of this phase is to identify the existing sites and new sites where GPRS is to
be enabled and get some idea of the required modifications that you need to make to
the existing network before you can implement the desired GPRS Service. You need
to decide:
What kind of data services will be provided?
Where the service is required?
Prerequisite
The information from the current frequency plan is needed when planning for GPRS
networks. Therefore, before you continue, you must update the plan to meet the
actual networks site/cell structure, element identity, neighbours and frequency
information.
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14.4 Defining Data Service Settings

To initialise the GPRS service, you need to:
Set GPRS channel coding schemes
Define the timeslot distribution
Set the occupancy table
14.4.1
Setting GPRS Channel Coding Schemes
To set GPRS Channel Coding Schemes:

1
From the Configuration menu, point to Lookup Tables and Curves and click GPRS
CCS.
The following window will appear:
By default the table is populated with values.

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You can edit these by either:
Highlighting and re-typing

- or -
In the C/I(dB) column, define the C/I, for example between 0 and 30 dB and
in the coding scheme (throughput) column define the x axis values, for
example between 0 and 15 kb/s.
The C/I versus data rate values are dependent on the nature of the network, for
example, how fast the mobiles are expected to move, whether RF hopping is used in
the GPRS cells, and so on.
You can then:
Click Show Graph to see a plot of C/I against data rate per timeslot
When a row containing data is selected (except the last row), you can click Add
Row to insert another row
Click Commit to update the changes to the database
Coding schemes are optimised, that is, the best one is chosen. The data contained
within these tables can be scaled for any number of timeslots, that is, the data rate for
three timeslots is three times the data rate for one timeslot for a given C/I.
14.4.2
Defining Timeslot Distribution
Use the Channel to Transceiver mapping tables to define timeslot distribution. These
mapping tables enable you to specify how many carriers are needed to provide the
required number of traffic channels. You need to set the amount of Circuit Switched
and Packet Switched control channels as well as the amount of dedicated GPRS traffic
channels.
To set up a channel to transceiver map for GPRS, from the 'Configuration' menu:
1
Within the Channel to Transceiver Setup window, click on the 'Add Map' button
and enter an appropriate name for the map, and click OK.
The following message appears:
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Click Yes.

Version 7.0
The following window now appears:
In the box labelled 'Default Number of Channels Per Transceiver", enter the
number of traffic channels that can be supported per carrier (for example, 8), and
click Apply.
Click on the 'Add Transceiver' button, which will populate the window with
default figures.
To change the information in the table, select the row, and click the Edit Map
button.

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You can specify:
Total number of channels (No.)
Amount of dedicated GPRS capacity (Ngprs)
Number of shared control channels (Nctrl)
Number of GPRS control channels (Ngprsctrl)
(The number of circuit switched traffic channels (Ncs) is automatically updated.)

8
Click OK to close the GPRS Map Editor.
From the Configuration menu, point to Layers, and select Cell Layers.
10 Select your new Channel to Transceiver map in the Cell Layers dialog box. Click
on the on the Coverage Type tab, and you will see a drop-down box with all the
cell layer.
14.4.3
Setting the Occupancy Table
Channel Occupancy is used to estimate the efficiency with which GPRS data packets
can be packed into the available timeslots.
This is most useful in GPRS when you come close to using full network capacity. The
greater the number of available timeslots means the better the efficiency with which
GPRS data packets can be packed.
To set channel occupancy:
1
Timeslot Occupancy.
To populate the columns, either set default values by clicking the Set to Defaults
button.
or
Manually add values, using values between 0 and 100 in the Occupancy columns,
where 100 means full occupancy.
You can then:
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Click Show Graph to see a plot of the values
Edit any value by clicking it and changing it
Click Remove All to delete all the values in the columns
When a row containing data is selected (except the last row), you can click
Add Row to insert another row
Click Commit to update the changes to the database

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14.5 Enabling GPRS on the Cells in the Site

Database
On the (E)GPRS tab for a sub-cell in the Site Database, you can designate the sub-cell
to support GPRS and/or EGPRS.
Option
Description
Enable GPRS
Enabling GPRS enables you to select the channel coding scheme(s) supported by the sub-cell, and
also allows you to select the Enable EGPRS and Dedicated PBCCH options.
Enable EGPRS
Enabling EGPRS enables you to select the Link Adaptation families which are supported by the subcell.
Dedicated PBCCH
Select this if you want to allocate another BCCH timeslot for packet data control.
In the Traffic pane on this tab, you can edit the GPRS and EGPRS traffic values, which
represent the loading on the sub-cell. You can enter these here if they are known, or
use the automatic process in the Static Traffic Analysis for GPRS and EGPRS. For
more information, see Running the Static Traffic Analysis on page 186.
Also if you have the EGPRS enabled, you can edit the percentage of EGPRS traffic that
uses 8-PSK modulation. ASSET sums the traffic of each (E)GPRS traffic raster pixelby-pixel, and creates a total traffic value on the sub-cell. For each sub-cell, the
percentage of traffic using 8-PSK modulation is calculated and saved.
An automatically calculated value for the traffic mix can be applied to the sub-cells
after running the Static Traffic Analysis, but you can enter your own value here
(although this is recommended only for advanced users). The value will be zero
unless the EGPRS Data Rate array has been created previously, or you have entered
the value manually in the Site Database or Global Editor.
These values will be taken into account when Interference Arrays are calculated, if the
Use Traffic checkbox on the Interference tab of the Array Settings dialog box is
selected.
Adding a GPRS Sub-cell in the Site Database Window
All these parameters can also be edited in the Global Editor, or pre-set using the
Templates.
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14.6 Calculating and Analysing the GPRS Service

Area
The generation and analysis of cell-specific GPRS service areas follows the normal
coverage planning process, that is:
1
From the Tools menu, point to Pathloss Predictor, which enables you to run the
prediction tool to generate pathloss predictions.
Choose to calculate the Best Server (GPRS/EGPRS) array to visualise on the map
the service areas of the cells where GPRS is enabled.
Display the array in the Map View Window.
14.7 Defining Terminal Types for Data Services

For the Traffic and Capacity planning process, an estimate of the GPRS terminal
distribution is required as well as an idea of the services and data rate demand of the
terminals.
To set up a GPRS terminal type:
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On the General tab, edit the name. It is useful to describe the type of traffic that it
represents, for example, 'GPRS'.
Select 'Packet Switched (GPRS)' as the required technology for this terminal type.
distributed over the Map View when a traffic raster is created. For more
information, see Determining the Distribution of Traffic on page 174.
On the Cell Layers tab, associate the Terminal Type with one or more Cell Layers.
This means that any Traffic Raster that is created for the Terminal Type can only
be serviced by cells using the appropriate Cell Layer(s).
On the GPRS/EGPRS tab, set the mean busy hour capacity (kb/s) of the terminal.
This figure should include any overhead related to the characteristics of the device
(for example, average packet size and TCP/IP protocol) up to a limit of 9999. This
is an estimate of the traffic demand, in a busy hour, for the terminal type.
Specify the maximum number of timeslots supported by the terminal (normally a

maximum of 3).

Version 7.0
Here is an example:
14.8 Creating a GPRS Traffic Array

The procedure to create traffic arrays is described in Creating a Traffic Raster on page
181.
When planning for GPRS, it is recommended to spread traffic based on both Voice
and Packet-Switched terminal types, for example:
Voice traffic (in Erlangs)
GPRS traffic (in Terminals)
Here is an example:

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If you want to restrict the traffic spread to Best Server coverage (Step 4 of the
Traffic Wizard) then:
You must have coverage arrays for GSM Best Server and GPRS Best Server in
memory
- and Their mapping resolution must be set the same as that set in Step 3 of the Traffic
Wizard
The Traffic array can now be viewed within the Map View window by selecting the
Terminal Type name from the Traffic category of the 'Show Data Types' list:
Example of Traffic Array for GPRS
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14.9 About the GPRS Arrays

There are three arrays that can help you analyse GPRS:
GPRS Data Rate
Average Data Rates per Timeslot
Service Area Data Rate
14.9.1
GPRS Data Rate Array
The GPRS Data Rate array shows the maximum data rate (in kbits per second) that
you can achieve (per one timeslot) at a particular pixel using GPRS technology. This
calculation is capacity-independent.
Use the GPRS Data Rate array to see where in a area you will get what performance.
This type of array requires a Best Server (GPRS) array, which is generated
automatically if one does not already exist.
The GPRS Data Rate array determines coverage for cells that support GPRS and
includes the effect of Frequency Hopping and DTX. The array calculates a pixel's
average C/I value, ignoring the signal (C) from non-GPRS cells but considering
interference for all cells, both GPRS and non-GPRS.
When the average C/I value for each pixel has been determined, the array converts it
from a signal to noise ratio to a data rate per timeslot by referring to the Channel
Coding Scheme. For details, see the ASSET User Reference Guide. Only Channel
Coding Schemes supported by the best serving sub-cell are included. The data rate is
stored in the array.
You can specify the cell layer/carrier layer combinations to be considered when
calculating the GPRS data rate array by selecting the appropriate combinations in the
Interference tab of the Array Settings dialog box.
As with other arrays, you can double-click the item from the Data Types list on the
Map View to change the displayed colours and categories for the array.

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14.9.2
GPRS Average Data Rate per Timeslot Array
The GPRS Average Data Rate per Timeslot display uses the serving cell information
from the Best Server (GPRS) array.
The Average Data Rate per Timeslot array uses the distribution of traffic (Terminal
Types/km) and the data demands of each type. It then calculates an average data
rate per timeslot for the cell. This is calculated and stored when the GPRS Data Rate
array is produced.
It uses the GPRS Data Rate array to give a data rate per timeslot (kb/s). This value is
then multiplied by the number of terminals of that type present to get the demand for
that pixel for that terminal type.
The results for each terminal type for all the pixels within a sub-cell are then divided
by the number of terminals of that type with the sub-cell. The result for each terminal
type present is then averaged to generate the average data rate per timeslot, which is
then stored on the sub-cell.
If the traffic array and the GPRS Data Rate array are of different resolutions, the
GPRS Data Rate array is interpolated to get the corresponding kb/s for each traffic
array pixel.
To display this on the map, ensure Average Data Rate per Timeslot (GPRS) is selected
in the list of data types to display. The area covered by each GPRS sub-cell is
displayed on the map in the colour corresponding to its average data rate per
timeslot.
When displayed on the map, the array has different colours representing the different
service levels in a kb/s/timeslot. For example:
High (Multimedia)
>12kb/s (Red)
Medium (Web access)
7-12kb/s (Green)
Low (e-mail)
2-7kb/s (Blue)
14.9.3
GPRS Service Area Data Rate Array
The GPRS Service Area Data Rate array displays the capacity limited GPRS data rate
for each serving cell.
The data rates are displayed accordingly to chosen categories over the service area of
each server. For example, for a server whose capacity limited data rate is 6kb/s, the
service area of this server will be displayed as the appropriate category. The default
category in this case would be e-mail as according to the default scheme, the data rate
range for e-mail is 1-28 kb/s. The service area for this cell would therefore be coloured
in the colour for the category e-mail.
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14.10 Generating the GPRS Arrays

To produce a GPRS Data Rate array:
1
Click on the 'Create arrays' button

Sim'.
in the Map View window, then select 'Non
Ensure you select the 'GPRS Data rate' array option:
Click 'OK'.
The full procedure to create arrays is described in Creating Coverage Arrays on

page 155.
The GPRS Data Rate array can now be viewed within the Map View window by
selecting the GPRS Data Rate name from the Coverage category of the 'Data Types'
list:
Example of GPRS Data Rate Array
When you have generated the above array, the tool automatically calculates and
generates the following GPRS arrays:
'Average Data Rates per Timeslot'
'Service Area Data Rate'

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These arrays can also be viewed by selecting the appropriate categories in the 'Data
Types' list.
The Map Information pane (Gadgets) can be useful for analysing the GPRS arrays.
See Map View Gadgets Window on page 50.
14.11 Capturing Traffic and Analysing Capacity

Requirements
Ensure you have generated the GPRS Data Rate array before performing Traffic
Analysis, because the analysis uses the average data rate values.
The Static Traffic Analysis is accessed from the Tools menu. For a full description of
the steps involved, please see Running the Static Traffic Analysis on page 186.
14.12
Process Summary for GPRS Analysis
Here is a summary description of the process to use when performing GPRS analysis:
1
Set up the Coding Schemes and Occupancy Tables.
Set up a GPRS Channel to Transceiver Map, and allocate it to the Cell Layer (or
you may choose to use the GSM standard).
In the Site Database, on the (E)GPRS tab, enable the appropriate sub-cells for
GPRS, and enable the required coding schemes.
Run the Pathloss Prediction Generator.
Create a GPRS Best Server array. See Creating Coverage/Interference Arrays

(Non-Sim) on page 155.
Set up a terminal type for GPRS, and set it as packet switched. Specify the
downlink demand per terminal and maximum timeslots per TRX.
Create a traffic raster. This could include terminal types for both GSM voice
(Erlangs) and GPRS (Terminals).
Create a GPRS Data Rate Array. See Creating Coverage/Interference Arrays (NonSim) on page 155.
This calculates the data rate per timeslot for each pixel, based purely on the
automatically run Average Connection C/I and the highest correlated throughput
value from the relevant coding scheme. This array depends strictly on the
frequency allocation of the network, but ignores network availability.
This array can be displayed on the Map View.
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The above array automatically produces the Average Data Rate per Timeslot
array. This array takes into account the number of terminals spread and the
demand per terminal.
An average data rate is then displayed across the whole sub-cell area, based on the
GPRS Best Server array (that is, array colours are not per pixel, but per sub-cell
area).
This 'demand' array can be displayed on the Map View.
10 Run the Static Traffic Analysis (at least the first three steps). Review the Captured
Traffic and Traffic Analysis reports.
11 Display the Service Data Rate Array on the Map View. This is a representation of
how well or badly the network will perform in coping with the GPRS traffic
according to the current TRX allocation on the sub-cells. This array takes into
account the capacity and service of the network.
This 'service' array can be displayed on the Map View.
You can customise the display settings for each array, and add colours to show
lower scales of kbs, such as 0.01kbs, 0.1kbs, 1 kbs, 5kbs, 10kbs, and so on. It is also
useful to activate the relevant values in the Map Information pane, and then compare
the array values with each other.
The concept of the analysis is that the kbs values in the final 'Service' array should be
lower than those in the earlier 'Demand' array, which will indicate that the current
network TRX configuration can cope with that demand. Otherwise, if the values are
higher, the implication of the analysis is that the network cannot cope.
Reiterations
If you subsequently make changes to the TRX configuration on the sub-cells, or
modify the terminal type or traffic spreading parameters or values, the analysis steps
you should reiterate (in a strict sequence) are:
Create a traffic raster
Create a GPRS Data Rate array
Run the Static Traffic Analysis (at least the first three steps)

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14.13
Defining the GSM Data Service settings
Enabling GPRS on the Cells in the Site Database
Calculating and analysing the GPRS Service Area
Defining Terminal Types for Data Services
Creating a GPRS Traffic Array
Generating the GPRS Arrays
Capturing Traffic and Analysing Capacity Requirements
Additional Notes:
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SECTION 15
15 What's New in ASSET

7.0?
In ASSET 7.0, the following additional features are now available.
15.1 LTE Support

ASSET 7.0 provides complete planning/dimensioning capabilities for LTE, and these
capabilities are highly flexible to meet the varying requirements and demands of
different network operators and vendors.
ASSET provides a flexible approach to planning and analysing different service types
by using a combination of service types, terminal types and terminal density arrays.
The static simulation provides a wide range of output arrays and reports.
The LTE functionality includes:
Frame Structures
Frequency Bands
Carrier definitions (including signalling/control overheads and intercell
interference coordination schemes)
Advanced Antenna System support
Site Database network element parameters for LTE
Using the Coverage Wizard
Traffic modelling: bearers, services, terminal types, clutter parameters
Planning Physical Cell Identities
Simulator Wizard
Interference Table Wizard
Frequency Planning

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15.2 Carried Traffic Analysis

The Carried Traffic Analysis in ASSET 7.0 enables the quick identification of potential
transmission network bottlenecks.
When you have run a simulation, you can write the calculated traffic values to the
cells in the Site Database (you can also manually add or edit it these values).
This information will enable you to:
Analyse the network throughput, both on the cells and the parent network
elements.
Identify network bottlenecks.
Integrate this traffic information with the CONNECT tool for the purposes of
route planning and link capacity. For more information, see What's New in
CONNECT 7.0.
Traffic written by the Simulator to the Site Database can be viewed on the Carried
Traffic tab, which exists for the majority of the hierarchical network elements. The
Simulator generates traffic at the cell level. At higher levels in the network hierarchy,
the aggregated traffic of the subordinate elements can be viewed.
This picture shows an example of the Carried Traffic tab for a site:
Example of Carried Traffic tab for a site
If you do not want the traffic from subordinate network elements to be aggregated
automatically you can choose to turn the Auto Aggregate facility off and you can
enter traffic figures manually using the Carried Traffic Editor.
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This picture shows an example of the Carried Traffic Editor:
Example of the Carried Traffic Editor
15.3 Interference Table Functionality

In ASSET 7.0, the Interference Table functionality has been extended to support more
technologies. It now supports:
GSM (or AMPS)
LTE
Mobile WiMAX
Example of Interference Table Wizard

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The tabs and parameters vary according to the technology you select. The
technologies are only visible if you have the appropriate licence.
This new functionality means that, for LTE and Mobile WiMAX, the information in
the interference table can be used as a vital input to their Frequency Planning
Wizards.
(For GSM, as before, you can use the table as an input to the Interactive Frequency
Analysis, or to ILSA, the automatic frequency planning tool.)
Viewing the Table within ASSET
In addition, you can now view your interference table in a detailed and customisable
analysis window.
Here is an example of the Interference Table Analysis window:
Example of Interference Table Analysis (the columns can be customised)
In the left pane of the report window, the table lists the victim cells with their
associated cell layer, and shows the total coverage area and, if applicable, total traffic,
corresponding to the victim cell.
In the right pane of the report window, the table lists the interfering cells
corresponding to the victim cell that is currently selected/highlighted in the left pane.
When you select any of the victim cells in the left pane, the list of interfering cells
automatically updates in the right pane.
For each of the interfering cells in the right pane, the table shows its respective
calculated (or loaded) overlapping values. These values are given for both co-channel
and adjacent channel interference. The percentages indicate the proportion of the
interfering cell's area/traffic values with respect to the total area/traffic values on the
victim cell.
The interference data relating to each interfering cell is presented in the right pane, as
follows:
Interference in terms of Area
Co-Area
(km2)
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Co-Area
(%)
Adj-Area
(km2)
Interference in terms of Traffic

Adj-Area
(%)
Co-Traffic
(T or mE)
Co-Traffic
(%)
Adj-Traffic
(T or mE)
Adj-Traffic
(%)

Version 7.0
You can:
Limit the cells in the report window, by using the Filter drop-down list.
Search for a specific victim cell in the left pane, by using the Find button.
View the interferers for any of the victim cells by selecting the appropriate victim
cell.
Re-sequence any of the columns in the left pane or the right pane, by clicking the
appropriate column header.
For example, you can sort the list of interfering cells to find which cells might be
causing the greatest potential problems to the victim cell.
Specify the decimal place precision that you require (this influences the right pane
only).
Customise the column details in the right pane.
Generate a report by clicking the Report button. This report will reflect your
customised columns and decimal precision.
Interact with the Map View, helping you to visualise specific cells.
Interact with the Site Database, helping you to check a specific cell's network
parameters.
Here is an example of how you can use the interference table analysis to interact with
the Map View, in order to visualise specific victim cells and/or interfering cells. :
Example of Map View showing a highlighted victim cell, together with all its interfering cells

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15.4 Antenna Instance IDs

ASSET 7.0 now enables you to specify an Antenna Instance ID. This is optional, and
you can use it to uniquely identify each antenna instance in the network.
This parameter, available on the Antennas tab in the Site Database, may be very
useful if your network uses a distributed antenna system (DAS), where there are
many antennas assigned to a single cell (or any similar scenario). It enables you to
give a unique identity to each antenna instance on such cells, which helps to identify
individual antennas when using the Map View, creating Filters, using the Site or Cell
Quick Edit, or generating Site/Node Reports.
Here is an example of how this can help to select the correct antenna when using the
Map View for antenna re-orientation:
Example of how Antenna Instance IDs can facilitate antenna selection on the Map View
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15.5 Google Earth Support

ASSET 7.0 now includes KML as one of the standard GIS export formats. This means
it is now possible to export map information from ASSET which can then be
displayed in Google Earth:
Example of ASSET map information exported into Google Earth
In addition to KML, ENTERPRISE can also produce GeoTIFF exports. To import

GeoTIFF images into Google Earth, you should use Google Earth Pro.

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You can also link your ENTERPRISE Map View with Google Earth, so that when you
pan or zoom on the map, Google Earth opens, shows the same view, and reflects any
panning and zooming performed:
Example of 2D View and corresponding Google Earth view
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Version 7.0
15.6 Extended Character Set Support

ENTERPRISE 7.0 supports the use of extended character sets for the following
products:
ASSET
ADVANTAGE
ASSET ACP
As an example of an extended character set, you can now use Chinese characters in
the majority of the user interface.
For information on configuring ENTERPRISE to support Chinese characters, see the
Installation and Administration Guide.
For information on the user interface locations where you can type Chinese
characters, and the associated database tables and fields, see the ENTERPRISE
This picture shows an example of using an extended character set in the Site
Database:
Example of Site Database supporting Extended Character Sets

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15.7 Licensing Configurations and Permissions

ENTERPRISE 7.0 provides an improved licensing system.
Configuring License Distribution in ENTERPRISE Administrator
System administrators can control the distribution of licences to users via the Licence
Administration tabs in the Group Properties and User Properties dialog boxes in
ENTERPRISE Administrator.
Here is an example:
Example of Licence Administration tabs in the Group Properties
For more information about how licensing configurations and permissions can be
controlled by the system administrator, and further licensing information, see the
ENTERPRISE Installation and Administration Guide.
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User Controlling their Licence Usage in ENTERPRISE

Users can control their licence use via the Licence Administrator in ENTERPRISE.
The Licence Administrator enables you to view and edit the licences that are available
to you after logging in to the database.
As an ENTERPRISE user, you can use the Licence Administrator to:
Get licences
Drop licences
Check out (commute) licences for usage remote from the network server, based on
a specified number of days
Edit the Startup option to determine your default licence configuration
Here is an example of the Licence Administrator dialog box:
Example of Licence Administrator dialog box
For more information about using the Licence Administrator, see the ENTERPRISE
User Reference Guide.

Version 7.0
Page 313
Page 314

Version 7.0
Index
A
Algorithms
Prediction file caching algorithm 29, 30
Allocating
carrier layers 103
Analysis
frequency plans 225
Antennas
distributed 114, 116
moving 114, 116
reorientating 114, 117
slots 118
Arrays
archiving 166, 169
best server 155, 161
clipboard 169
creating 155
deleting 168
displaying 161
loading 168
managing 166
saving 166, 168, 169
traffic 178, 181, 185, 189
troubleshooting 156
types available 155
Assignments, carriers 224
Attributes
adding to vectors 67
defining for a vector file feature 67
editing 70
traffic rasters 179
viewing as screentips 45
Azimuths, changing 114, 116, 117
B
BCCH Prerequisite Rule 96
Best Server arrays 155, 161
Blocking, displaying 191
BSIC
planning 255
schemas 256
C
Caching algorithm for predictions 29
Carrier layers
about 99
Carriers
allocating 103, 105
assignments 224

Version 7.0
calculating required 188

defining GSM and GPRS carriers 94, 95
fixing 105
forbidding 105
grouping 100
layers 99
status 224
Cell layers
about 101
defining 102
Cells
antennas 114, 116, 117, 118
configuring 106, 109
editing 119
reports 227
viewing attributes as screentips 45
Change reports 275
Channel to Transceiver maps 192, 193, 194
Clipboard arrays 169
Colour code planning 255
Co-ordinates
setting 31
Coverage
arrays 155
for single site or cell 154
pathloss predictions 151
schemas 159
statistics 268
D
Data
loading 31
ordering 42
project 25
shared 26
viewing 42
Database reports 272
Databases
logging in 24
reports 272
uncommitted changes 275
Delta reports 275
Display Schemas for arrays 153
Displaying
attributes 45
blocking 191
neighbours 215, 216, 218
traffic 185, 189
Distribution Statistics, generating reports 179, 180,
268
Dual predictions, example 148
E
Editing
cells quickly 119
lines and polygons 68
sites quickly 119
vector file feature attributes 70
Examples
fields 124
Exporting
MapInfo 56
Page 315
F
Favourites
accessing 55
saving 55
Features
creating vector file features 64
using and managing vector file features 70
Fields
about 123
creating 124
examples 124
Filters
about 135
adding 127, 129, 134
creating 127, 135, 137
deleting 140
editing 140
optimising 142
speeding up 142
using 135
Forcing repredictions 151
Frequency
bands 96, 97
displaying on map view 164
Frequency Analysis Wizard 241
Frequency Planning
analysing plans 225
reports 228
G
GPRS
arrays 297, 298
channel to transceiver maps 194
GSM
Interactive Frequency Analysis 241
in ILSA 96
Islands, for polygons 74
L
Layers
carrier 99
cell 99, 101
defining 100, 102
Lines
spreading traffic 67, 176, 179
Links
fields 124
Live traffic
creating a traffic raster 181
Locations, finding on map 47
Logging in, overview 24
M
Map data
projections 28
specifying 28
Map View
displaying attribute data on 45
saving 55
MapInfo, exporting to 56
Maps
displaying 42
displaying attribute data on 45
favourites 55
printing 58, 60
redrawing 42, 55
repositioning 55
saving views 55
selecting items 44
size 31
vector file features 64
viewing 55
H
Height profile
cellular antenna tilts 114
Hierarchy tab
adding to filter 137
Holes, for polygons 74
I
ILSA
analysing plans 225
interference tables 229
Importing
vectors 78
Interactive Frequency Analysis 241
Interference
arrays 155
Interference tables
about 229
creating 230
loading 235
viewing 236
Intermodulation
calculations 97
frequency bands 96
Page 316
N
Neighbours
about 197
adding 198, 199, 201, 203, 210
analysing 206, 207
customising column details 200, 210
displaying 215
making mutual 219
planning 203
Network Configuration Report 272
Nodes
adding 106
O
Ordering, map data 42
P
Parameters
suggested values for propagation models 88
Partial loading
about 31
Pathloss

Version 7.0
predicting 151
Planning
colour codes 255
frequency 224, 225
Points
attributes 67, 179
creating 64
Vector Manager 64
Polygons
attributes 67, 179
creating 64
holes and islands 74
Vector Manager 64
Population Statistics, generating reports 67, 179, 180,
268
Prediction file management 29, 30
Predictions
creating 151
file caching system 29, 30
file management algorithm 29, 30
Printing
maps 58, 60
Projections
specifying 28
Projects
creating 24, 25
loading subsets 31
sharing data 26
Propagation Models
Enhanced Macrocell 86
Properties
fields 123
Q
Quick Finder
searching with 47
setting up 49
R
Received Power, setting GSM signal thresholds 109,
110, 111
Recommendations
propagation model parameters 88
Redrawing maps 55
Refreshing
maps 55
Region loading
about 31
Regions
loading 31
Reorientating antennas in Map View 114, 117
Reports
about 268, 272
cell information 227
coverage statistics 268
database 272
delta 275
frequency planning 228
population statistics 179, 180, 268
sites/nodes 272
statistics 268

Version 7.0
traffic statistics 186, 188, 189

uncommitted 275
Repositioning, maps 55
Rules
for filters 142
S
Saving
map views 54, 55
Schemas
coverage 159
display schemas 153
Screentips, viewing attribute data as 45
Searching
attributes 70
maps 47
vectors 70
Service Area arrays (GSM) 161
Serving Cell arrays
creating 155, 161
Settings
projects 24
Shortcuts
zooming 54
Signal coverage
pathloss predictions 151
Signal strength
restricting 109, 111
viewing difference between two cells 163
Signal thresholds
about 110
example 111
setting 109
Site tips, displaying 45
Sites
adding 106
displaying 47
editing 119
fields 125
filters 136, 137, 140, 142
finding on map 47
flagging status 123
reports 272
status 123
Slots
antenna 118
Spreading traffic
traffic rasters 178, 181
Statistics
population 179, 180, 268
reports 268
Status fields
examples 124
Sub-cells, definition 101
T
Table Browser, using 70
Templates
creating 106
Terminal types
determining distribution 174
Text
creating 64
Page 317
on map 47
Tilts, analysing in the Height Profile 114
Toolbars
Map View 39
Vector Editor 64
Traffic
analysis 186
arrays 178, 179, 181, 185
displaying 185, 189, 191
live 181
rasters 178, 179, 181, 185
spreading 178, 181
statistics 186, 188, 189
Troubleshooting
array creation 156
co-ordinates 31
selecting items 44
U
Uncommitted changes, reporting 275
UTM, co-ordinate system 28
V
Vectors
attributes 67, 179
creating 64
editing 68
importing 78
managing 70
Table Browser 70
Vector Manager 64
Visualisers, about 143, 144
Z
Zoom
saving 55
shortcuts 54
Page 318

Version 7.0

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ENTERPRISE 7.

Introduction to the ASSET Training Course 13

Overview of the ASSET GSM-GPRS Training Course ............................ 13

Course Objectives .................................................................................. 14

Objectives of this Session ....................................................................... 15

The ENTERPRISE Tools Suite ............................................................... 15

Obtaining User Assistance...................................................................... 16

The ENTERPRISE Database ................................................................. 19

Obtaining Support .......................................................................................... 17

The Two-Stage Commit Process ............................................................ 20

Session Summary Checklist ................................................................... 22

Setting Up the Project

Objectives of this Session ....................................................................... 23

Starting ENTERPRISE ........................................................................... 23

Logging into a Database ......................................................................... 24

Creating a New Project ........................................................................... 25

Using Shared Data ........................................................................................ 26

Setting the Required Technology for your Project ................................... 32

Viewing Settings for the Current Project ................................................. 33

Message Log Window ............................................................................ 33

Exercise: Starting a Project..................................................................... 34

Session Summary Checklist ................................................................... 35

ASSET Training Guide (GSM)

Using the GIS and Other Visual Tools 37

Objectives of this Session ....................................................................... 37

Opening the 2D View Window ................................................................ 37

Using the 2D View Window..................................................................... 39

Moving Around the Map .......................................................................... 53

About the Map View Toolbar ......................................................................... 39

Saving a Favourite Map View ................................................................. 55

Editing and Deleting Favourite Views ............................................................ 56

Using GIS Export .................................................................................... 56

Customising Page Layout for Printing Maps ................................................. 58

Exercise: Using the 2D View and Favourites .......................................... 61

4.10 Session Summary Checklist .................................................................. 62

Vectors and Polygons

Objectives of this Session ....................................................................... 63

Creating Your Own Vector File Features ................................................ 64

Defining Attributes for a Vector File Feature ................................................. 67

Importing Vector File Data ...................................................................... 78

Classifying User Vector Files .................................................................. 79

Exercise: Creating and Displaying Vectors ............................................. 81

Session Summary Checklist ................................................................... 82

ASSET Training Guide (GSM)

Setting up a GSM Network

Objectives of this Session ....................................................................... 83

Setting Up Propagation Models .............................................................. 85

About the Enhanced Macrocell Model ........................................................... 86

Using XML Exports and Imports ............................................................. 91

About GSM Carriers in ASSET ............................................................... 94

Using Carrier Layers and Cell Layers ..................................................... 99

Defining GSM and GPRS Carriers ................................................................ 95

About Templates .................................................................................. 106

Adding a Template for a Site or Node ......................................................... 107

Adding Sites or Nodes Using the Map View .......................................... 108

Setting Sub-Cell Parameters and Thresholds ....................................... 109

6.10 Viewing and Editing Antenna Configurations ....................................... 114

Using Instance IDs to Distinguish Antennas ............................................. 114

Fields, Filters and Visualisers 123

Objectives of this Session ..................................................................... 123

Using Fields in ENTERPRISE .............................................................. 123

Using Filters in ENTERPRISE .............................................................. 127

Examples of Field Definitions ...................................................................... 124