Cellular performance evaluation tools and techniques

Cellular mobile telephone service has been available on a commercial basis for over two years. As more systems go into service, and more markets contain competing systems, the emphasis of the service provider has begun to shift from the predictive tools used for the initial layout of the system to methods of obtaining and maintaining optimal performance of their growing systems. Performance analysis tools in the field are necessarily restrictive than in a laboratory. However the performance of the system in the real environment and with the load offered by the actual subscriber base directly impacts service quality and thus the service providers profitability. The need for performance data from the field should be anticipated in the design of the cellular systems and the ability to collect key performance data provided. The authors have worked with various AUTOPLEX^TMcellular system operators in determining performance criteria and developing off-line analysis tools which process the collected performance data to make the analysis task easier. This paper describes some of the raw performance data available in an AUTOPLEX^TMsystem, discusses the data analysis tools which have been developed, and gives examples of how these tools can be used to improve system performance from the point of view of both the mobile subscriber and the service provider.