Traffic characterization for mobile networks

The core task of cellular system planning is to design an optimal radio network which provides the largest amount of traffic for a given number of channels at a specified level of quality of service. During this process, these objectives are achieved by an accurate traffic characterization and a precise analysis of mobile users´ behavior in terms of mobility and traffic. The aim of this paper is to review traffic engineering issues and to develop analysis techniques to extract the relevant parameters from measurements realized on an operating GSM network. The results can be used to model the traffic in cellular networks and apply it in the planning process.