10.2 MBH Solution Starting Points

‘Hard’ starting points consist of things that cannot be changed in the short term, including things already existing, such as the existing networks and their environment, but usually also include the legal/regulatory environment. ‘Soft’ starting points are things that are given for the MBH planning but can still be discussed, and even changed if there are very good reasons; examples are mobile network (expansion) plans and MBH network targets and goals. Many estimates about future conditions and traffic and other forecasts can also be considered to be ‘soft’ starting points, as they can only represent a view (a consensus view or an expert view) about the future.

10.2.1 Hard Starting Points

For a new MBH network or for a MBH extension, the most obvious starting points are the mobile operator's existing networks (existing mobile, MBH and other transport networks) which are usually well known and documented. Also the present mobile customer base (type of customers and their present network usage) and present measured traffic in the existing network(s) are important starting points.

But also the other operators' networks in the same area (especially their MBH and other transport networks) may have a significant influence on what kinds of MBH solutions are feasible. These other networks are usually significant from a competition point of view – they are competitors' starting points for their network expansions – but often they can also mean good opportunities for network sharing and/or outsourcing.

Also many things related to network environment and service area are fixed, at least in short term, often also in medium term. Such factors include geography and demography (e.g. size, distribution, density and growth of population) of the area, as well as the general infrastructure available in the network area (e.g. buildings, roads and availability of electricity).

In addition these ‘physical’ hard facts, other things limiting solution alternatives may be unchangeable in the short term, especially all kinds of regulations and license requirements and conditions. For example, the possibility of laying cables for new transport routes and the cost of these routes often depend heavily on local (authority) permits needed and the conditions set in those permits. Mobile operators' own license requirements usually relate only to the mobile network, more rarely to the MBH network; but the mobile network requirements obviously can influence the MBH network a lot (e.g. coverage requirements in low-density areas means longer transport links with not-so-high capacity requirements but with very high cost pressure). On the other hand, frequency band regulations, channel allocations and license requirements and fees may directly affect feasibility of microwave radio based MBH solutions.

10.2.2 Soft Starting Points

The ‘soft’ starting points consist mainly of various kinds of forecasts and plans and operator longer term goals (strategies). Most obvious starting points for the MBH solution work are the plans concerning mobile network expansions and phasing of mobile network building in those plans.

Forecasts about future mobile traffic, which may or may not be included in those plans, are very important for the proper planning and dimensioning of the MBH network. As discussed earlier in Chapter 2, forecasts for individual services are not so important for the MBH network design, but instead characterization of the mobile network traffic as a whole. Forecast for the busy hour total traffic (per base station site) is, as in earlier networks, still very important. The share of real time streaming of the total traffic is also important, particularly if it is big, as statistical multiplexing does not influence this part of the traffic as much as other traffic. In the high bandwidth packet networks additionally forecasts (or the target values set by the operator) about real single user peak rates are very significant, especially for MBH lower access parts, where these peak rates often determine the needed transport capacity.

General goals for new MBH networks may also be seen as part of ‘soft’ starting points; for example, there may be targets to reduce the power consumption of the network, or make it more remotely manageable so that site visits will become increasingly rare events.

In the ‘soft’ starting points one may also include forecasts about development of the other networks and infrastructure in the area. Future development of other (transport) networks influences possibilities for sharing and/or outsourcing of connections, and the abundance or scarcity of transport options strongly influences expected price levels.

In addition to the operator network plans mentioned above, some points from the mobile operator' strategies may be worth noting in the MBH solution work. Quite obvious things to take into account are the general longer term targets for in-house vs. outsourced transport (with related targets for in-house resources and skill sets). In addition it may be very useful to pick up some points from mobile operator's competition strategy: how this mobile network is intended to be better than the competition in the area? If the target is, for example, to offer better end-user service quality (e.g. higher peak rates and/or lower latencies), the MBH network also needs to be designed to support realization of these targets. If the target instead is to be significantly cheaper than competition, quite different priorities may be applied in the design.